Question SSD with Win 10 + hdd with Win 10 as backuo

[Notnx]

i was wondering can i instal windows 10 on SSD but keep my current Windows 10 on hdd, and for my pc to boot windows from SSD and keep that second win10 on hdd as "inactive", so that when my SSD go poof i could boot from HDD instead of reinstalling win10 on SSD. the reason is that initialy i bought 120gb SSD just to run Path of Exile(>.<), but that SSD had broke/corrupted PoE files like 5 times and i had to format and reinstall 5 times. this time i just want to check if it will work with win10, but in case it fails again i wanna be able to just boot from hdd.

 

[CompGee]

I wouldn't do that. 2 installations of Windows 10 means twice the work of maintaining both installs of Windows 10 on your computer. What I would do is use the SSD for boot and programs and the HDD for data storage, and use a utility to create a disk image of both drives on a regular basis. (I usually take backups on a weekly basis.)

 

[Tanyac]

Theoretically possible. If you installed Windows 10 on your SSD WITH THE HDD DISCONNECTED you should be good to go. Otherwise it is possible the boot data will be on the HDD. An easy way to test - disconnect the HDD and see if you can still boot from the SSD. When installing Windows there should be only one drive connected.

Personally though, I would grab something like Macrium Free and Image the drive. Save that to the HDD. You can then use the HDD for other data as well, rather than having a drive connected being worn out and not actually being used.

A typical Macrium image will be 10 - 15GB.

If your SSD goes "poof" as you put it, the restore from the images is minutes (depending on your PCs specs), and you're back where you left off.

I have 10 PCs here. Every one of them is imaged every day. While they are being used. The imaging takes 8 minutes on average. A restore typically takes 2 - 5 minutes. Much better than the hours of works reinstalling windows, apps and games.

 

[Notnx]

Theoretically possible. If you installed Windows 10 on your SSD WITH THE HDD DISCONNECTED you should be good to go. Otherwise it is possible the boot data will be on the HDD. An easy way to test - disconnect the HDD and see if you can still boot from the SSD. When installing Windows there should be only one drive connected.

Personally though, I would grab something like Macrium Free and Image the drive. Save that to the HDD. You can then use the HDD for other data as well, rather than having a drive connected being worn out and not actually being used.

A typical Macrium image will be 10 - 15GB.

If your SSD goes "poof" as you put it, the restore from the images is minutes (depending on your PCs specs), and you're back where you left off.

I have 10 PCs here. Every one of them is imaged every day. While they are being used. The imaging takes 8 minutes on average. A restore typically takes 2 - 5 minutes. Much better than the hours of works reinstalling windows, apps and games.

so if i understand it right, i will have for example win 10 and other drivers\programms on SSD, then i make image of that SSD and put it in hdd and keep using hdd for games and all that stuff, then if ssd fail, i can format that ssd and just reinstalls everything i had on it from image that on hdd? what about registry ? does image copy it aswell?

 

[Notnx]

i just trying to visualise how it work, so i have image of SSD with win10 on hdd, but dont have windows itself on hdd, when ssd fail, how do i boot my pc from hdd? or u can tell bios to use that image to reinstall everything on ssd and then boot from ssd?

 

[evongugg]

You can create a rescue disk and boot from it to restore from the hdd:

How To Create Macrium Reflect Bootable Rescue CD/USB

A simple guide with detailed instructions to make Macrium Reflect boot CD/USB in Windows.

www.intowindows.com

 

[CountMike]

Image is not same thing as whole OS and disk/partition, it's not usable by itself. If you for instance make a backup of disk/partition with let's say Macrium Reflect, you get a file with .mrimg extension which you can keep on any disk and you get to make a Rescue disk/USB from which to boot and select desired .mrimg file (you can have as many as you want) and restore that same image to any disk. It will be same thing as when backup is made.
Btw. I have two W10 installations on two separate SSDs and have no problems. One is regular W10 and another is Skip ahead ring. They are set as dual boot to choose upon start. Also had other combinations of OSs and as long as they are on separate disks there should be no mixing.

 

[Notnx]

so for example if i dont want to reinstall my system and all drivers i already installed, i could make an image of my partition C: (thats where my windows and all driver atm) with Macrium Reflect and install it on SSD? then just format my partition C: so that there is no old windows left, and just keep backup image and rescue file on hdd instead of whole partition for windows? or rescue file only work with cd/usb?

 

[evongugg]

Yes, you would clone your HDD to your SSD adjusting for different sizes.
Create an image of the SSD drive and keep it on the HDD or an external drive.
You need to burn the rescue disk or USB rescue drive in case there is a failure.
Have it available in case something goes wrong.