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The new laptop I'm getting has both an SSD (256GB) and a HDD(1TB), with Windows installed on the SSD. SSDs are kinda new for me, so I checked around and saw the a number of people have issues with having their browser (usually Chrome) installed on their SSD. Sometimes it's an overly large cache folder and sometimes it's constant stuttering or crashing.

So I want to know how I would go about installing Chrome to my HDD instead. Or at least forcing it to either not write to my SSD or force it to cache on the HDD instead. If anyone knows how to do the same for Firefox (which is my backup browser), I'd appreciate that, too. I am by no means tech savvy; just someone with Google, so ELI5s would be appreciated.

Edit: I read that you can use something called junctions to accomplish this (I think), but I am by no means tech savvy. The site I found about junctions (https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/install-chrome-different-drive-windows-10/) had some directions for Chrome (but not FF), but I noticed that there is another Chrome folder in Program Files x86 as well as Program Files (for both Chrome and FF).

So I was hoping that I could get some help figuring out if the site's directions are sufficient, how to do it for Firefox, and what to do about the folders in Program Files x86.

ELI5s appreciated.

Edit2: As per request: ELI5 means (E)xplain it (L)ike (I)'m (F)ive/5; basically, very simple step-by-step instructions with as few technical terms as is feasible, as if assuming the person you are speaking to has no idea what you're talking about. While I might be a tad more informed than a literal 5 year old, I think it'd be more effective to have answers assume I'm not instead of hours of back-and-forth to clarify instructions.

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  • What exactly is a “ELI5s”? You can edit your question instead of submitting a comment
    – Ramhound
    Commented Apr 17, 2021 at 4:42
  • @Ramhound Done.
    – SamaelQliphoth
    Commented Apr 17, 2021 at 6:09
  • AFAIK, there's no reason to do what you're asking - Windows at most would require only ~300GB, and that's with hundreds of applications installed, including a development environment such as Visual Studio (even then, I've never come across more than 250GB being used). What would be a better, and generally recommended, solution is to move the user data directories to a partition other than C: (%UserProfile%\Documents, %UserProfile%\Downloads, %UserProfile%\Music, etc.): Right-click on each user data directory → Properties → Location tab
    – JW0914
    Commented Apr 17, 2021 at 13:47
  • Seeing as the SSD in question is only 256GB, 300GB would be a bit much. Chrome/FF apparently can cause issue on SSDs because of their cache, as seeing as I barely scrapped together the money to get the computer I did (as an emergency replacement for a computer that suddenly started failing) I want to ensure that I do not run into such issues, even if theyre a bit unlikely. If junctions solve the issue, then I'd like to know what I need to junction. I know about moving things like the Downloads folder, is that what you mean regarding user data directories?
    – SamaelQliphoth
    Commented Apr 17, 2021 at 15:03

1 Answer 1

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Browsers on SSDs work much better than HDD.
However, if you would still like to install FireFox to a different drive try the steps below.

  1. Download the full installer from here: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/#product-desktop-release
  2. Run the installer.
  3. Select Custom, and click next.
  4. Change the destination for the installation to the desired drive, click next through the other prompts.

Once that is done, FireFox will be installed to the drive you specified.

This link will show you how to change your profile location: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-remove-switch-firefox-profiles#firefox:win10:fx87
Hope this helps!

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    Does this also change where it saves/writes its cache, sessions, etc (basically, does it leave the SSD alone)? I looked into it, but I either get conflicting statements, or more typically, no statements at all.
    – SamaelQliphoth
    Commented Apr 17, 2021 at 6:30
  • You are right, that would not have changed the location of your user profile. I have added a link to change the location of the profile data, that will do what you want.
    – James Graham
    Commented Apr 17, 2021 at 12:59

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