The Windows 10 Pro Data isn't appearing on your secondary storage during the setup of your new Windows 10 installation.
The Windows 10 Pro Data isn't appearing on your secondary storage during the setup of your new Windows 10 installation.
I own a desktop computer I've used for about four years, combining a SATA 2.5 SSD with a 3.5 SATA HDD. My boot drive is the SATA SSD running Windows 10 Pro 22H2, while my HDD serves as secondary storage. Recently, I planned to upgrade to a newer SATA SSD because my current drive is nearly full. I transferred all my files—documents, photos, downloads, videos, and music—from the old SSD to the HDD. After retiring the old SSD and installing the new one, I booted up the PC using Windows 10 Pro. When accessing the HDD via Explorer, it didn’t display any of the copied items. I then swapped back the drives and restarted with the old Windows setup. The issue remains: the HDD still doesn’t show the files from my previous installation. Now I’m worried about losing access to my data entirely. I suspect my PC won’t recognize changes made under different Windows versions. I’ve tried formatting the HDD, duplicating the process, but results are inconsistent. Disk management assigned letters without success. A scan detected no errors, and hidden files were visible in Explorer. A technician at a shop confirmed they’d need to visit on Monday due to weekend availability, but assured me the HDD should reflect any changes made. If you have any ideas or solutions, please share—this is really frustrating! I’m concerned about my data and want to avoid future problems.
Currently, you need several restarts after installing the drive for it to appear properly. Once the drive is installed, booting again will display it correctly the second time.
Or you're only using the shortcuts for folders instead of accessing the real files. Either way, handle the actual files directly rather than moving the main document or picture folders.
I powered off and unplugged my PC prior to installing the new SSD. I also performed several restarts during the process. The modifications appear only visible within the operating system I'm using. When connected to another machine—specifically a fresh installation of the same OS on a newer SSD—it remains invisible, even after multiple restarts.
I didn't use any shortcuts. I opened the folder, selected what I wanted, and copied everything over. Still no clear reason for this problem. Could it be a Windows design issue? Maybe it's not intended for this way of using it? Even if that's true, it doesn’t make sense since I know people who regularly work with SSD+HDD setups and large Steam libraries. They often swap SSDs when they fail or back up data from their boot drive to secondary storage before replacing the drive and continuing normal use. I’m really confused and feeling stuck.
You're verifying if the drive is recognized during computer management. It seems you're concerned about the system booting after installing the HDD without actually restarting, expecting it to appear immediately. Also, you might not have run a diagnostic check for a restart after the first boot, treating other restarts as sufficient.
The drives appear in both BIOS and disk management. I rebooted my PC after the first start because I view restarts as an OS refresh. Whenever I add a new device or modify hardware, I always restart to ensure proper driver setup by Windows. See the attached screenshot 20240729_181631.heic for details.