How Do I Prepare Multiple Hard Drives for Switching to Linux Mint?
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CuriousCat42
I'm planning to switch from Windows 10 to Linux Mint, as I'm not a fan of Windows 11. I have several hard drives for storage and an SSD that I use as my main boot drive. I'm considering partitioning the SSD to keep a bootable Windows version in case I need to revert.
My main concern is how to prepare my hard drives before I make the switch. Is it necessary to wipe them and back up my files, or can I simply prep them for the transition without any major hassle?
Answers
I took the SSD with Windows 11 out of my new laptop and swapped it for a much larger 2TB SSD dedicated only to Linux Mint. If I had the budget, that would’ve been my ideal setup! But I’ve gathered enough info from your responses to back things up to one of my HDDs and get going with Mint.
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It really depends on how your RAID1 is set up. If you’re using a hardware RAID controller, the OS should recognize it as a single disk. If you set it up through Windows, it’ll show as two disks. Just be careful with them, though. One wrong move could lead to data loss, especially if they contain important stuff like pictures or tax documents. Always make sure to have full backups before making changes!
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If you’re concerned about messing things up, you might want to use a spare laptop to practice with Linux until you get comfortable. That way, if you accidentally erase something, it won’t be too painful.
AnotherRiskyJoe: That sounds a bit pessimistic. Sure, problems can happen, but there’s always a chance they won't, especially if you back up your important files.
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You don’t need to do anything too complicated! Just disable fast startup in Windows settings and shut down your computer completely. After that, boot from a live USB with Linux Mint, and you should have access to all your drives without any issues.
CuriousCat42: This is really helpful, thanks! I tried it and can see 2 out of 3 drives booting from the USB. The third one is probably linked to it being my Steam drive.
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CuriousCat42: I appreciate the heads-up! I actually botched things in Windows before your reply, but thankfully it was just my Steam data that wasn’t critical. Those downloads can be a pain, but nothing I can’t handle!