I have two M.2 SSDs. The 500GB drive contains the Windows installation I currently use, while the 1TB drive also has a newer Windows installation. I want to keep the Windows setup from the 500GB drive but move it onto the 1TB drive so the computer boots from the 1TB SSD. After confirming that works, I'd like to erase the 500GB drive and use it for other files if possible. Can I leave both drives in their current sockets, and how should I handle cloning, boot order, and wiping the old installation?
3 Answers
You could also do a clean Windows installation on whichever drive you want to use as the system disk, then copy your games, photos, and videos separately. This avoids cloning problems, but applications may need to be reinstalled and some game libraries may need to be re-linked. After the new installation is working, set the desired SSD as the boot device in UEFI/BIOS and wipe the other drive.
Clone the entire 500GB drive onto the 1TB drive using a tool such as Clonezilla or another disk-cloning utility. Make sure the destination is the 1TB drive, since cloning will overwrite everything currently on it. After cloning, shut down and temporarily disconnect or disable the 500GB drive, then boot from the 1TB drive and verify that Windows works. Once confirmed, reconnect the 500GB drive, select the 1TB drive as the first boot device in UEFI/BIOS, and erase the old drive. You can leave the SSDs in their current sockets; swapping sockets usually isn’t necessary.
Because the 1TB drive already contains Windows, cloning onto it will replace that installation and its files. Back up anything important from it first.
The basic order is 500GB drive to 1TB drive, not the other way around: back up important data, clone the 500GB installation to the 1TB SSD, boot with the 500GB temporarily disconnected, and check that the cloned system starts correctly. Then reconnect the smaller drive and format only that drive. Be careful to select the correct disk in the cloning and formatting tools, since both drives may have similar Windows partitions.
I’d prefer to preserve the existing Windows setup, so cloning the 500GB drive to the 1TB drive sounds like the better approach. I’ll make sure the 1TB drive is backed up first and verify the clone before erasing anything.