How Do I copy my C:drive onto a new ssd?

[writearts]

I have some gear coming that will enhance things a bit: an Itel i-5 12400 with 32 G of DDR5 RAM, 500G SSD, case and power supply.Win 11. My current Win 10 machine can't update to Win 11. the mobo is too old. All my files are on a Sandisk SSD and Win 10. THAT's my C drive. So now I';; need to transfer files etc from one SSD to another. Been running windows Backup but hell if I know where it stores itself.

Arthur

[Goatse]

Most of the newer SSD's and NVMe drives come with cloning software. You'll have to download it from your drive manufacturers support link. Samsung Magician now has it included as part of the app. With my SK hynix and Solidigm drives I have to download the software from a link on their support page.

99% of the time you can reinstall the Windows backup image by using either a startup repair CD/DVD/USB flash drive or operating system install media. It'll locate the most recent image by itself when you select "Restore from image" under the "Repair my computer" option.

If you're going to do a fresh install of Win 11, transfer the files you want to save onto another hard drive or external drive then disconnect that drive before doing the new OS installation. After the new install is complete reconnect that drive.

As a sidenote you can use Rufus to create the Windows 11 install media on a USB flash drive and bypass the hardware and other requirements.

[writearts]

Here's my main concern. I'm getting a new machine w/500G m2 hd and Win 11. I NOW HAVE a Sandisk 1tb SSD that has Win 10. What happens when or if I put both HDs in play. Can I run two OSystems? Or should I clear the 1tb drive before connecting it to the Win 11 machine?
The Old SSD has mostly thousands of photos: Tiffs, RAWS, jpegs, everything! Thanks for your help.

Arthur

[jdc2000]

2 bootable drives in the same system may or may not cause issues when trying to boot, depending on how good a BIOS/UEFI system your computer has and whether it allows you to select the boot drive. Even then, Windows may want to mess with some settings. If you are not planning on trying to boot both drives / OSes, this should not be a huge issue.

I would install just the drive you plan to boot Windows 11 from first, and get it setup properly, then make an image backup of it so you can restore it, just in case of unforeseen issues, before connecting the second drive.