[SOLVED] What is the recommended procedure to follow when installing an M.2 drive?

[Ixron]

Currently using an internal SSD that's pretty old, and would like to upgrade to an M.2 drive.

After I physically install it on the motherboard, I plan to clean install Windows 11 on it. However, that will mean that there will be two SSDs with Windows on them.

What is the recommended procedure in cases like this?

Also, AMD's website has downloads for "AMD RAID Installer (SATA, NVMe RAID)" and "AMD RAID Driver (SATA, NVMe RAID)". So far I only installed AMD's AM4 B450 chipset drivers after clean installing Windows 11. What are those other options?

System Configuration:

• Operating System: Windows 11 (recently updated)
• Motherboard: MSI B450 GAMING PLUS MAX with E7B86AMS.H50 (11/07/2019) BIOS
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600

 

[USAFRet]

Leave RAID alone.
Completely.

You can either clone your current drive contents to the new one, or do a fresh OS install.
Either way can be pretty easy.
We can go into details on either path.

What is the current drive, the new drive, and how much space is consumed on your current C drive?

 

[Ixron]

Leave RAID alone.
Completely.

You can either clone your current drive contents to the new one, or do a fresh OS install.
Either way can be pretty easy.
We can go into details on either path.

What is the current drive, the new drive, and how much space is consumed on your current C drive?

Thanks for the quick reply. A fresh OS install wiping the current drive will do, especially knowing that Windows 11's 22H2 update is coming.

The current SSD is a Crucial MX300 (86% disk health). It's supposed to have 525GB for storage, but due to Windows being on it, the total space is 488 GB.

The M. 2 will likely be a 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, though PC Part Picker strongly recommends a 1TB Kioxia EXCERIA NVMe SSD. Unless a better option comes up, I will purchase one of the two in the near future.

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks for the quick reply. A fresh OS install wiping the current drive will do, especially knowing that Windows 11's 22H2 update is coming.

The current SSD is a Crucial MX300 (86% disk health). It's supposed to have 525GB for storage, but due to Windows being on it, the total space is 488 GB.

The M. 2 will likely be a 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, though PC Part Picker strongly recommends a 1TB Kioxia EXCERIA NVMe SSD. Unless a better option comes up, I will purchase one of the two in the near future.

A 525GB drive will be reported as that 488GB. That is normal and expected.
Windows being on it has nothing to do with it.

So, a clean install on this new drive (970 EVO).
Have only that one drive connected during the install.

Build your Win 11 USB from here:
https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

For the install...
(this is for Win 10, but mostly the same)

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

Again, have only the one drive connected during the install.
Reconnect others after, and delete all partitions as needed.

 

[Ixron]

A 525GB drive will be reported as that 488GB. That is normal and expected.
Windows being on it has nothing to do with it.

So, a clean install on this new drive (970 EVO).
Have only that one drive connected during the install.

Build your Win 11 USB from here:
https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

For the install...
(this is for Win 10, but mostly the same)

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

Again, have only the one drive connected during the install.
Reconnect others after, and delete all partitions as needed.

I see, much more straightforward than expected. Also didn't know about the expected apparent reduction in size.

Being already familiar with clean installing Windows 11, my only doubts concern how to delete the old drive's partitions after the OS is installed on the M. 2.

 

[USAFRet]

I see, much more straightforward than expected. Also didn't know about the expected apparent reduction in size.

Being already familiar with clean installing Windows 11, my only doubts concern how to delete the old drive's partitions after the OS is installed on the M. 2.

That 'reduction in size' is across all storage devices.

It is a case of Base 10 vs Base 2
Human vs computer
1000 vs 1024
Just a difference in reporting units.


A "1TB" drive will be seen as 931GB
500GB drive, as 465GB
Your 525....488GB
etc...

 

[USAFRet]

Being already familiar with clean installing Windows 11, my only doubts concern how to delete the old drive's partitions after the OS is installed on the M. 2.

To clean off the old drive, commandline function diskpart, and the clean command

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/format-hard-drive-command-prompt,37632.html
https://www.seagate.com/support/kb/...-a-drive-through-the-command-prompt-005929en/
https://searchwindowsserver.techtar...t-to-create-extend-or-delete-a-disk-partition