Two hard drives, each running one operating system.
Two hard drives, each running one operating system.
You currently own a 1TB HDD but your friend installed a cracked Windows 10 Pro drive. You’re considering switching to another OS and want to keep Windows 10 Pro installed. Since you’re unsure about the cracked version, here’s what you should know: changing BIOS settings to boot from the second drive won’t fix the issue—only the physical hardware matters. Make sure the second drive is properly formatted and recognized by your system. If you need to switch OSes, you’ll likely have to reinstall or migrate data, not just change boot order. For safety, avoid using cracked software and consider backing up important files before making any changes.
They might be duplicates or serve the same purpose within the system.
Technically, yes. You might see a boot menu after POST indicating which Windows version you wish to start with. Alternatively, you can adjust the boot drive in the BIOS beforehand. However, why do it? Simply transfer your files from the pirated version, install the genuine copy on the second drive, format the pirated disk, and restore your data. If you have a sufficiently large USB drive, you could also store your information there while formatting the pirated Windows copy.
I placed a cracked one, but please don’t say we’re not helping those pirates—I didn’t know he put a cracked one I wanted. I got the legitimate key instead. Now for my Steam setup: first remove the HDD, then install an SSD, next install Windows 10 Pro on the new drive, add the second HDD, and finally everything is ready.
You only need one operating system installed, but having an extra OS on both drives adds redundancy and flexibility. If one drive fails, you can switch to the other without losing functionality.
You can simply move the Steam folder onto the new drive. It should function properly. While it might seem fine, it’s better to transfer your files to a separate storage device and format it afterward. Having two operating systems isn’t necessary.
I can easily place it in any folder. Just follow the steps you want to try immediately.