I'm looking to reinstall Windows after swapping out my motherboard, but I want to ensure I don't lose any files on my SSD. Currently, I have a single SSD, so I can't temporarily store files on another drive. I can back up most files to the cloud, but I have about 50GB of old photos and a heavily modded Skyrim installation with over 200 mods that I'd rather not lose. I've heard of the in-place install option with the Windows Installation Media which retains files, but I'm concerned it might leave behind clutter that could lead to instability. Is there a reliable method to achieve this?
3 Answers
If you can, definitely get an external drive to back everything up before you start. SSDs can fail too, sometimes even sooner than traditional HDDs. You've got valuable stuff—don’t take chances! It's best to have your important data on a separate drive from your OS.
It's important to make sure you have a backup plan. Drives can fail unexpectedly, and it’s risky to only have one storage location for important files. I'd definitely recommend getting an external hard drive or something similar to back up your key data before proceeding with the reinstall.
You can go for the Windows reinstall option that keeps files, but just remember to back up first! It tends to handle hardware changes pretty well, though drivers will need to be reinstalled afterward. Plug in the SSD to the new motherboard and see if Windows boots—if not, an in-place upgrade might be the next best step.
Thanks for the advice! I'll try connecting the SSD first and see how that goes.
Exactly! Keeping your files on a different drive reduces the risk of losing them during OS updates or reinstalls.