Move data etc. to permanent SD "drive"

Hi, folks. I could use some help with my brain. My laptop, my primary-use machine, is starting to run a bit slow. I've got tons of pics (it's all DGs fault), too much data I'm loathe to throw out, and doubtless dozens of miscreant registry links. I have Norton AV on-board and am thus not concerned about some kind of virus et al problem.

I'm thinking that it might be helpful to install a 4 gig card as my default "data drive." I've copied then undid copy; move then undid move, as none of these seemed to point my machine to the "new" drive.

1) what do I need to do to make this alternate pointing to take place? In other words, I want opening an Office document to automatically point to the new e: drive rather than the old c: drive. Is that possible? To "retrain" it, as it were?

2) am I barking (to use a poodle metaphor) up the wrong tree here? Does it make sense, what I'm planning here? I do have, BTW, an ACER Inspire One with 120 gigs of storage, which is probably a good place to store pics and data, as I'm a Babyboomer with no investment in 'puter games or huge collections of movies or music and don't need the storage for such things. But the battery on it actually crashed within 6 months of purchasing it and I'm terrified that such storage would be lost under similar circumstances when/if it happens again.

Does anyone have any wisdom here for me? I'm kind of at a loss just now.

TIA,
Linda