Greetings all, so my 7 yearish old SSD the computer boots to seems to be failing (unmountable boot volume error, I/O errors, repair tools haven't helped, and connections seem fine). It is mainly used just for my OS but there are files on it I need. My plan is to unplug it, install Windows 10 on a new 500GB SSD (now only $80! thanks Tom's/Amazon), set the new SSD as the primary boot drive, plug my old SSD back in, boot it up, and finally try to access the files from the old SSD to copy them over to my new SSD/other HDD. My hope is that even though I can't boot to the old SSD, maybe I can read it and try to copy some files over. Will this work? I've never had Windows on two different drives at the same time. Will that cause trouble? Is there anything I need to be aware of before I go for it? Much thanks to this community. I've come to Toms for troubleshooting and buying advice for almost 10 years now and this is the first time I'm posting something myself.
SSD failing, installing Win10 on new SSD, then retrieving lost files
- Thread starter twhobbs
- Start date
Solution
unplug all drives while you install win 10 on new ssd as win 10 likes to put its boot partition on any spare space it can find on other drives.
once you put old drive back in, make sure it doesn't show in the boot order. that is about only concern about having win 10 twice in same PC. there are other concerns but as you not trying to run 2 installs of win 10 in same PC, and just want to back up info, it should be fine
7 years is a good life for any drive, especially an ssd when most people think they made of glass and can't be trusted.
about time you posted, lurkers all over the place
once you put old drive back in, make sure it doesn't show in the boot order. that is about only concern about having win 10 twice in same PC. there are other concerns but as you not trying to run 2 installs of win 10 in same PC, and just want to back up info, it should be fine
7 years is a good life for any drive, especially an ssd when most people think they made of glass and can't be trusted.
about time you posted, lurkers all over the place
- Jun 12, 2015
- 65,263
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unplug all drives while you install win 10 on new ssd as win 10 likes to put its boot partition on any spare space it can find on other drives.
once you put old drive back in, make sure it doesn't show in the boot order. that is about only concern about having win 10 twice in same PC. there are other concerns but as you not trying to run 2 installs of win 10 in same PC, and just want to back up info, it should be fine
7 years is a good life for any drive, especially an ssd when most people think they made of glass and can't be trusted.
about time you posted, lurkers all over the place
once you put old drive back in, make sure it doesn't show in the boot order. that is about only concern about having win 10 twice in same PC. there are other concerns but as you not trying to run 2 installs of win 10 in same PC, and just want to back up info, it should be fine
7 years is a good life for any drive, especially an ssd when most people think they made of glass and can't be trusted.
about time you posted, lurkers all over the place
Colif :
unplug all drives while you install win 10 on new ssd as win 10 likes to put its boot partition on any spare space it can find on other drives.
once you put old drive back in, make sure it doesn't show in the boot order. that is about only concern about having win 10 twice in same PC. there are other concerns but as you not trying to run 2 installs of win 10 in same PC, and just want to back up info, it should be fine
7 years is a good life for any drive, especially an ssd when most people think they made of glass and can't be trusted.
about time you posted, lurkers all over the place
once you put old drive back in, make sure it doesn't show in the boot order. that is about only concern about having win 10 twice in same PC. there are other concerns but as you not trying to run 2 installs of win 10 in same PC, and just want to back up info, it should be fine
7 years is a good life for any drive, especially an ssd when most people think they made of glass and can't be trusted.
about time you posted, lurkers all over the place
Thanks! And yes, I should unplug the HDDs as well. Good call. I honestly didn't know how long an SSD would last and just kind of assumed it would last longer than an HDD. Now I know to back them all up more regularly/aggressively. Honestly, I'll probably go back to the shadows until I think I have something to contribute/ask. We'll see... I'll come back and update on whether I was able to access it at all.
- Apr 3, 2018
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Honestly, before even unhooking and assuming you can get it to boot long enough I would move the files off before uninstalling. Otherwise I would remove it and put into an enclosure so you don't have to mess with later.
- Jun 12, 2015
- 65,263
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lurk if you want to, I was just being silly
I don't trust any storage medium so I try to have everything backed up in multiple places. SSD should outlast a hdd but as they fairly new technology still (compered to hdd) the average age is an unknown. 5 years for any part of PC is when you should think about replacement (okay, maybe not motherboard./CPU), even the power supply as most don't have a warranty past 5 years. really depends on how often you use the computer, if its every day like me then 5 years is a good starting point. Storage drives (not boot) might last longer - in my last PC the original 300gb storage drive I got with the PC, when it was new, was still working 9 years later when I got this PC instead and retired it.
I don't trust any storage medium so I try to have everything backed up in multiple places. SSD should outlast a hdd but as they fairly new technology still (compered to hdd) the average age is an unknown. 5 years for any part of PC is when you should think about replacement (okay, maybe not motherboard./CPU), even the power supply as most don't have a warranty past 5 years. really depends on how often you use the computer, if its every day like me then 5 years is a good starting point. Storage drives (not boot) might last longer - in my last PC the original 300gb storage drive I got with the PC, when it was new, was still working 9 years later when I got this PC instead and retired it.
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