How do I move windows to another Drive?

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Solution
Clean install. Pretty easy, you just have to prepare for it:

1. Documentation - Find all of your username/passwords for sites you visit. Login details for any websites. Serial numbers for any licensed software. Email logins, etc.
The Windows license key!

You'll need 2 USB sticks.
2. 1 for the OS, if you don't have a DVD for it already. Create your own Win 10 install here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
Another USB stick for all the drivers for your hardware. Go to the manufacturers websites, and find those now, and save them to this USB stick.

3. Find and save all the install files for whatever applications you are going to install later.
Find your SteamApps folder and copy it off to a different drive...


my :I/Steam games is like the steamapps folder so I click on it and it leads straight to game stuff
update: I just noticed I have a common folder inside my steam games folder that has all the games in it
 


Yup...the "common" folder contains the games.
When you start one of these, Steam may indeed say it is going to d/l 19.7GB. But it doesn't, because that stuff already lives in the SteamApps folder.
 

So what do I do? I cant add that to the download locations because it isn't empty.

 


Well...I don't know where to go from there.
That procedure has worked for me in the recent past.
 


Should I make steam go to a folder with just the common folder? Should I delete the folder and copy again?
 


In File Explorer, how large is your SteamApps folder?
 


486 Gb
 


I deleted all the files off the new drive now. Only problem is I cant change the steam download location because it wont let me cancel the game download even though I stopped it already. Now its trying to download to a folder that doesn't exist and I am very confused.
 


Okay. I haven't deleted anything off of it yet. This is very stressful for me. I just want it to work!
The thing on steam wont let me remove the location that doesn't exist because ARK started to install there so it isn't empty. Ark says its an update but I don't think its a 19.7 GB update.
 
OK...
So let's back up a bit.

Just to verify:
You've got the OS up and running on the new SSD. All updated, drivers installed...everything works?
All your applications and utilities installed?

What are the drives are in the system?
What driver letters, which drive is where, and what is currently on them?
 


I got OS on SSD using it right now. The drivers were already installed, It didn't need me to install them. I got all updates. Everything works fine. Most of my applications are installed, I left out some I didn't really use. Utilities? The 2tb drive the 1tb drive and SSD. (optical too but that doesn't really matter)
Driver letters?
Drive locations:
Drive 1: SSD (C)
Drive 2: 1tb HDD (D) (original)
Drive 3: 2tb HDD (I)

SSD: boot drive, desktop applications
1TB HDD: original things, haven't removed anything.
2TB HDD: A few copies of things from old HDD, not steam games( currently transferring after I deleted first copy), pictures, videos, documents, etc.

I noticed a clear download cache option on steam, that I think might clear Ark from my Queue allowing me to change the download destination to something that, you know, exists.

Do you by any chance know how to make it so if I hover over a tab in the task bar that's not full size the other tabs won't disappear? When i hover over something in the task bar everything disappears except that tab and I don't think it did that on the other drive.

P.S. I didn't put the colons after the drive letters because it made emoji's.

Edit: steamapps file finished transferring

edit: I didn't try to clear cache but turns out a restart worked. I now have it as I:\steam games\steamapps then My games are there, I'm going to try and install one.

Edit: It worked!! I sat there for 10 minutes staring at it when it said it was finding the files.

Update: I shut down for an hour or so and when I came back all my games were installed!

Update: The games go through first time setup then just don't start. I click play again and it just says "installing Microsoft directx for windows" then the window goes away and nothing happens.

Update: I somehow fixed it by hitting the x when windows asked if it could make changes to the PC because it was trying to make changes to the c drive.
 


yeah but its annoying to say no every time I start a game because it wants to make changes to C drive (SSD). It asks me even for the same games.
I also need some help on how to wipe the drive completely once I finish moving everything.
 


I actually already did it but thanks for the link! that looks a lot easier than what I did.
 


To wipe the drive:
First, test. Power off, remove the old HDD, verify the system boots up properly
Then, Disk management, and delete each partition, leaving one large blank space.
Right click on that space, and New Simple Volume.
Create the volume, give it a drive letter.
 


Oh how do I copy uplay games?
 


Talking to one right now. He helped me find the save file I already found then said he thinks if I disconnect the old HDD it could find my files. i don't think he really know what he's doing.
 


I am trying to do this but i have files/folders that are owned by trusted installer. How do I delete these?

Edit: Wait do I do this in Disk management not file explorer?

 

Latest posts