Question about copying C and dual booting operating systems
Question about copying C and dual booting operating systems
Dell G3 Laptop options are C: with 128GB SSD or D: with 1TB HDD.
I'm encountering mixed advice about whether this is feasible. My C: remains full, and I haven't installed anything on it—usually something in AppData fills it up. I don’t have much time to troubleshoot further, so I’m considering swapping a 1TB SSD for my current one.
I plan to install all programs and save files I can control to D::
- Can I simply copy my existing C: without reinstalling anything? Is a direct drive swap possible? (This is where I’m getting inconsistent information. Last time I tried, I had to reinstall everything, but an IT colleague mentioned Norton Ghost might have done it before, and one of my professors warned me I’d need to reinstall Windows on the new drive.)
- While in an IT course, I’d like to dual boot this laptop between Windows 11 and Linux. If cloning and replacing C: is possible, could I set up the new 1TB drive with two partitions—moving my current C: to one partition and Linux to the other? (I’m completely unfamiliar with dual booting at the moment, and I’ve only used Linux about 20 years ago.)
I’ve ordered a 1TB SSD and a USB>SATA drive. I doubt I’ll have space for two SSDs, though I might be able to remove D: and install the 1TB drive inside the laptop for cloning.
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You can replicate this to a bigger storage device.
Thank you! The new SSD should arrive tomorrow, so I’ll be back over the weekend if I run into any problems. Your assistance was really appreciated! Friend recommended setting up a partition with 70% for Windows and 30% for Linux—does that sound acceptable to you?