Question New build corrupted my data? Migrating OS + Storage to new build...

Jun 21, 2022
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Hello everyone, thanks for checking in! 😊

I recently took a plunge and got a bunch of new parts, which culminate in an entirely (mostly) new machine.

Migrated my old storage devices (M.2s, SSDs and a HDD) booting from my existing OS (Windows 10 Home) but to my horror upon booting, I found that the majority of my data was missing, especially files I kept on my Desktop (totally empty!). Notably, booting was not uneventful, the mainboard lingers a while flashing red>orange>white>green with no display signal, then I eventually reach an error screen which I'll attach below. From there I reach Windows using the boot menu options to force my way into the OS. Sometimes, it boots straight into windows after lingering too.

The drive still presents as filling a decent capacity when viewing their properties (that's normal) but upon going into their directories most of my data is absent...

I'll be so grateful for anyone's advice or insight... I'll list all my components below, highlighting the new parts, the old parts I transferred to this new build. If you require further details just let me know and I'll be happy to share!

Brand new parts in the new system:
  • Mainboard: ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F WIFI, Intel Z690, S 1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, SATA3, M.2, 2.5GbE/ax WiFi, USB 3.2 Gen2 A+C, ATX 7BA8Y
  • Processor: Intel Core i9 12900K, S 1700, Alder Lake, 16 Cores, 24 Threads, 3.2GHz, 5.1GHz Turbo, 30MB Cache, 125W, Retail
  • Graphics: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti FTW3 ULTRA GAMING 24GB GDDR6X Ray-Tracing Graphics Card, 10752 Core, 1920MHz Boost 7BAF9
  • RAM: 128GB (4x32GB) Corsair DDR5 Vengeance Black, PC5-44800 (5600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 40, XMP 3.0, 1.25V
  • Storage: 16TB (2x8TB) Samsung 870 QVO, 2.5” SSD, SATA III 6Gb/s, MJX, MLC V-NAND, 8GB Cache, Read 560MB/s, Write 530MB/s, 98k/88k IOPS
  • Tower case: Razer Tomahawk Mid Tower Chroma RGB Chassis with Dual Sided Tempered Glass Window ATX

    Old parts I migrated to the new (above) build:

  • Storage: LDLC SSD F8PLUS M.2 2280 PCIe NVME 960GB
  • Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 3TB (ST300DM008-2DM166)
  • Storage (Windows OS): Toshiba PCIe M.2 512GB THNSN5512GPU7 (OS with lost/corrupt data after migration with above hardware)
  • Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock PRO 4
  • Monitor (DP): 32" Asus ProArt Display PA32UCX-PK QHD Mini LED Professional Monitor, 3840x2160, 5ms, DP/HDMI/USB-C
🖼Image of the Message I often receive upon booting up (after system lingers):
View: https://imgur.com/czZ7OTj


🖼Image of where this drive is placed on the mainboard:
View: https://imgur.com/8jBXEfY


Thanks for your generous attention! 🙏

Wishes,
Chris
 
Last edited:

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
The most obvious first problem is the major corner you cut. Windows 10 is not designed to be modular, just like all Windows versions are not designed to be modular, with the very specific Windows-to-Go implementations being the exception. Basically, you spent a lot of money to then Frankenstein's monster the OS by slapping it into the new build. Windows 10 tries when people don't do this correctly, but very often it doesn't work. Compounding the issue is that you did this awkward grafting with data that apparently is not properly backed up, another issue of basic PC upkeep.

At this point, only have one drive installed (not the previous OS drive because we need to see if any data can be recovered) and properly install Windows on it, boot into Windows, make sure everything's working and only then install your previous OS drive (making sure to not boot to it in boot priority) and see what you can salvage, if anything.
 
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Reactions: ChrisShib
Jun 21, 2022
2
0
10
The most obvious first problem is the major corner you cut. Windows 10 is not designed to be modular, just like all Windows versions are not designed to be modular, with the very specific Windows-to-Go implementations being the exception. Basically, you spent a lot of money to then Frankenstein's monster the OS by slapping it into the new build. Windows 10 tries when people don't do this correctly, but very often it doesn't work. Compounding the issue is that you did this awkward grafting with data that apparently is not properly backed up, another issue of basic PC upkeep.

At this point, only have one drive installed (not the previous OS drive because we need to see if any data can be recovered) and properly install Windows on it, boot into Windows, make sure everything's working and only then install your previous OS drive (making sure to not boot to it in boot priority) and see what you can salvage, if anything.

Sounds reasonable! Thanks so much DSzymborski, I'll report back!