How do I clean-install Windows on my M.2 drive and set up Secure Boot?
Asked by
MellowPine47
I built my first PC about a month ago with an RTX 3060. At first I used the original internal drive, then I installed a 2TB M.2 drive. I apparently installed or partitioned Windows incorrectly, because the old drive is still labeled Local Disk (D:), while the M.2 appears as Local Disk (E:) and Local Disk (F:). Windows ended up on both drives, although I have been able to install games on the M.2.
The new Call of Duty beta now requires Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, so I would like to start over and set everything up properly. I have very little data to preserve and am fine with erasing both drives. What is the safest way to perform a clean Windows installation on the 2TB M.2, make it the C: drive, leave the older drive as D: storage, and enable Secure Boot and TPM 2.0?
Answers
Create a Windows installation USB using Microsoft’s installation media tool, then restart the PC and boot from that USB. During Windows Setup, choose a custom installation and select the 2TB M.2 drive. Delete every existing partition on that drive until it shows as unallocated space, then select that space and let Windows create the required partitions automatically. Be very careful to identify the correct drive by its capacity so you do not erase the wrong one.
For the cleanest setup, shut down and temporarily disconnect the old drive while installing Windows. That prevents the installer from placing boot files on the wrong disk. After Windows starts successfully from the M.2, reconnect the old drive, enter the firmware settings, and set Windows Boot Manager on the M.2 as the first boot option. You can then erase and format the old drive in Disk Management and use it as D: storage.
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You do not need separate E: and F: partitions on the M.2. Windows and your games can share one large NTFS partition without a problem, so using the whole 2TB drive as C: is reasonable. The old drive can remain as a single D: partition for extra files once you have confirmed the new installation works.
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VividMaple6: A clean installation is also a good time to switch the firmware to UEFI mode. After installing Windows in UEFI mode, enable Secure Boot in the firmware settings. TPM may be labeled Intel PTT on Intel systems or AMD fTPM on AMD systems; enable the appropriate setting, then verify in Windows that Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 are active.