How to transfer installed programs to another drive. Installing a second Windows on a different partition or disk from a running first Windows using WinNTSetup Why all programs are installed on a disk with

After buying a new HDD or SSD, the first thing to ask is what to do with the operating system used on this moment... Not many users have a need to install a clean OS, but rather want to clone an existing system from an old disk to a new one.

So that the user who decides to update the hard drive does not have to reinstall the operating system, it is possible to transfer it. In this case, the current user profile is saved, and in the future you can use Windows in the same way as before the procedure.

Usually those who want to divide the OS and user files into two physical drives are interested in the transfer. After moving operating system will appear on the new hard drive, and will remain on the old one. In the future, it can be removed from the old hard disk by formatting, or leave it as a second system.

First, the user needs to connect a new drive to the system unit and make sure that the PC detects it (this is done through BIOS or Explorer).

Method 1: AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition

Unlike the previous two programs, Macrium Reflect cannot pre-allocate a free partition on the drive where the OS will be transferred. This means that the user files from disk 2 will be deleted. Therefore, it is best to use a blank HDD.

Click on the link "Clone this disk ..." in the main window of the program.

The Transfer Wizard will open. At the top, select the HDD from which you want to clone. All drives can be selected by default, so uncheck the drives you don't want to use.

At the bottom of the window, click on the link "Select a disk to clone to ..." and select the hard drive you want to clone to.

By selecting disk 2, you can use the link with cloning options.

Here you can configure the space that will be occupied by the system. By default, a section with no stock will be created. free space... We recommend adding at least 20-30 GB (or more) to the system partition for correct subsequent updates and Windows needs. This can be done by knobs or by entering numbers.

If you wish, you can choose a drive letter yourself.

It is not necessary to change the rest of the parameters.
In the next window, you can configure the cloning schedule, but we don't need this, so just click "Next".

A list of actions that will be performed with the drive will be displayed, press "Finish".

In the window with the offer to make restore points, agree or reject the offer.

Cloning of the OS will start, and upon completion you will receive a notification "Clone completed", indicating that the transfer was successful.
Now you can boot from the new drive, having previously made it the main one for booting into the BIOS. How to do this, see Method 1.

We talked about three ways to transfer an OS from one drive to another. As you can see, this is a very simple process and you usually don't have to run into any errors. After cloning Windows, you can test the disk for operability by booting the computer from it. If no problems are observed, you can remove the old HDD from system unit or leave it as a spare.

When partitioning a hard disk, often those who carry out this software operation forget that the days of undemanding Windows XP, minimalist programs and casual games are long gone. Windows 7, 8 / 8.1, professional software packages and resource-intensive large-scale games from famous developers require much more space on the system disk than just 3-5 GB, which a few years ago was quite enough for full-fledged work with a PC.

You can fundamentally solve this problem by re-partitioning the hard disk - you need to snatch a certain number of gigabytes from non-system partitions of the disk and transfer them to the system one. But this is a serious operation that requires certain skills in the work, and it is unlikely that all users can do it on their own. Moreover, with inept disk repartitioning, the installed operating system may crash and it will be necessary to reinstall it. So it is better to entrust this procedure to experienced users.

But if the computer's system disk is already full, you can solve this problem on your own by simply installing games and programs on another disk - a non-system one, where there is plenty of space. Since all programs and games are installed by default on the C drive, as a rule, in the "Program Files" folder, you can change it to a folder located on a non-system drive by choosing a different path during the installation process - for example, "D: \ Installed programs \ The installation folder of a specific program ". And so that each time you install another program or game, you do not manually write your installation path, the automatic installation directory can be changed - for example, from drive C to drive D.

To change the path automatic installation programs and games, you need to make some changes to the Windows registry.

To get into the system editor windows registry 7 you need to enter "regedit" in the search box and go to the registry editor. In Windows XP, you need to select the "Run" command from the "Start" menu and enter "regedit" in its field.

Windows 8 users can use the search that appears when you hover your mouse over the corners of the right side of the screen and type “regedit” in the search box.

The system editor window will open, and here, in the mass of directories, you need to find the one you need to make the planned settings. We follow this path:

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" - "SOFTWARE" - "Microsoft" - "Windows" - "CurrentVersion"

The required directory is found, then you need to open the "ProgramFilesDir" or "ProgramFilesDir (x86)" parameter in the right part of the registry editor by double clicking - this is the entry for the automatic installation of programs and games on a particular computer disk. And in most cases, the default is classic version the values are "C: \ Program Files".

Before setting a new value for the automatic installation of programs and games on a non-system drive, you need to create a separate folder on this drive, which will be a kind of analogue of "Program Files". It does not have to be called "Program Files 2", it can be any name, as long as no outsider who has access to the computer thinks that it is stored there. unnecessary files and did not delete this folder.

So, if the folder for installing programs and games on a non-system disk has already been created, it remains only to change the value of the "ProgramFilesDir" parameter. You need to remove the existing option - "C: \ Program Files" - and enter a new one, for example, "D: \ Installed Programs". The changes made, of course, need to be saved - click "OK".

Everything is an editor system registry you can close and test the software installation. By default, programs and games will be registered in the newly assigned folder.

Let's talk about the process of changing the path of automatic installation of programs from the system drive to any other, for example, from "C: \ Program Files" to "D: \ Installed programs". This method works in Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

When partitioning a hard disk, often those who carry out this software operation forget that the days of undemanding Windows XP, minimalist programs and casual games are long gone. Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, professional software packages and resource-intensive large-scale games from eminent developers require much more space on the system disk than some 3-5 GB, which a few years ago was quite enough for full-fledged work with a PC.

But if the computer's system disk is already full, you can solve this problem on your own by simply installing games and programs on another disk - a non-system one, where there is plenty of space. Since all programs and games are installed by default on the C drive, as a rule, in the "Program Files" folder, you can change it to a folder located on a non-system drive by choosing a different path during the installation process - for example, "D: \ Installed programs \ Installation folder for a specific program ". And so that each time you install another program or game, you do not manually write your installation path, the automatic installation directory can be changed - for example, from drive C to drive D.

To change the path of the automatic installation of programs and games, you will need to make some changes to the Windows registry.

To get into the registry editor Windows 7 you need to enter "regedit" in the search box and go to the registry editor. V Windows XP you need to select the "Run" command from the "Start" menu and enter "regedit" in its field.

Users Windows 8 can use the search that appears when you hover your mouse over the corners of the right side of the screen and type "regedit" in the search box.

The system editor window will open, and here, in the mass of directories, you need to find the one you need to make the planned settings. We follow this path:

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" - "SOFTWARE" - "Microsoft" - "Windows" - "CurrentVersion"

The necessary directory is found, then you need to open the "ProgramFilesDir" or "ProgramFilesDir (x86)" parameter in the right part of the registry editor by double clicking - this is the entry for the automatic installation of programs and games on a particular computer disk. And in most cases, the default is the classic version of the value - "C: \ Program Files".

Before setting a new value for the automatic installation of programs and games on a non-system drive, you need to create a separate folder on this drive, which will be a kind of analogue of "Program Files". It does not have to be called "Program Files 2", it can be any name, so that no outsider who has access to the computer thinks that unnecessary files are stored there and does not delete this folder.

These days, more and more devices come with little or limited space and storage space. Most smartphones and tablets offer limited storage space, and a significant portion of the built storage is mostly occupied by the operating system alone. For those of you who own devices with limited storage space, you may need to change the default location of applications downloaded from Windows Store in Windows 10 to avoid running out of free space on the system drive. As you probably know, with the default settings, in Windows 10 all Windows applications, as well as desktop applications (traditional programs), are installed in the system drive - usually the C drive.

Default installation location for Windows 10 apps

If the disk on which the operating system is installed Windows system 10 has run out of disk space, you can configure Windows 10 to use a different disk to install apps. The good thing is that you can make this happen without downloading or installing any third party software... Windows 10 has a built-in tool for changing the installation location of applications. This method can also be used to configure Windows 10 OS to install apps on external drives.

Please note that if you change the default installation location of applications, Windows 10 will not move existing Windows applications to new disc... Only applications that you install in the future will be installed on the new drive.

If you've already installed hundreds of apps from the store and would like to free up some disk space by moving your already installed apps to a different drive, there is a great feature available to move installed apps to a different drive without having to reinstall them. Read our detailed instructions how to move installed applications to a new disk.

In our opinion, if you have limited storage space on your default device or drive, then it would be a good idea to change the default installation location as soon as you install Windows or start using your device, rather than moving them to more late stage. Moving applications is relatively easy, the only thing is that you cannot move in several applications at the same time.

Change default app preferences in Windows 10

Follow the directions below to change the default installation location for apps in Windows 10.

Important: Please note that this method is only applicable for Windows applications and modern applications. Traditional desktop programs will continue to be used in Windows on installed disk.

Step 1: Open up. There are several ways to open Settings in Windows 10. One is to go to the Start menu and then click the Settings icon. Application settings can also be launched with Windows keys+ I.

Step 2: In the app settings, select the first labeled option System (Display, notifications, apps, power - display, notifications, apps, performance).

Step 3: On the left side, click Storage — Storage.

Step 4: Scroll down to see the section Save locations... Here, you can view the default location for new applications, documents, pictures and music.

Step 5: To change the default settings and select a drive for applications, under New Apps -New apps will save to click the button and then select the drive.

Everything !! You have selected a new drive for storing the applications you will be installing.

Welcome to my blog!
By default, Windows programs are installed on the system drive under the “Program Files” category, and games sometimes create a “Games” category on the system drive.
But if programs can still be installed on the system disk, then games on it have nothing to do.
And then the question arises: "How to change the installation path of programs in Windows", so that programs and games can be installed in the directory that we need? "

I already wrote about how to clear the system, this article to some extent also refers to the topic free space on the system drive.

Many novice users install programs without changing the installer settings, as they believe that this is correct. Some users even install games without changing the installation directory. But this should be done only if you really need it, and not because the installer wants it.

It is clear that programmers, in order to make life easier for users, have foreseen and configured the applications in advance so that the user only needs to press the "OK" or "Next" buttons and the program will be installed. But if you want order on your computer, then install the programs correctly.

If you have a very small system disk, and there is enough logical space, then it makes no sense to install everything on the system disk. You need to configure the installer so that the programs are installed on a larger disk.

How to change the installation path of the program using the application installer.

Most often, you can change the installation directory during the installation of the application itself, and it doesn't matter if it's Photoshop or some kind of game, just don't rush to click "Next".

During the installation process, you will see a window like this, where you will be asked in which directory you need to install the program.

In this window, you will see where the program will be installed by default and what you need to do to change this path. And also how much space is available on the disk and how much the program needs to install.

To change the drive and directory for installing the application, click the "Browse" button,

and choose another drive where you can create a new folder for your program.

Usually one directory is enough for all applications and one for all toys on the computer. After that, the program will be installed in the directory you need.

Naturally, some files will still be copied to the system disk, but this will take noticeably less disk space than the entire application.

How to change the installation path of programs by editing the registry.

You can also change the drive and directory for installing programs using the registry. Only in this case, all applications will be installed in the new default directory.

It is convenient to do this if you have little space on the system disk and you need to install all applications on a different disk. The advantage of this method is that not all applications offer to select a directory for installation and are silently loaded into the default directory. And so you will already know where all applications are installed.

In order to change the installation directory through the registry, open the registry and follow the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion

Having opened the required registry branch, on the right we find the string parameter: ProgramFilesDir. In my example, the path for installing programs is registered: C: \ Program Files. You are likely going the same way.