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February 15th, 2024 23:46
Inspiron 3470 - How to transfer OS from one disk to another
Inspiron 3470
Hi Dell community, I purchased an Inspiron 3470 4 years ago, and it came with 2 separate hard disks installed (C drive on one disk, and D drive on the other disk). Now my C drive where my OS is installed is completely full, however my D drive (where my personal files are kept) still has 400GB left. My question is - how do I transfer my OS from one disk to the other seamlessly? Thanks in advance for your help!
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RoHe
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February 16th, 2024 01:20
Version of Windows?
Does this PC have two hard drives or one hard drive for data and an M.2 SSD for the OS ? And what sizes are the two drives?
Are you sure all personal files are saved on D: (data) drive? Did you tell Windows to move all its default folders and contents off C: and onto D: ?
You'd have to wipe the D: drive and do a clean Windows install or image the C: onto it (either way, ALL FILES DELETED!).
You could uninstall some of your apps in Windows that are stored on C: and reinstall them, but this time directing their installation onto D:. NOTE: Some apps, including Microsoft Office, may not allow you to install them on a drive that doesn't have the OS on it. If you opt to uninstall/reinstall some apps, make sure you have their product keys before you uninstall them.
If you actually have a small SSD for C:, you might want to buy a larger one. You'd need imaging software to create an image of the existing SSD, and save it on an external USB drive. Then swap in a bigger SSD and use the imaging software to copy the image from the USB onto the new SSD, expanding the C: partition to use all the extra space. The imaging software should give you an option to create a bootable USB stick, which you'll need to boot the PC after swapping SSDs, so be sure to create it before you swap drives.