Keep your data safe while removing Windows 10.
Keep your data safe while removing Windows 10.
Hello everyone, I’m planning to upgrade to a new laptop soon and have some questions about Windows. My current machine uses a 2.5" SSD, while the new one has an M.2 SSD with a free slot. I plan to keep my existing drive but transfer files to the M.2 drive. Since M.2 drives are faster, I want to remove the Windows copy from the old drive first so only the new setup remains. I found a guide on digitalcitizen.com that suggests removing the boot entry for the version you want to uninstall. However, I’m unsure about erasing or formatting the partition if I follow their advice. Will this action actually delete my personal files or just clear the space for Windows? Thanks in advance for your help!
It will erase everything, so be careful. Here’s the process: Prepare the M.2 slot, set up Windows there, start the system and perform updates. Power it off, install the 2.5" SSD as a backup drive, then restart the laptop with the new setup. Locate the 2.5" SSD and transfer your data to the M.2 installation. After copying, you can delete the 2.5" drive and use it as needed.
Here are your questions rephrased for clarity:
1. What steps would you take to delete the SSD's windows so that copying it doesn’t also copy the old Windows? Should I skip the part about removing the boot entry in the article?
2. How can I back up the drive to an M.2 slot without wiping the Windows installation? I’m familiar with cloning but not doing it without erasing the target drive.
It's everything fine. Locate your user directory, identify the files you need, and paste them in. For instance (I'm not using Windows 10, but the steps remain similar) C:\Users\Radium_Angel You'll notice subfolders like Documents, Desktop, music, pics, etc. Enter those, choose the files you wish to move, right-click and select "copy." Then navigate to your freshly installed Windows, find the new users\your_name folder, locate the appropriate subfolder (desktop, music, video, etc.) and right-click with your mouse to paste. This will transfer the data from the previous drive without moving it. Once you're happy with the copy, you can format the old drive and proceed as desired.