Question How to transfer data - new SSD ?

[axlrose]

I haven't transferred data in a long time, but I need to. I have a 1/2 TB SSD boot drive. I have a 1 TB gaming SSD drive. I got a 2 TB SSD for Christmas. I want to install that for gaming, and make the 1 TB drive my boot drive. I believe I just have 2 x m.2 slots on my ancient build.

How do I go about making the migrations?

Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

I haven't transferred data in a long time, but I need to. I have a 1/2 TB SSD boot drive. I have a 1 TB gaming SSD drive. I got a 2 TB SSD for Christmas. I want to install that for gaming, and make the 1 TB drive my boot drive. I believe I just have 2 x m.2 slots on my ancient build.

How do I go about making the migrations?

Thanks.

Please give us FULL details on this system.

All the drives involved, the motherboard, etc, etc.

 

[axlrose]

MSI Z170A Mpower MB
960 Evo 1/2 tb
xpg8200pro 1 tb

 

[USAFRet]

MSI Z170A Mpower MB
960 Evo 1/2 tb
xpg8200pro 1 tb

Since your motherboard has 2x M.2 ports, just like this....

-----------------------------
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
Both drives must be the same partitioning scheme, either MBR or GPT
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung target SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, you may need to 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

Verify the system boots with ONLY the current "C drive" connected.
If not, we have to fix that first.

Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive

[Ignore this section if using the SDM. It does this automatically]
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 specify the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
[/end ignore]

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD. This is not optional.
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD

(swapping cables is irrelevant with NVMe drives, but DO disconnect the old drive for this next part)
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.
-----------------------------

 

[axlrose]

I'll need to read this a few times, but thank you. It looks like I'm going to have to do some heavy work to disconnect old sata drives and to dig out both m.2 drives and move those. Larger project than I anticipated.

 

[axlrose]

USAFret, is it okay for me to post follow up questions as I dig into this? I'm running some new ethernet lines around my house and they are taking up more of my time than I had expected.

 

[USAFRet]

USAFret, is it okay for me to post follow up questions as I dig into this? I'm running some new ethernet lines around my house and they are taking up more of my time than I had expected.

Sure

 

[axlrose]

How do I figure out if my current drives are MBR or GPT?

'Power off and disconnect all of the drives except the current C and the new drive' - I want to make sure I'm explaining okay. I want to move the boot drive from the current C to the current gaming drive, and then install all of my games on the new drive. Do I still want to install the new drive, which won't be the boot drive first?

If I manually change the partition size (1/2 tb to 1 tb) what would I want to change partitions to?

If I just wipe all of my games off of my current gaming drive (the 1tb) and install that as the boot drive, can I then just install all of my games fresh without having to transfer anything from my 1tb drive to my 2tb drive at all? Meaning I'd just need one transfer from the 1/2tb to the 1tb to make it the new boot drive.

Does it matter where each of the two drives is seated on the motherboard? Do I need to have one in a certain slot as the boot drive? I guess I'm not sure if they are both identical m.2 slots.

 

[USAFRet]

If I manually change the partition size (1/2 tb to 1 tb) what would I want to change partitions to?

You want the main partition to consume all of the available space.
There is a slider, so you don't have to enter numbers manually.

How do I figure out if my current drives are MBR or GPT?

They are almost certainly GPT

'Power off and disconnect all of the drives except the current C and the new drive' - I want to make sure I'm explaining okay. I want to move the boot drive from the current C to the current gaming drive, and then install all of my games on the new drive. Do I still want to install the new drive, which won't be the boot drive first?

Have only the two drives connected for this clone.
The current C drive, and whatever you want to become the C drive.

Reconnect other ones later.

Does it matter where each of the two drives is seated on the motherboard?

Depends on the motherboard, but probably doesn't matter.

 

[SkyNetRising]

How do I figure out if my current drives are MBR or GPT?

You could just google the question.
Here's one of first results:

How to check if drive uses GPT or MBR partition style on Windows 10 - Pureinfotech

To check GPT or MBR on Windows 10, open "Disk Management," right-click the disk, choose "Properties," open "Volume," and confirm MBR or GPT.

pureinfotech.com

If I just wipe all of my games off of my current gaming drive (the 1tb) and install that as the boot drive, can I then just install all of my games fresh without having to transfer anything from my 1tb drive to my 2tb drive at all? Meaning I'd just need one transfer from the 1/2tb to the 1tb to make it the new boot drive.

1. Clone 1TB gaming drive to 2TB drive.
2. Clean 1TB drive.
3. Clone 500GB OS drive to 1TB drive.

No need to reinstall any of your software.

 

[mdd1963]

My Rescuezilla clone operation left me with the annoying WIndows Recovery partition in the way (to the left of in DiskMngmt) the unallocated space, but, Gparted allowed that to be shuffled to the end of the drive, then allowing merging of Windows main partition and the new unallocated space...

(I personally preferred an offline clone vice live migration with Samsung Migration tool, but, I suspect no partition shuffling would be needed afterward, and, it would likely work perfectly anyway.)

 

[USAFRet]

(I personally preferred an offline clone vice live migration with Samsung Migration tool, but, I suspect no partition shuffling would be needed afterward, and, it would likely work perfectly anyway.)

Macrium Reflect would do this from an 'offline' bootable USB. And give you the partition size manipulation function.

But yes...Macrium or Samsung Data Migration both work very well.

 

[axlrose]

You could just google the question.
Here's one of first results:

How to check if drive uses GPT or MBR partition style on Windows 10 - Pureinfotech

To check GPT or MBR on Windows 10, open "Disk Management," right-click the disk, choose "Properties," open "Volume," and confirm MBR or GPT.

pureinfotech.com

1. Clone 1TB gaming drive to 2TB drive.
2. Clean 1TB drive.
3. Clone 500GB OS drive to 1TB drive.

No need to reinstall any of your software.

Okay. Thanks for the info on the partition types. I haven't heard of either, but must have used one when I set up the other two m.2 drives. I remember fat32, I think.

Any suggestions on what to clean the 1tb drive with? I'm thinking I'm fine taking all of the gaming stuff off of there before making it a boot drive, and then I'll install the 2tb drive and just install everything fresh. I'm not 99% done with a Fallout game or anything, and it seems like there are cloud saves for a lot of games now.

Thanks!

 

[SkyNetRising]

Any suggestions on what to clean the 1tb drive with?

Use diskpart.

I'm thinking I'm fine taking all of the gaming stuff off of there before making it a boot drive, and then I'll install the 2tb drive and just install everything fresh.

Ok. One more time (you obviously didn't understand it).

1. Clone 1TB gaming drive to 2TB drive - all your games now live on 2TB drive.
2. Clean 1TB drive.
3. Clone 500GB OS drive to 1TB drive - windows now lives on 1TB drive.
500GB drive you can repurpose for something else.

No need to reinstall any of your software/ games/ anything.

 

[axlrose]

Sorry if I am not understanding. I can only have two m.2 drives in at a time. It's an old build, but I just don't have money for things like new builds. I can't have the 1 and 2 in together until I get the os from the 1/2 to the 1. I want to clean the 1, and then move the os to it, and then I can have the 1 with the os and install my games again on the two.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I can only have two m.2 drives in at a time.

Use M.2 PCIE adapter.