Setting up a fresh boot disk while keeping your existing Windows setup intact (including an HDD already present)
Setting up a fresh boot disk while keeping your existing Windows setup intact (including an HDD already present)
Hi everyone, welcome! I’m just getting started with this community and have some questions about upgrading my laptop’s storage. My brother is planning to switch from a 256GB NVMe M.2 SSD to a larger 1 or 2TB NVMe SSD while keeping his Windows setup intact. His system is a Lenovo Legion 5 17ACH6 laptop with a Ryzen 5 5600H processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX1650 graphics, and 24GB of RAM (originally 8GB, now 16GB more). The motherboard supports two M.2 drives, but he currently has an HDD installed that blocks access to the second slot. He’s a big gamer who enjoys downloading games from Steam for offline play.
I’m curious if it’s possible to transfer everything from the existing SSD to the new one, then install the new drive and move all files back from the old HDD. Since the HDD only holds games, I might consider temporarily taking it out, installing the new SSD, and copying the game files over. I’m also thinking about whether the system would recognize the new SSD as a replacement based on its slot location during boot. My main worry is how to transfer the operating system files between drives.
I’d appreciate any advice or guidance on this process. Thanks in advance!
without examining the motherboard, i'm uncertain but the m.2 used in the latest release is gen 3 and those tend to overheat. can i move the 4tb iron wolf to a new m.2 ssd after installing it, then return the iron wolf? i think 256 for the boot drive isn't a problem. in the worst case, i'd add another ssd and if the iron wolf doesn't fit, just use an external usb 3.2 drive.