[SOLVED] HDD/SSD to M.2 SSD cloning advice ?

[SublimeOrange]

Hi all,

Currently I have my OS on my Sata SSD and games/other files spread across some other HDDs.

My new motherboard has M.2 support and I'd like to remove the need for HDDs and simply have an M.2 SSD with my OS on, and the Sata SSD for my games/other files.

What is the easiest way to achieve this? What problems might I have? What are some free-to-use programmes to help clone/achieve this?

 

[jay32267]

Clone the SATA SSD to the M2.
I use Aomei Backupper.
Macrium reflect is popular.
I'd power down and remove the other drives....except for the original OS drive and the M2 drive before the clone to avoid confusion.
Once you finish the clone....power down and remove the original OS drive and boot with only the M2. Go to BIOS and make sure it's recognized and at the top of the boot order. Then make sure the clone works (hopefully it boots and all is good).
Then power down and add the other drives.

 

[SublimeOrange]

Thanks Jay,

Once that's done, what would be the appropriate steps to then wipe the old OS SSD and have it recognised as another drive? Won't the old SSD and new SSD both technically be C: drives?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Once that's done, what would be the appropriate steps to then wipe the old OS SSD and have it recognised as another drive? Won't the old SSD and new SSD both technically be C: drives?

You use diskpart clean method to clean old SSD.
Then repartition and reformat it.

Spoiler

Won't the old SSD and new SSD both technically be C: drives?

Nope. Each drive gets its own drive letter.
If you boot from old drive, then old drive gets C: drive letter.
If you boot from new drive, then new drive gets C: drive letter.

The other drive gets next available drive letter or doesn't get drive letter assigned at all.
You can check and assign drive letters using Disk Management.

 

[jay32267]

Thanks Jay,

Once that's done, what would be the appropriate steps to then wipe the old OS SSD and have it recognised as another drive? Won't the old SSD and new SSD both technically be C: drives?

As was said you can use diskpart or you can use disk management to repartition and format the old OS drive.