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August 3rd, 2023 07:00
I installed a new 3.5" hard drive. How do I get the computer to recognize the new drive?
I installed a new 3.5" hard drive. How do I get the computer to recognize the new hard drive? I currently have the 500GB installed that I bought with the system, but it is near capacity. The new SATA drive is 1.5TB, and Dell told me that is the maximum it can be (2TB in total). But now that I installed it correctly (BIOS sees it), I can't get Windows to "open" the drive so I can start using it. Help!!
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filbert
4 Operator
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August 3rd, 2023 07:00
Windows won't see it until it's initialized. And to use it for storage, you must format it. There are many ways to do that, here is one tutorial.
filbert
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August 3rd, 2023 11:00
One easy way to transfer files would be to open two File Explorer windows, one for the smaller drive and one for the new drive. You can click and drag files and folders from the older drive to the new drive.
Yes, once you have transferred your files to the new drive, you can delete them from the old drive. Make sure to maintain current back up of your important files, such as to an external drive.
If you had any internal links, such as Shortcuts to various files, then you would need to create new ones because obviously the destinations will change to be the new drive letter.
Gerald500
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August 3rd, 2023 10:00
Thank you Filbert - that worked!
So now I have a 1.5TB hard drive that Dell and Windows recognize.
Supposedly my 500GB drive that came installed in the Dell computer is full.
How do I transfer files off that drive onto the new 1.5TB drive?
Do I just copy and paste? Then can I delete the files off the smaller drive afterwards?
Will I "break any links" that might cause me problems if I do that?
I don't plan to move any programs, just files (mostly Photos, Videos, and Photoshop files - we have lots of product photos and those represent my largest database on the 500GB drive at about ~150GB).
JamieLinux
2 Intern
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278 Posts
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August 4th, 2023 20:00
The fastest and easiest way to do this is if you are just doing your files and folders from My Documents. Right-click on the folder and go to properties, where it says target location change the drive letter from C to the drive letter you want. Windows will re-create the folder structure and move the entire folder and its contents to the drive you want. The nice thing about this is, it will now use the new location as the default location.
You can also do this with one drive if you use it, you will have to logout of one drive first and then move it to the new drive you want, once you log back in it will ask where the location of one drive is, navigate to one drive on the larger drive and click ok.
Great way to use larger drives while keeping your os drive clean of user files. You can also do this through settings storage settings and advanced storage settings where new content is saved, however, won't move the old content.
Hope this helps.
Chino de Oro
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8.1K Posts
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August 4th, 2023 22:00
Without knowing the Windows version you are using, I can't show you the precise path. But, there is a proper way to set your files path whereas it would move your current files to new location(s) and will be a default path for future file saved location(s).
Windows settings => System => Storage => expand Advanced Storage Settings and select Where new content is saved. From there, except for the first one, New apps, will be kept remaining in drive C, you change everything else to drive D (or whichever new drive letter is) and select apply. Each folder path and future content files will be saved to the new drive automatically. When complete, you open file explorer of the new drive, you will find a User folder has been created. Open it and you will see all user's folders identical to defaults folders in drive C. Verify if all your folders has been replicated from drive C and created new folder name Downloads.
Open User's folders in File Explorer (from Favorites), follow method suggested by JamieLinux and right click on a folder, example, Documents, select Properties, select Location tab, select Move and browse to the exact same folder name in the new drive D, accepting and OK to move. Repeating the same process for each folder until complete. Note that folders with large file contents will take sometimes to complete moving.
For any non-default folder(s) which had been created by you on Desktop or root directory, you can custom create in the new drive D, along with other default folders and move the contents to new matching location(s). After verifying files were successfully moved, you can delete those customed created folders in drive C.
This proper method will allow current and future apps to remain on drive C. While all new document, music, video, picture, etc...will be saved to new drive D automatically. Although all the folders appeared as they are still located on drive C. Below is a screenshot of storage configurations in Windows 11.