Switching boot drive from HDD to M.2

[corvo_1]

After upgrading my computer, I noticed my new motherboard has an M.2 SSD slot on there that I never noticed before. I've never been a person who cares about boot times (Mainly because my only system had a basic motherboard and a single HDD did the job for me) but seeing as I have the choice, I might as well use the M.2 as a boot drive. Like I said, I've never messed around with boot drives before, what should I know about it?
Do do I have to completely reinstall Windows on the new drive?
What happens to all my data on my HDD? Will I still have it there?
Once the M.2 is set as the boost drive in the BIOS, is that all I have to do?
What size drive is good to get if I'm just using it for boot purposes?

 

[MART3R]

After installing your M.2 SSD, you have to go into bios, under "Advanced" settings you should find "Onboard Device Configuration", in there you should find "PCI Express X4_3 slot bandwidth option" set to auto by default. Switch it to M.2 Mode.

After that its just like installing windows onto any other HDD/SSD meaning you have to set your Windows USB at the top of your boot priority and select your new M.2 SSD as the drive you want to put windows on.

Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[mbilal2]

Hi there.

A. what should I know about it?

SSDs work faster than HDDs as there are no physical moving parts and the whole mechanism is different. They some in different lengths as well. So make sure it can fit in your mobo.
Here's a checklist from Asus Rog. Whole page can be found HERE.

1. Whether your motherboard supports M.2 SATA or M.2 PCI-Express (hint: check the specs page!)
2. The type of keying (B/M/B+M) supported by the motherboard socket. There are different types of sockets. SEE HERE.
3. If it is PCI Express, whether it supports 2x or 4x PCI-Express
4. The maximum length of SSD drive supported (2232 to 22110) (hint: it should say on the PCB)

B. do I have to completely reinstall Windows on the new drive?
Yes you can download an ISO from HERE. If you have a genuine license of windows, link your microsoft account to it. Deactivate the product on the old device and activate it on the new device. Or you can clone the old HDD depending on the space of the new HDD. More info HERE. NOTE: A clen install is recommended.

C. What happens to all my data on my HDD? Will I still have it there?

Yes. Unless you format it, all your data will still be there on the HDD. Once you boot using the HDD, the HDD will show up in "This PC" as D drive. (in most cases) If you buy a second llicense of windows 10 for your ssd, you can boot back into the HDD and use it as you are right now.

D. Once the M.2 is set as the boost drive in the BIOS, is that all I have to do?

Install windows onto the SSD first. They yes, all you have to do is set it up as the primary boot device.

E. What size drive is good to get if I'm just using it for boot purposes?

64 Gb will be more than enough though most SSDs start from 120/128 Gb. That should be more than enough for the OS and a game or two you play the most.

Hope this helped.

 

[corvo_1]

After installing your M.2 SSD, you have to go into bios, under "Advanced" settings you should find "Onboard Device Configuration", in there you should find "PCI Express X4_3 slot bandwidth option" set to auto by default. Switch it to M.2 Mode.

After that its just like installing windows onto any other HDD/SSD meaning you have to set your Windows USB at the top of your boot priority and select your new M.2 SSD as the drive you want to put windows on.

Hope this helps, good luck.

That helps a lot, thanks. But will I lose any data on the HDD when I install windows on the M.2? Can I still use the HDD as a storage device without changing anything else?

 

[fimbres743]

After installing your M.2 SSD, you have to go into bios, under "Advanced" settings you should find "Onboard Device Configuration", in there you should find "PCI Express X4_3 slot bandwidth option" set to auto by default. Switch it to M.2 Mode.

After that its just like installing windows onto any other HDD/SSD meaning you have to set your Windows USB at the top of your boot priority and select your new M.2 SSD as the drive you want to put windows on.

Hope this helps, good luck.

i seen some people change More setting in the Bios, before the Windows 10 installation, and After the installation they go back in the Bios, to change back the settings not all but some.Dont know why some installations are different from others.