To keep you from running into future complications. Simple plan for you.
External USB hard drive.
With your future external hard drive plug it in and on your own, just create your own
folders as we always do . Right click make new folder and name it.
I like to make a folder called MASTER SAVES and than open it and than make the folders below
Documents
Picture
Video
Downloads
Desktop
C Drive
You will have to manually drag and drop whatever you want to keep yourself to that MASTER FOLDER and it's sub folders.
AND to be clear these folders have no ties to the Windows created same folders on your "C" drive.
SO if your main PC takes a sick day all you need to do is unplug the USB cable from main PC and plug into your laptop You have all your important work and you keep rolling forward.
But I will say again YOU have to make sure You move your daily work over to the external hard drive.
The best part is no matter what happens to you main PC or your laptop the heart of your work "data" is on that external hard drive.