Problem downloading from Google Drive to an external drive

[Davedrave]

I have my family history files in a couple of large folders (maybe 6GB) in the ether on Google Drive (as well as on iPad) and want to save them to an SSD external drive. This is a 1TB drive, and still has over 130GB free. However, if I copy one of the files from Google Drive (showing as drive G on my Windows 10 laptop) and then try to paste into drive E (the SSD), I’m getting the message that there isn’t enough free space in the folder. Any suggestions please.

[Biggles50]

What file system is the SSD formatted with?

If you go into Disk Manager and look at the SSD is there a hidden partition?

[Spelk]

Is it maybe not the space on the GDrive or the SSD but the space you have free on your laptop through which the data will have to flow. Ideally you would have more than 6G of RAM spare on the laptop so it did not have to bother using hard drive space as pseudo RAM.
Try moving the stuff you want to move in smaller chunks.
And why are you doing it as copy and paste. I'd have thought you could just drag the folder from one drive to another which, as they are separated drives, should create a new copy rather than removing it from the source drive.

PS if you have the same data on an iPad why not take it from there so as not to use internet download which will be slower than moving the data locally.

[Rattus]

If you're seeing your Google Drive as drive G: in Windows Explorer, it sounds like you're using the Drive app for Windows. This essentially translates between Google's and Microsoft's two very different ways of doing things behind the scenes.

Try going to https://drive.google.com in your web browser instead. Login if you need to, find the files or folders you're interested in, right-click and choose Download. I use Drive at work and this is often a more reliable method of copying/moving things.

[Davedrave]

Thanks for your suggestions. I think that one major problem I have is that the “C” drive of my laptop has zero free space. I have no idea what is occupying all that space (103 GB, it seems), because I have all my saved photos and files on the “D” drive, and the “C” drive is just used by the OS, and I don’t even have a large number of programs, mainly photo editing and word processing.

Is there some sort of cable to allow direct connection between an 8th generation iPad and my (Samsung) SSD (which has so far been connected only to my Windows 10 laptop

[Biggles50]

Windows creates a lot of files and does not necessarily does it remove them once it is finished using them.

Open Explorer select C drive, right click and select Clean Up.

Once it id’s them select all then delete.

There are a mass of other actions that you can do as well are the easiest way it to type “Windows 10 C drive cleanup” into Google then watch a couple of the tutorial videos and follow along with them.

With your laptop is the internal hard drive partitioned into two or more drives or is it just the one drive?

[dobfarm]

If your external SSD drive is empty of files, folders and data (If you have date on your external SSD - check what DATA is on the SSD drive as it will be lost forever once formatted)  or if its new - then you could try formatting it. -  read link how to do it

As said: Take your time, deeply digest how to format before making any attempts to do it

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+format+a+SSD+drive+for+windows+10&rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB1115GB1115&sca_esv=f0072408fc3f5466&biw=1229&bih=485&sxsrf=ANbL-n5ZuJ0j8pl_bbSwT1rQT_IEZ7RPUQ%3A1781185221835&ei=xboqauDFMouBhbIP0cKiqQI&ved=0ahUKEwigvLSDqP-UAxWLQEEAHVGhKCUQ4dUDCBI&oq=how+to+format+a+SSD+drive+for+windows+10&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKGhvdyB0byBmb3JtYXQgYSBTU0QgZHJpdmUgZm9yIHdpbmRvd3MgMTAyCBAhGKABGMMESLqfAVCWD1iORnACeAGQAQCYAZIBoAHzBqoBAzYuM7gBDMgBAPgBAZgCC6AC4wfCAgoQABhHGNYEGLADwgIHECMYsAIYJ8ICBRAAGO8FwgIIEAAYiQUYogTCAgYQABgHGB7CAgsQABiABBiKBRiGA8ICCBAAGIAEGKIEwgIGEAAYHhgNwgIIEAAYCBgeGA3CAgQQABgewgIKECEYChigARjDBJgDAIgGAZAGCJIHAzcuNKAHzDiyBwM1LjS4B80HwgcFMi01LjbIB1SACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

[Spelk]

As from your first post you have load of stuff saved onto your external SSD drive then you will not want to format it.
Re connecting your SSD direct to the iPad. My iPad is version 5 so might not be as good as yours but in my experience when you connect any device like even a USB memory stick let alone a SSD drive to an iPhone or iPad they refuse to play with them on the basis that they require too much power.
So I bought a connection box which I plug into my MacBook which provides the power. A plain USB power source may do.
The connection box has a selection of sockets such as USBc and USBa types, SD slot, HDMI, and Ethernet and one thin slot labelled TF which I cannot recall what it does. So all sorts off things can be plugged in and it should suit your SSD drive and the iPad with the use of suitable cables. The connection box cost about £20 and is needed for many uses on my MacBook which of course only has two Thunderbird (USBc) connections.

However even you wanted to try the above your C Drive certainly needs sorting out as it seems to be chocker and your PC must be struggling. So follow Biggle's instructions. Unless you have loads (like 16 Gb or more) of RAM your PC will be using your hard drive as pseudo RAM which is a slow way to do anything.

[Biggles50]

I would be tempted to leave the 1Tb SSD for now and buy a 2Tb one.

I buy a Sabrent or Ugreen SSD enclosure off Amazon and a 2Tb SSD M2 stick.  Open the packaging for both and extract the SSD, open up the Sabent enclosure and slot in the SSD. Secure the SSD and add the stick on heat sink to the SSD, close it up and secure it.

Connect the lead and plug it into a PC, in the search box type Disk Manager and when it opens you will see the SSD, enable the partition and format it exFAT.

It is then ready to go and yes it is that quick and easy to do.

Then you can backup/copy all the files.

As prior an iPad or Mobile is not likely to have sufficient power to supply an SSD.  For info, I have an iPad Pro and it does power an SSD.