I'm currently moving from Windows to Linux Mint and planning to fully switch over. I want to retain all the data from my current SSD and two NTFS formatted HDDs, but I've heard that switching to EXT4 is better for Linux. I'm not quite sure what steps I should take. I have some empty HDDs that I could format to EXT4 and then transfer all my files from Windows onto these drives before I install Linux. However, I'm concerned because I believe Windows can't read EXT4. Should I keep my files on the NTFS drives and convert to EXT4 later? Won't that erase all my data? Is there a smarter way to do this? I have about 40 TB to back up, which seems tedious.
4 Answers
Before you wipe your HDDs, make sure to back everything important to another NTFS drive. Once you've installed Linux, you can then mount the NTFS drive and start transferring files around. Use GParted to create EXT4 partitions after making sure any old drives you format are backed up.
Linux can handle NTFS just fine, and you won't have trouble accessing your NTFS drives when you switch. It’s a good plan to go with EXT4, but remember, NTFS drives work seamlessly without any special setup on Linux Mint since it has the ntfs-3g driver pre-installed. If you're looking for other options, XFS could also be suitable for bulk storage, but EXT4 will definitely work well if you're unsure.
Yeah, unplugging the NTFS drives during installation is a smart move to avoid any mistakes!
Honestly, I'd recommend getting new SSDs for your Linux installation. The speed benefits will make a huge difference compared to HDDs. Use your old HDDs for backup purposes, or migrate data from them to the new SSDs. Just double-check your backups before formatting anything!
If you decide to convert your drives to EXT4, you will lose all data on those drives when you format them. So either transfer your files temporarily to another drive or format one of your empty drives to EXT4 and then copy the files over before the switch to Linux. Just keep in mind, if you format to EXT4, Windows won't be able to read it afterward. You may want to do this after you've completely backed up your data.
Yep, that's correct. It can't read EXT4. Just make sure to handle the backups carefully.
So if I format my empty HDD to EXT4 while still on Windows, can I transfer files to it? I thought Windows wouldn't recognize EXT4 drives.
Got it! So my plan is to back up my SSD, install Linux (which will wipe the SSD), format my empty HDD to EXT4 and then transfer the data from my NTFS drives to the new EXT4 drive after I install Linux. Just to clarify, should I unplug my NTFS drives during the Linux installation to avoid any accidental wipes?