To be more explicit, for the last 8 years, whenever I set up a brand new windows PC, I create a new partition (Usually Drive D, or whichever the first available letter that is not already occupied) and designate it entirely for data.)
Usually I just reserve triple the space occupied by the new system "C" Drive as C (to allow future software also to be installed to C), and the remainder to drive D. As the hardware has evolved, and hard drives gotten larger. This has gotten easier and easier to accomplish.
I have been able to upgrade one or two Windows versions without affecting my data at all.
The same strategy can work by having a newer faster 2 GB drive exclusively for software, and a much larger physical drive for Data. That is the ideal.
A couple of years ago, I got an NAS wifi 4TB hard drive. Now, my desktop, laptop, and WDTV box and ROKU with Plex can access the drive.
I then put some of the common data files on it, so they can be accessed from either my desktop or laptop without having to pull up the network directories.
It seems that technology has finally reached a point where peripherals can ‘talk’ to each other.