[SOLVED] Here's a hard question. Dual W10 on separate drives. One system screws up the other beyond repair.

[colorex]

I have 2 SSD drives. One has my working W10 installation of one year, but I'm slowly migrating to the other drive. I have lots of stuff that I work with so can't do it in one go and be certain I got all of it.

The other drive I have installed 3 times now with fresh W10. All works fine, several restarts, driver installs fine, games, software all fine.

But when I boot back to the first, older install, the new install just breaks. Starts bluescreening (critical process died) on boot, and no commands seem to fix it.

The new drive has been scanned with multiple software and does not detect any drive errors.

It's like something on my current install is breaking the new install when it's offline. I'm not sure what it is, and it's getting frustrating having to start my migration over again.

Anyone have any ideas on what it could be?

 

[USAFRet]

"slowly migrating"
Don't do that.

How were these 2 installs done?
On partitions on the same drive?
Different drives?
Were both drives connected when you did the second and subsequent installs? This only leads to malfunctions.

 

[colorex]

"slowly migrating"
Don't do that.

How were these 2 installs done?
On partitions on the same drive?
Different drives?
Were both drives connected when you did the second and subsequent installs? This only leads to malfunctions.

Different drives. One is a SATA SSD, the newer is a nVME SSD.

No partitions other than default ones made by windows.

All other drives disconnected when installing.

I guess I'll just have to switch everything over in one step some weekend, and hope that it stops getting screwed up once I clear the original system.

 

[conticreative]

Let us know how it goes, because I have a very similar situation, I have Windows 10 on an nVME SSD, but I wanted to add a SATA SSD with a separate version of Windows for gaming only.
Frankly, I don't see how one version of Windows can be screwing with the other, unless you are somehow sharing HD. If I go that way with my install, each Windows 10 will have a separate set of HD (C drive for system and apps, another HD for documents). Maybe one of your windows installation is getting confused with the data HD changing drive letters?

Frankly, I have little experience in windows dual boots (as does everyone else, it looks like). Most folks, me included, do dual boots with Linux or even MacOS (until recently) but not windows.

If you can answer Colorex questions, it will clarify a lot.

 

[Math Geek]

not sure what is happening but the 2 OS's do not interact with each other at all. the boot partition starts up and points to the right partition to boot windows depending on which you selected. this happens well before any part of either OS is running. when one fully boots the other just sits there as data. it loads no processes or anything.

the only thing that can mess with it is the boot partition with some error there.

what exactly is a "slow migration"? are you trying to share folders between them or other thing like that? that can cause issues but not likely destroy an install like you are describing. the only time i have seen such things happen was some type of malware messing with the second install when it finds it. i've honestly never had any issue with any dual boot i've done over the years. clients that have had problems usually ended up being malware or them doing some kind of weird sharing thing they saw on youtube that ended up being a crazy idea that would never work.