Question Can I install my old C drive as a second drive on my new computer without causing problems

[Duggus]

I'm getting a new pre-made computer (MSI) and am curious if I can remove my current computer's M.2 SSD C drive and install it in the new computer's extra M.2 slot without re-formatting it? To be clear, the new computer will come with Windows 11 and my current one has Windows 10 installed on the C drive. I don't want to boot from the older Win 10 drive, I just want to be able to install it as a second drive, copy docs and pics and stuff over to my new C drive, and then if everything is working reformat it. Will this cause any issues or confusion with booting the new Windows 11 drive? Pros/cons of doing this?

 

[USAFRet]

copy docs and pics and stuff over to my new C drive, and then if everything is working reformat it.

This is better done before decommissioning the old system.

Copy those personal files off to a flash drive or similar.
Or OneDrive, GoogleDrive.

Doing it the way you describe can be done, but you'll run into permissions issues.
Better to avoid that beforehand.

 

[Duggus]

"Doing it the way you describe can be done, but you'll run into permissions issues."

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I was just hoping to skip a step if possible.

 

[USAFRet]

Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I was just hoping to skip a step if possible.

MUCH easier to do it the way I describe.
AND, that gets you an actual second backup copy during this process. Instead of the one and only copy living on the drive from the old system.

"oops, I dropped it"

 

[stuff and nonesense]

You could try networking the 2 pcs, simply copy the stuff off the old drive across your ad hoc network … verify you have everything you want and then wipe the old drive…. You only need to create a share on the old pc, put what you want in the shared folder and then pull it across.

 

[Duggus]

MUCH easier to do it the way I describe.
AND, that gets you an actual second backup copy during this process. Instead of the one and only copy living on the drive from the old system.

"oops, I dropped it"

Oops indeed. That has NEVER happened to me. LOL. Thanks for the advice and the reminder. Speed is not the same as efficiency, and I need to keep that in mind.