I currently have a Dell XPS 8930 computer with two SSDs, one with a 1TB capacity and the other with 500GB. The operating system, Windows 10, is installed on the 1TB drive’s “C” partition, along with most of my user data. The 500GB drive contains unimportant data that can be deleted.
I plan to unplug the 1TB drive and install a fresh copy of Windows 10 on the 500GB drive’s “C” partition as part of a complicated diagnostic procedure. Once I reconnect the 1TB drive, the system will recognize the original “C” partition. I am concerned that this might cause a conflict with the new “C” partition on the 500GB drive. If there is a conflict, I am unsure how to resolve it.
I would prefer not to change the new OS partition’s drive letter to avoid driver or other issues. If necessary, I could move the 1TB drive to an external USB enclosure and connect it to another computer to change the “C” drive letter. However, I worry that this approach may result in the same issue.
In summary, I am wondering if there will be a conflict when I reconnect the 1TB drive, and if so, how I can resolve it without changing the drive letter of the new OS partition.
3 Answers
As long as the first disk in the disk connector order is connected to the boot drive, which is typically identified as “Disk 0” in Disk Management, there shouldn’t be any issues. To avoid any potential problems, it’s best to replace the current boot disk with the new one and ensure that the current disk is unplugged.
When the smaller disk is removed and the current one is reconnected, the BIOS will search for the first connector and boot whatever disk it detects there. It’s important to confirm that the boot partition C is indeed Disk 0, as the boot disk may be separate from the operating system disk.
If you’re uncertain about which disk is the boot disk, you can include a screenshot of Disk Management in your post.