Transfer numerous operating systems and hard drive information efficiently.
Transfer numerous operating systems and hard drive information efficiently.
This project involves several changes. I acquired an M.2 PCIe3.0x4 SSD to swap in for my tower's SATA III drive and intend to use the SATA SSD to replace the 5400rpm HDD on my laptop for overall speed improvement. After installing it, I encountered errors, so I removed the SSD and reinstalled Windows 10 from it without a product key. I wasn't prepared for an OS installation and it created some issues, but it might have made moving operating systems easier if I could simply transfer all non-Windows files. The issue is that Windows doesn’t display both drives when booted from either the M.2 or SATA SSD, even in the disk manager. My laptop runs Windows 8, and I’d like to replace it with a Windows 10 version if possible. All applications will be deleted to fit on the SATA SSD, which makes a clean install feasible despite the hardware change. To recap: Current configuration – new Windows 10 on M.2; old files on Windows 10 in SATA SSD; laptop software on Windows 8 on HDD; storage HDD inside tower. Desired outcome – old files on M.2; laptop files on Windows 10 in SATA SSD. Questions – how to view both drives simultaneously, whether copying is the best approach, how to move non-Windows files between drives safely, how to duplicate a boot drive without losing data, and how to restore the Windows installation if needed. I have ample storage on the tower for backing up all three drives multiple times, so excessive backups aren’t a concern. The Windows 10 copy on M.2 didn’t require a product key, likely because it was sourced from a ready-made unit, and I can locate the key for the existing SATA SSD copy. Thanks to everyone offering guidance – this situation is really challenging.