Generic PC question: How easy is it to upgrade the size of your boot drive?
26-Mar-23 2:40pm
#1 akfa
Hello,
My PC has its boot drive as a 500gb m.2 SSD, and I want to upgrade it to a 2tb like this: https://www.newegg.c...(SSD)%20SSDPEKNU020TZX1&cm_re=Intel_670p%20Series%20M.2%202280%202TB%20PCIe%203.0%20x4,%20NVMe%203D4%20QLC%20Internal%20Solid%20State%20Drive%20(SSD)%20SSDPEKNU020TZX1-_-20-167-473-_-Product
My only concern is, how easy is it to upgrade the boot drive of your pc? Is there an easy way to do this, where the majority of my boot drive remains the same and can somehow be transferred over?
edited to add: or, would it work to use something like this, if I have available pcie expansion space, and keep both drives in?- https://www.amazon.c...
Apologies if the question is easy to explain, appreciate any tips.
#1 akfa
Hello,
My PC has its boot drive as a 500gb m.2 SSD, and I want to upgrade it to a 2tb like this: https://www.newegg.c...(SSD)%20SSDPEKNU020TZX1&cm_re=Intel_670p%20Series%20M.2%202280%202TB%20PCIe%203.0%20x4,%20NVMe%203D4%20QLC%20Internal%20Solid%20State%20Drive%20(SSD)%20SSDPEKNU020TZX1-_-20-167-473-_-Product
My only concern is, how easy is it to upgrade the boot drive of your pc? Is there an easy way to do this, where the majority of my boot drive remains the same and can somehow be transferred over?
edited to add: or, would it work to use something like this, if I have available pcie expansion space, and keep both drives in?- https://www.amazon.c...
Apologies if the question is easy to explain, appreciate any tips.
26-Mar-23 3:45pm
#2 Scott
I think there are ways to accomplish what you're trying to do, but honestly, it's much better to just do a clean install of Windows on the new hard drive. Move all of your data to a secondary/external hard drive, make a list of all the programs you'll need to re-install, backup config files for any apps that may use them, backup your browser profile, then just do a clean install and re-install everything, and move your data to it. A clean install is always nice and breaths new life into a PC anyway, so it's a good excuse to do one.
#2 Scott
I think there are ways to accomplish what you're trying to do, but honestly, it's much better to just do a clean install of Windows on the new hard drive. Move all of your data to a secondary/external hard drive, make a list of all the programs you'll need to re-install, backup config files for any apps that may use them, backup your browser profile, then just do a clean install and re-install everything, and move your data to it. A clean install is always nice and breaths new life into a PC anyway, so it's a good excuse to do one.
26-Mar-23 6:47pm
#3 DarkFact
Just do a clean install. Save your porn to an external drive and start over
#3 DarkFact
Just do a clean install. Save your porn to an external drive and start over
26-Mar-23 7:59pm
#4 John
Unless you barely have anything installed -- or you are having other issues with your PC that might be helped by a clean install, I disagree with those above. It is a pain in the butt to reinstall everything. My PC does not consist of just an operating system to boot from and then a bunch of separate data. I have dozens of apps installed that I use -- some on a regular basis and some maybe once a year. But those apps have settings and other configuration that I don't want to have to do all over again with a fresh install.
The idea that you can easily just "back config files" for them is just inaccurate. It rarely works that way. Most such settings are saved in various places within the registry, ProgramData, and AppData. It is not trivial to back those up, install to a fresh machine, and just put them back.
Plus, you do that with enough apps and you aren't any better off than a fresh install anyhow since you're putting copies of everything back.
In any case, going from a smaller drive to a bigger one is fairly trivial. There are multiple free apps that can usually do it just fine. And there are some commercial apps that can do it every time.
I'd recommend you use something like the free edition of Macrium Reflect (or Clonezilla) and just take the defaults and it shouldn't have much trouble doing the clone. Then you just switch to that and you're done -- with all of your settings still in place.
#4 John
Unless you barely have anything installed -- or you are having other issues with your PC that might be helped by a clean install, I disagree with those above. It is a pain in the butt to reinstall everything. My PC does not consist of just an operating system to boot from and then a bunch of separate data. I have dozens of apps installed that I use -- some on a regular basis and some maybe once a year. But those apps have settings and other configuration that I don't want to have to do all over again with a fresh install.
The idea that you can easily just "back config files" for them is just inaccurate. It rarely works that way. Most such settings are saved in various places within the registry, ProgramData, and AppData. It is not trivial to back those up, install to a fresh machine, and just put them back.
Plus, you do that with enough apps and you aren't any better off than a fresh install anyhow since you're putting copies of everything back.
In any case, going from a smaller drive to a bigger one is fairly trivial. There are multiple free apps that can usually do it just fine. And there are some commercial apps that can do it every time.
I'd recommend you use something like the free edition of Macrium Reflect (or Clonezilla) and just take the defaults and it shouldn't have much trouble doing the clone. Then you just switch to that and you're done -- with all of your settings still in place.
26-Mar-23 9:13pm
#5 Scott
John wrote:
Unless you barely have anything installed -- or you are having other issues with your PC that might be helped by a clean install, I disagree with those above. It is a pain in the butt to reinstall everything. My PC does not consist of just an operating system to boot from and then a bunch of separate data. I have dozens of apps installed that I use -- some on a regular basis and some maybe once a year. But those apps have settings and other configuration that I don't want to have to do all over again with a fresh install.
I have tons of apps installed on my pc too. It's really not that difficult to re-install most of them. Most take just a minute or two. The key thing (for me at least) is to make a list beforehand, instead of trying to remember after the fact what you used to have. There's an app that will auto-install a ton of common applications (you select which ones), which is probably helpful for most people. I don't use it though because I enjoy doing the customization myself. I'll go out on a limb here and guess that you have some more niche/complicated stuff since I know you work in IT, but that's far from the average users' setup.
I'm honestly surprised you don't see the benefit of a clean install. PCs just get bogged down and slower over time, even if you're making an effort to take care of it and keep it clean.
That said, I will admit that I oddly enjoy doing clean installs, and do them fairly regularly. I don't know why, I've just always liked it.
The idea that you can easily just "back config files" for them is just inaccurate. It rarely works that way. Most such settings are saved in various places within the registry, ProgramData, and AppData. It is not trivial to back those up, install to a fresh machine, and just put them back.
I wasn't suggesting you can just do that for most apps. It's more of a niche thing, but sometimes it's possible, so I threw it in there. It's much more common on my work laptop. A lot of programs I use at work often have config files that I can just plug in when I reinstall.
#5 Scott
John wrote:
Unless you barely have anything installed -- or you are having other issues with your PC that might be helped by a clean install, I disagree with those above. It is a pain in the butt to reinstall everything. My PC does not consist of just an operating system to boot from and then a bunch of separate data. I have dozens of apps installed that I use -- some on a regular basis and some maybe once a year. But those apps have settings and other configuration that I don't want to have to do all over again with a fresh install.
I have tons of apps installed on my pc too. It's really not that difficult to re-install most of them. Most take just a minute or two. The key thing (for me at least) is to make a list beforehand, instead of trying to remember after the fact what you used to have. There's an app that will auto-install a ton of common applications (you select which ones), which is probably helpful for most people. I don't use it though because I enjoy doing the customization myself. I'll go out on a limb here and guess that you have some more niche/complicated stuff since I know you work in IT, but that's far from the average users' setup.
I'm honestly surprised you don't see the benefit of a clean install. PCs just get bogged down and slower over time, even if you're making an effort to take care of it and keep it clean.
That said, I will admit that I oddly enjoy doing clean installs, and do them fairly regularly. I don't know why, I've just always liked it.
The idea that you can easily just "back config files" for them is just inaccurate. It rarely works that way. Most such settings are saved in various places within the registry, ProgramData, and AppData. It is not trivial to back those up, install to a fresh machine, and just put them back.
I wasn't suggesting you can just do that for most apps. It's more of a niche thing, but sometimes it's possible, so I threw it in there. It's much more common on my work laptop. A lot of programs I use at work often have config files that I can just plug in when I reinstall.
27-Mar-23 8:30am
#7 John
Scott wrote:
I have tons of apps installed on my pc too. It's really not that difficult to re-install most of them. Most take just a minute or two.
Reinstalling apps is easy. Copying over settings is not. That was my point. I have everything configured the way I like it. It would take me hours or days to get my PC back to how it is now if I refreshed and started over.
Granted, I probably have a bit more "integrated" or "configured" apps than most people, I guess.
I'll go out on a limb here and guess that you have some more niche/complicated stuff since I know you work in IT, but that's far from the average users' setup.
Agreed.
I'm honestly surprised you don't see the benefit of a clean install. PCs just get bogged down and slower over time, even if you're making an effort to take care of it and keep it clean.
Yeah, they really don't. I mean, they do, but this is usually easily cleaned up. I guess that is my thing -- my PCs don't get bogged down because I don't let them get that way.
In any case, we can just agree to disagree. I work with businesses all day long who we upgrade from HDD to SSD on a regular basis. Except for a few businesses who are 100% cloud, people would lose their minds if we wiped a machine and then reinstalled. They all have their Outlook set just the way they want the view to look. They have their Word and Excel ribbons customized. They use some Line Of Business app (like dental software) where they've customized the calendar layout just the way they like it. On the rare cases where we need to start them over, they absolutely HATE it.
That said, I will admit that I oddly enjoy doing clean installs, and do them fairly regularly. I don't know why, I've just always liked it.
I guess it all depends on time. For me, like I said, it would take hours to days to get it back. That would be an incredible amount of lost income/work.
#7 John
Scott wrote:
I have tons of apps installed on my pc too. It's really not that difficult to re-install most of them. Most take just a minute or two.
Reinstalling apps is easy. Copying over settings is not. That was my point. I have everything configured the way I like it. It would take me hours or days to get my PC back to how it is now if I refreshed and started over.
Granted, I probably have a bit more "integrated" or "configured" apps than most people, I guess.
I'll go out on a limb here and guess that you have some more niche/complicated stuff since I know you work in IT, but that's far from the average users' setup.
Agreed.
I'm honestly surprised you don't see the benefit of a clean install. PCs just get bogged down and slower over time, even if you're making an effort to take care of it and keep it clean.
Yeah, they really don't. I mean, they do, but this is usually easily cleaned up. I guess that is my thing -- my PCs don't get bogged down because I don't let them get that way.
In any case, we can just agree to disagree. I work with businesses all day long who we upgrade from HDD to SSD on a regular basis. Except for a few businesses who are 100% cloud, people would lose their minds if we wiped a machine and then reinstalled. They all have their Outlook set just the way they want the view to look. They have their Word and Excel ribbons customized. They use some Line Of Business app (like dental software) where they've customized the calendar layout just the way they like it. On the rare cases where we need to start them over, they absolutely HATE it.
That said, I will admit that I oddly enjoy doing clean installs, and do them fairly regularly. I don't know why, I've just always liked it.
I guess it all depends on time. For me, like I said, it would take hours to days to get it back. That would be an incredible amount of lost income/work.
27-Mar-23 8:41am
#8 Scott
John wrote:
Scott wrote:> I have tons of apps installed on my pc too. It's really not that difficult to re-install> most of them. Most take just a minute or two. Reinstalling apps is easy. Copying over settings is not. That was my point. I have everything configured the way I like it. It would take me hours or days to get my PC back to how it is now if I refreshed and started over. Granted, I probably have a bit more "integrated" or "configured" apps than most people, I guess.
Yeah I was including configuration in that. Looking through the apps I use, only a couple have any configurations that are particularly complicated or would take a while to complete. For most, the settings I want are selected during install, or just take quick minute after the install, in the settings/preferences window. I suspect that would be the case for most average users.
> I'm honestly surprised you don't see the benefit of a clean install. PCs just get> bogged down and slower over time, even if you're making an effort to take care of> it and keep it clean. Yeah, they really don't. I mean, they do, but this is usually easily cleaned up. I guess that is my thing -- my PCs don't get bogged down because I don't let them get that way.
Exactly, we're a couple of IT guys who can keep things running well. But an average users' PC gets bogged down and slow, no question.
In any case, we can just agree to disagree.
Of course
I work with businesses all day long who we upgrade from HDD to SSD on a regular basis. Except for a few businesses who are 100% cloud, people would lose their minds if we wiped a machine and then reinstalled. They all have their Outlook set just the way they want the view to look. They have their Word and Excel ribbons customized. They use some Line Of Business app (like dental software) where they've customized the calendar layout just the way they like it. On the rare cases where we need to start them over, they absolutely HATE it.
I know exactly what you mean, and if this had been a business asking, my answer would have been different. But for an average users' home pc, I think doing a clean install is fine.
#8 Scott
John wrote:
Scott wrote:> I have tons of apps installed on my pc too. It's really not that difficult to re-install> most of them. Most take just a minute or two. Reinstalling apps is easy. Copying over settings is not. That was my point. I have everything configured the way I like it. It would take me hours or days to get my PC back to how it is now if I refreshed and started over. Granted, I probably have a bit more "integrated" or "configured" apps than most people, I guess.
Yeah I was including configuration in that. Looking through the apps I use, only a couple have any configurations that are particularly complicated or would take a while to complete. For most, the settings I want are selected during install, or just take quick minute after the install, in the settings/preferences window. I suspect that would be the case for most average users.
> I'm honestly surprised you don't see the benefit of a clean install. PCs just get> bogged down and slower over time, even if you're making an effort to take care of> it and keep it clean. Yeah, they really don't. I mean, they do, but this is usually easily cleaned up. I guess that is my thing -- my PCs don't get bogged down because I don't let them get that way.
Exactly, we're a couple of IT guys who can keep things running well. But an average users' PC gets bogged down and slow, no question.
In any case, we can just agree to disagree.
Of course
I work with businesses all day long who we upgrade from HDD to SSD on a regular basis. Except for a few businesses who are 100% cloud, people would lose their minds if we wiped a machine and then reinstalled. They all have their Outlook set just the way they want the view to look. They have their Word and Excel ribbons customized. They use some Line Of Business app (like dental software) where they've customized the calendar layout just the way they like it. On the rare cases where we need to start them over, they absolutely HATE it.
I know exactly what you mean, and if this had been a business asking, my answer would have been different. But for an average users' home pc, I think doing a clean install is fine.
27-Mar-23 8:56am
#9 John
I guess I feel like we're making huge assumptions about his usage too. I mean, for all we know, the 500GB m.2 drive that he has in there was new/fresh 3 months ago. In which case, again, the PC shouldn't be "bogged down" at this point where a fresh install would be worth the time. How long has he been running on that current setup? Maybe he just started, but wants more space. In that case, a simple clone makes more sense to me. But, yeah, to each their own.
#9 John
I guess I feel like we're making huge assumptions about his usage too. I mean, for all we know, the 500GB m.2 drive that he has in there was new/fresh 3 months ago. In which case, again, the PC shouldn't be "bogged down" at this point where a fresh install would be worth the time. How long has he been running on that current setup? Maybe he just started, but wants more space. In that case, a simple clone makes more sense to me. But, yeah, to each their own.
27-Mar-23 12:27pm
#11 Foxhack
I've cloned system drives before, and something ALWAYS goes wrong for some reason. There's usually some weirdness related to the boot sector, or missing partitions.
That said, as a weirdo whose IT experience consists of knowing how to program a VCR, what I did was clone my old drive then do a Windows Repair Install on top. That let me keep my existing settings and programs, and fixed Windows.
I also got into the habit of moving my My Documents folder to a separate drive, so I wouldn't lose all of that after reinstalling Windows.
#11 Foxhack
I've cloned system drives before, and something ALWAYS goes wrong for some reason. There's usually some weirdness related to the boot sector, or missing partitions.
That said, as a weirdo whose IT experience consists of knowing how to program a VCR, what I did was clone my old drive then do a Windows Repair Install on top. That let me keep my existing settings and programs, and fixed Windows.
I also got into the habit of moving my My Documents folder to a separate drive, so I wouldn't lose all of that after reinstalling Windows.
27-Mar-23 1:56pm
#12 John
Foxhack wrote:
I've cloned system drives before, and something ALWAYS goes wrong for some reason. There's usually some weirdness related to the boot sector, or missing partitions.
Use a better tool. Seriously, we do probably ~50 of these per year using MiniTool. They work fine 95% of the time and the other 5% we might have to do minor adjustments (i.e. when going from an HDD to an NVME, for example, since Windows doesn't always load the proper driver).
#12 John
Foxhack wrote:
I've cloned system drives before, and something ALWAYS goes wrong for some reason. There's usually some weirdness related to the boot sector, or missing partitions.
Use a better tool. Seriously, we do probably ~50 of these per year using MiniTool. They work fine 95% of the time and the other 5% we might have to do minor adjustments (i.e. when going from an HDD to an NVME, for example, since Windows doesn't always load the proper driver).
17-Apr-23 3:14pm
#13 akfa
Not that it's a big deal but just to put a finish on this, I ended up using Macrium Reflect with the help of my IT guy at work, and got it going smoothly/easily. I had to adjust a few minor things like some graphic settings on games, but overall everything copied over really well. Appreciate everyones suggestions in here.
#13 akfa
Not that it's a big deal but just to put a finish on this, I ended up using Macrium Reflect with the help of my IT guy at work, and got it going smoothly/easily. I had to adjust a few minor things like some graphic settings on games, but overall everything copied over really well. Appreciate everyones suggestions in here.
Generic PC question: How easy is it to upgrade the size of your boot drive?