I just got a new 1TB SSD for my laptop since my old one is out of space. The majority of my big applications, especially games, are installed on my HDD. If I do a fresh Windows installation on the new SSD, will I still be able to use those applications on the HDD, or will I have to reinstall them all? Is there any way for the new Windows installation to recognize them?
2 Answers
If you want a smoother process, you might consider cloning your old SSD onto the new one. This way, everything remains intact and you won’t have to reinstall anything. Just keep in mind, you’ll need a USB SSD adapter to do that!
Windows won’t automatically recognize the applications after a fresh install on the new SSD. Some apps might be okay if you just launch them from the old HDD, but others will definitely need reinstalling. It can be a bit of a mix, so be ready for some manual work!
It really depends on the specific applications. Just launching from the old location is hit or miss.