can i install windows 10 on a 120GB SSD and still keep all the files on my 1TB primary drive

megajibba

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Oct 4, 2015
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hi i have a PC with 2 HDDs at the moment one is a 1TB that i use for some games and documents and the other is a 500GB one that i use for all my steam games and some other games as well and im going to buy a 120GB sandisk SSD and i just want to put my windows 10 OS on this and keep all my old files on my 1TB HDD which currently has my OS on this is this possible without having to start again?
 

ProficientInMath

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Feb 5, 2016
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You can keep your programs too. Just back up the files (not program files) on your boot drive on a drive other than the ssd. Then delete the backed up files from the boot drive (keep program files). Then clone your boot hdd to the ssd. There are programs that can do this and sometimes they come with a new ssd. Just make sure it has the option to only copy the "used sectors" since there are more sectors in a 1 tb drive than a 120 gb drive. Also the used sectors cannot be greater than the real capacity of your ssd (usually less than the nominal 120 gb capacity). You may need another computer depending on the program you use and make sure it can clone the windows install partition. Once the clone is complete hook the ssd up, enter the BIOS, select the ssd as the boot device, save and resart. Windows should boot and your PC will function as if nothing had changed, just faster with the ssd.

Cheers,
Mike