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I just built a brand new machine this evening complete with an SSD. The SSD has the Windows install on it to speed up boot times. But, I obviously don't want to store everything on that drive because it is relatively small. I have a large 1TB drive also. I would like to have multiple programs folders where I could choose whether or not to place the programs on the SSD. I was wondering if I could match the other default Windows directories like Users. The most important thing here is the ability to have multiple programs folders on different disks. Does anyone know if this is possible?

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"match the other default Windows directories like Users"? Match them with what? – rakslice Dec 30 '11 at 8:30
i just want a second programs directory that windows recognizes – Matthew Kemnetz Dec 30 '11 at 8:32
@rakslice for example...I want to run microsoft office off of my HDD and photoshop on my SSD – Matthew Kemnetz Dec 30 '11 at 8:33

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Most program installers in Windows ask you where you would like to install the program. You can choose somewhere outside the Program Files folder, even on another disk.

Another neat trick: With NTFS format disks in Windows 7, you can use junction points and symbolic links to create a sort-of-seamless folder structure that actually crosses between disks. Out-of-the-box you can only create junction points / symlinks using the command prompt, but there are a bunch of 3rd party tools for it that integrate into Windows Explorer. See: Any tool to create symlinks in GUI

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I created the symbolic links just as you suggested. The problem is that the SSD still decreases in the amount of available space when I install things in the symbolically linked folder on the c drive (which points to my hard disk) – Matthew Kemnetz Dec 30 '11 at 20:33
Depending on the program, there may be some files that have to be put outside the program folder that you specified (for instance some components might need to go in Common Files or in the Windows directory). This isn't usually more than a small percentage of the application's files. Is that what you're talking about? – rakslice Dec 30 '11 at 22:16

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