You have 1.5TB of local storage. You probably don't need to replace drives. Repartitioning may / may not be the solution. A 128GB drive, especially for the Windows C: default, is problematic. But, if you update your windows defaults, specifically aspects of your profile for storing all your 'personal' files, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

You've gravitated toward two specific software programs, where the root-cause maybe completely someplace else, and unrelated, other than the size limits of 128GB.

This is standard deployment these days, and is REQUIRED in many government institutions and large enterprises. The thinking is that only the operating system (OS) should reside on the boot drive (usually C:) and everything else on the other drives. Since you have a D: and an E: drive, I'd probably be putting my applications (the .exe files and their support files) on the E: drive and saving all my data to the D: drive. The thinking is that if a drive fails, as long as it isn't the boot volume, recovery is easier and faster.

Of course, there's also the chance that you really only have one drive, but it's been partitioned into logical drives, but the thinking is the same: Only the OS goes on the boot volume.

Of course, as usual, Microsoft doesn't adapt easily to the times, and so when one installs a new program, Windows still suggests (insists?) that you install everything including the kitchen sink under C:\Windows\Program Files\. Bah. Don't follow Microsoft's inane thinking. That's what gets you into the pickle you now find yourself in. Lesson learned.

I have been struggling with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Not the programs themselves, but with the hard drive they are installed on... The issue is that the drive is too small and occasionally doesn't have enough "room" to do some functions.

All of my Adobe software is loaded on the C: drive, which is only 128GB. Not my choice, but it is what I have to deal with. And, I have been fighting to keep enough open drive space for PS and LR, but am losing the battle.

So, I have options... I could uninstall/reinstall the Adobe stuff to another drive. (I have two others, both are SSDs with lots of space. Or, I could install a new, larger, C: drive (SSD type).

The question then, is whether one option is better than the other. Putting in the new C: drive would provide great overall system improvement. However, there is a lot that goes into physically replacing that drive. I believe there is software that can manage the upgrade tasks.

The other option would be to uninstall all my adobe software and reinstall on one of the other drives. That would likely resolve the issue. But, requires a bit of work to get everything reset.

Any input would be appreciated... Where do you have your software installed? Any experience upgrading your C: drive? Ever moved your Adobe programs from one drive to another?

Thanks!

I have been struggling with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Not the programs themselves, but with the hard drive they are installed on... The issue is that the drive is too small and occasionally doesn't have enough "room" to do some functions.

All of my Adobe software is loaded on the C: drive, which is only 128GB. Not my choice, but it is what I have to deal with. And, I have been fighting to keep enough open drive space for PS and LR, but am losing the battle.

So, I have options... I could uninstall/reinstall the Adobe stuff to another drive. (I have two others, both are SSDs with lots of space. Or, I could install a new, larger, C: drive (SSD type).

The question then, is whether one option is better than the other. Putting in the new C: drive would provide great overall system improvement. However, there is a lot that goes into physically replacing that drive. I believe there is software that can manage the upgrade tasks.

The other option would be to uninstall all my adobe software and reinstall on one of the other drives. That would likely resolve the issue. But, requires a bit of work to get everything reset.

Any input would be appreciated... Where do you have your software installed? Any experience upgrading your C: drive? Ever moved your Adobe programs from one drive to another?

Thanks!

I have been struggling with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Not the programs themselves, but with the hard drive they are installed on... The issue is that the drive is too small and occasionally doesn't have enough "room" to do some functions.

All of my Adobe software is loaded on the C: drive, which is only 128GB. Not my choice, but it is what I have to deal with. And, I have been fighting to keep enough open drive space for PS and LR, but am losing the battle.

So, I have options... I could uninstall/reinstall the Adobe stuff to another drive. (I have two others, both are SSDs with lots of space. Or, I could install a new, larger, C: drive (SSD type).

The question then, is whether one option is better than the other. Putting in the new C: drive would provide great overall system improvement. However, there is a lot that goes into physically replacing that drive. I believe there is software that can manage the upgrade tasks.

The other option would be to uninstall all my adobe software and reinstall on one of the other drives. That would likely resolve the issue. But, requires a bit of work to get everything reset.

Any input would be appreciated... Where do you have your software installed? Any experience upgrading your C: drive? Ever moved your Adobe programs from one drive to another?

Thanks!

Get the larger SSD drive put in. You can store the actual photos on one of the other drives or an external drive. I kepp the last several months on my C drive & the rest of the catalog on my D drive. Sometimes, purging the Cache in LR helps. Go to Edit in the top right drop down menus. Go down to Preferences & purge your cache & video cache & restart LR. When min slows down, this helps. I' still using LR VER. 6.14 standalone without PS. So... Good luck & it sounds like you might need a computer upgrade.

This is standard deployment these days, and is REQUIRED in many government institutions and large enterprises. The thinking is that only the operating system (OS) should reside on the boot drive (usually C:) and everything else on the other drives. Since you have a D: and an E: drive, I'd probably be putting my applications (the .exe files and their support files) on the E: drive and saving all my data to the D: drive. The thinking is that if a drive fails, as long as it isn't the boot volume, recovery is easier and faster....

This is the answer.

Your machine was built to be used in this fashion. It's a sensible practice that is common in the enterprise environment. I do it myself. Unfortunately you've not been using it this way, so things are a bit of a mess. The tricky part of this approach is that installations have to be monitored carefully, not accepting the defaults, to ensure that programs and the data files they create end up on the correct drives.

How to proceed from here? I'd totally rebuild from scratch, especially with a newish machine like your 2 year old. Assuring proper backup, I'd reformat the drives, reinstall Windows on C:, reinstall programs on E: from original installation files/media, and set data product (including Adobe catalog files) to go to D:

That may be more work than you want to take on, but I've done this many times on many machines, and rather enjoy the process and the end product of it all. There are other options, as have been suggested. You've a lot to consider. Best of luck!