I recently got interested in installing Linux after watching a video by Pewdiepie. However, I'm a bit unsure about how to properly back up my Windows computer first. Currently, I have two internal drives: a 220GB SSD that runs Windows 10 and contains various files and games, plus a 1TB hard drive filled with more files and games. My drives are pretty disorganized, and I'm not even sure what data I have or what needs backing up.
I was thinking about doing a complete backup of both drives but I'm not sure of the best method. I have a 114GB USB stick; is there a way to back up my total 1.2TB of data onto it through some backup service to avoid losing anything?
If that's not viable, could I copy and paste files into my 2TB Google Drive instead? Or would it be better to use Windows File Explorer or WinDirStat to manually select and save important files to my cloud or USB, or would that risk missing some data?
I know buying a new drive for Linux would make it easier, but I'd rather not spend money right now. Once I figure out how to back up my data, I'm thinking it might be best to install Linux Mint Cinnamon onto the 220GB SSD for the OS and use the 1TB hard drive for files and games until I can replace it with a larger SSD later.
Lastly, if I install Linux on my SSD, will my hard drive with files and games become incompatible, or can hard drives work between different operating systems? Any advice is appreciated!
1 Answer
Honestly, the simplest way might be to get a larger USB drive, like 2TB, and back everything up there. It’ll be quicker than uploading everything to Google Drive. Just make sure you know your plan—are you wiping your SSD for Linux or just adding it parallel?
That makes sense! If I wipe my SSD for Linux, will my hard drive still work fine with random files on it?