Forum Discussion
Can I move Win 11 Pro for Workstations insider preview to a different drive?
I have Win 11 Pro for Workstations Insider Preview build 22543.42_prerelease.220122-2315 running well on a Lenovo P520c workstation and getting regular updates. But my C: boot drive is a 256 GB M.2 SSD that's nearly full - I've had to move user files, libraries, and other large datasets to the installed 2TB HDD.
The boot SSD is virtually inaccessible so I've installed a 1TB M.2 SSD in a PCIe slot adapter. Can I move my Windows installation, apps, app data, etc. to that drive to get more free space without breaking things including insider preview updates? If so, what's the best way? I've already run a cloning tool that copied the smaller C: drive, including EFI System and recovery partitions, and Windows files are present in a Basic Data Partition, but without boot, page file, or crash dump (per Disk Management).
Please advise. All comments welcome.
What is your long-term goal? Are you intending to keep the insider preview installation on the laptop and replace the current C drive with a bigger one, are you adding another drive and moving the installation to that one and then considering a dual boot scenario with another OS installation on the C drive or are you simply trying to clear space on the C drive?If the latter (but you want to keep the portability of the laptop) then the simplest method available if you currently have a lot of files taking up space in personal folders (Documents, Pictures, Videos, etc.) is to add a low profile USB memory stick or an SD card if possible as both formats can now store large volumes of data, have fairly reasonable read and write speeds depending on what variety you purchase and won't hinder moving the device around. Once added and configured as a new drive, if you then right click on any of personal folders and select the 'Properties' option at the bottom you should be presented with a tabbed options window including one tab entitled 'Location'. If you select the 'Move' button in the middle this will then allow you to move the current folder to any location of your choosing including your external device. (A point of note if you do go down the removable media path is that using an external device will negate the functionality of the recycle bin so if you do store anything externally then remember when you delete something it is deleted by the system immediately so your only recovery options thereafter are undelete utilities, it will not appear in the recycle bin).
You can also specify alternative locations for larger OS files like the system paging file or the Memory.dmp file if you have crash dumps enabled. They can be moved using the options on the advanced tab in System >> Advanced system settings >> System properties from the control panel.
Alternatives beyond external portable storage are (including those mentioned above)
Cloning the current system drive onto a bigger storage drive and physically replacing.
Moving the OS to another drive and using a dual boot loader to choose which OS to boot into.
Take an image of the current system using either Hyper-V or VMWare Workstation and turn it into a virtual machine that you can then move to alternative storage
Run the compact option under the current installation: (in an elevated command prompt)
- To see predictions/existing compressions: Compact.exe /CompactOS:query
- To enable compression: Compact.exe /CompactOS:alwaysThanks for the detailed comments, let me reply.
The issue is successfully transferring Windows from one drive to another, both installed in the same chassis. Insider preview editions get automatic updates pushed as builds are released so I don't want to disturb that process. Eventually, I'll move off insider preview to standard releases of Win 11 Pro for Workstations.
The P520c is a tower workstation, not a laptop, hence the availability of the PCIe slot where I installed the 1 TB M.2 SSD using an AMPCOM PCIe 4.0x16 adapter. The workstation boots from a factory-installed 256 GB M.2 SSD that is not accessible without tearing down the entire machine; my goal is to have Windows running from the 1 TB drive and leaving the 256 GB drive for other use. (That is, no dual-boot.) I have already successfully moved the user folders, Documents, Downloads, etc., from the 256 GB drive to a 2 TB HDD also installed in the same workstation; Windows, Program Files, ProgramData, etc. remain on the 256 GB drive.
I've upgraded several Lenovo ThinkPad laptops from factory SATA HDD to larger and faster SATA SSD by cloning (using Apricorn EZ Gig, MiniTool Partition Wizard, etc.), then physically replacing the SATA HDD with the SATA SSD, a one-for-one swap. In this case, I want to make the new M.2 SSD that is installed in the same machine -- not an external USB drive like the ThinkPad clones -- the Windows boot (C:) drive, then reformat the original factory boot 256 GB drive. (If the factory boot drive were physically accessible I'd simply repeat the laptop cloning process and swap it out with the new larger capacity SSD. I understand updating the boot order in the BIOS, that’s not a problem.)
I want to use a commercial tool like the one mentioned above with a “Move OS from HDD to SSD” function software to do the move rather than the image and VM-based methods you mentioned.
So for me, the issue is still open. (In macOS this whole process is pretty trivial; in Windows not so much.)
It sounds like you're still struggling with the issue of transferring your Windows operating system from one drive to another, and I'm here to offer some additional guidance. As you mentioned, this can be a challenging task, especially if the original drive is not easily accessible.
You mentioned that you want to use a hard drive recovery software with a "Move OS from HDD to SSD" function to do the transfer, and that's certainly one option. However, it's important to choose a reputable tool and follow the instructions carefully to ensure a successful transfer.
Another option is to seek assistance from a professional, such as a computer technician or IT specialist. They can provide personalized guidance and support to help you transfer the operating system and ensure that everything is functioning properly.
In addition, it can be helpful to do some research on the specific tools and software available for this task, and read reviews and user feedback to gauge their effectiveness and ease of use.
I hope this information is helpful, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions or concerns.
