[SOLVED] Adding a new SSD M.2. Best option regarding Windows 10

[RichPc]

Hi there.

I currently have a small SSD M.2 which is running out of space and have bought a 2nd 1T M.2. (I have 2 M.2 slots)

I'm thinking about removing the current M.2 with the new one and installing windows 10 on the new SSD. (Using the windows creation tool and USB) I want to boot up from the new SSD as it is faster.

Now if i reconnect the old M.2 back into the PC, with the old windows still on there(and games and programs) Would i have any issues?

Also would i need to update all the drivers, Chipsets etc????

If so, whats a better way?

 

[CountMike]

Hi there.

I currently have a small SSD M.2 which is running out of space and have bought a 2nd 1T M.2. (I have 2 M.2 slots)

I'm thinking about removing the current M.2 with the new one and installing windows 10 on the new SSD. (Using the windows creation tool and USB) I want to boot up from the new SSD as it is faster.

Now if i reconnect the old M.2 back into the PC, with the old windows still on there(and games and programs) Would i have any issues?

Also would i need to update all the drivers, Chipsets etc????

If so, whats a better way?

Not enough data about MB, second M.2 slot may not run or even support NVME disks. But.... if it does you have various options. One is to just clone old one to new one and loose nothing. Second one could be cleaned and used any way you want.

 

[RichPc]

Old SSD is Crucial MX300 275GB
New one is Adata XPG SX8200 Pro. Checked and compatible.

Motherboard is MSI X370 Gaming Pro Carbon.

So its ok to do it that way?

How would the drivers be effected?

 

[RichPc]

Could i just install the new SSD and get the Bios to boot from the new Drive?
Would i have to get the bios to boot from the USB first then install WIN10 onto the new SSD first?

 

[RichPc]

Would this be possible?

 

[USAFRet]

Could i just install the new SSD and get the Bios to boot from the new Drive?
Would i have to get the bios to boot from the USB first then install WIN10 onto the new SSD first?

You install the OS on the new drive, with only that one connected.
Verify the BIOS boot order so that the new drive is #1
Then reconnect the old drive, and wipe it clean (assuming there is not data on it you wish to keep).


Or, you can maybe migrate everything from the old drive to the new.

Details to follow, depending on which way you want to go.

 

[RichPc]

Probably the first as I can start afresh as it were.

 

[USAFRet]

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

You're starting from a blank slate.
You will need to reinstall ALL your applications.
Document all your username/passwords/serial numbers/logins, etc.
Save all your personal files to some location outside the 'Libraries'. Documents/Pictures/Videos/etc.

 

[RichPc]

But won’t all that info still be on the old drive.
I’ll be installing windows on the new SSD, then putting the old SSD into the 2nd M.2 slot.

 

[USAFRet]

But won’t all that info still be on the old drive.
I’ll be installing windows on the new SSD, then putting the old SSD into the 2nd M.2 slot.

Yes, but the personal files in the Libraries are permission restricted to the User in the old OS.
The Library folders contain that permission.

Yes, you can retroactively TakeOwnership. Bit of a PITA.
It is MUCH easier to move that data out from that Library and its permissions, while that system is still running in the original user.

The Libraries carry the permission, the files inside do not.
Even if you use the same username, it is a different NTFS user.

 

[RichPc]

Nice. Never easy is it.

“You will need to reinstall ALL your applications.
Document all your username/passwords/serial numbers/logins, etc.
Save all your personal files to some location outside the 'Libraries'. Documents/Pictures/Videos/etc.”

When you say save all my personal files outside of the library, can I save these to my other disk drive(I didn’t mention I have a 3rd 3tb sata drive.

 

[USAFRet]

Nice. Never easy is it.

“You will need to reinstall ALL your applications.
Document all your username/passwords/serial numbers/logins, etc.
Save all your personal files to some location outside the 'Libraries'. Documents/Pictures/Videos/etc.”

When you say save all my personal files outside of the library, can I save these to my other disk drive(I didn’t mention I have a 3rd 3tb sata drive.

Yes. Any other storage location.

Just the files...not the actual Library folder.
Create some folders off on this other drive. MyDocs, MyPics, etc.

 

[RichPc]

Thanks. So move all my personal files from that drive into the sata drive into other folders.
Turn off the pc, remove all drives apart from my new 1tb m.2 drive. Then insert the usb with windows creation on it and follow the process to install windows again.

Will I have any issues when I connect the old 275gb m.2?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Nice. Never easy is it.

You're choosing the hard way yourself. Reinstalling windows, installing all the updates, restoring data from backups/old drive, reinstalling applications.

Easy way is cloning old drive to new drive. 15min work and done.

 

[USAFRet]

If you change your mind and wish to clone from old to new....

-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive

If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specifiy the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------

 

[RichPc]

Ok. Wanted to start afresh but if cloning is easier, I may go that route.

 

[USAFRet]

Ok. Wanted to start afresh but if cloning is easier, I may go that route.

It is "easier", in that you don't have to go through the whole blank slate thing.
You get your existing setup, exactly as it is, on a different/faster drive.

It does not clear out all the built up gunk currently existing, nor does it fix problems in the current OS or applications.

 

[RichPc]

Which would you choose?

 

[USAFRet]

Which would you choose?

Depends on the circumstances and how things are configured.

I've done both, many times.


Does the system currently run just fine?
If so, a clone might be in the cards.

Or if you're just looking for a clean start, there's nothing wrong with that either. Just more work.

 

[RichPc]

Yeah System is running fine tbf.

 

[USAFRet]

Yeah System is running fine tbf.

See the above steps for a possible clone operation.

You can always come back around and do a fresh install if desired.

 

[RichPc]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHCENfs87F4


This video seems pretty good

 

[USAFRet]

This video seems pretty good

And just like all the others, misses the critical step at the end.
Power off, DISCONNECT the old drive, power up with ONLY the new drive connected.

Instead, he has you poking around in both the new drive and old.

No.
Read the steps above.

 

[RichPc]

Ok. Once it's done. Will all the desktop links to programs all still work?

 

[USAFRet]

Ok. Once it's done. Will all the desktop links to programs all still work?

A "clone" is a direct copy of everything on the drive, to another drive.
Assuming the process works, there will be no difference, except that it is on a larger drive.