Replacing a HDD with an SSD

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mailmarshall

349 posts

Ultimate Geek

#281401 15-Feb-2021 20:38

Hi all,

My media server has a 1TB HDD and was running Window 8. This morning I disconnected this drive, installed an additional 1TB SSD running Windows 10 (clean install).

I reconnected the 1TB HDD (with Win 8), changed the BIOS to boot from WIN 10 SSD and everything seems fine. So far so good!

Question - When I go into Win10 (SSD) I can't see the HDD as a drive letter. Is there any way to see the drive and thus get to the contents of the HDD plus use it for storage?

Gordy7

1906 posts

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#2657080 15-Feb-2021 20:48

If you use Win10, computer management, storage, can you see your SSD and your HDD?

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

Gordy7

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#2657128 15-Feb-2021 21:01

You should have been able to add your SSD leaving Win8 HDD connected.

Then installing Win10 to SSD. Windows would have set you up with dual boot.

You would have been able to see your HDD from Win10.

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

mailmarshall

349 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2657608 16-Feb-2021 15:50

I did a quick check in Win10 (SSD) and cant see the Win 8 (HDD). But if when booted into Win8 i can see the SSD as a drive.

Anyone with ideas of how to remediate?

richms

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#2657613 16-Feb-2021 16:02

Does it show in disc management ad forign or anything like that?

Richard rich.ms

ripdog

548 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2657763 16-Feb-2021 19:36

Just to be a little more explicit for OP: You need to access 'Disk Management'. Type that phrase into start until you get 'Create and format hard disk partitions'. Open that. It might take a bit to open. In the list of disks there, one of them should be your HDD's NTFS partition. Distinguish them with patition size, it should be the largest partition without a drive letter in the name. Right click it and select 'Change drive letter and paths'. Then add a letter of your choosing.

I admit I'm not sure that this will be saved between boots, but at least it will let you mount your old drive.

If you have any issues, toss us a screenshot of disk management.

mailmarshall

349 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2659335 19-Feb-2021 08:18

Found a way to fix this and posting in case it helps anyone else. I went into the BIOS and chose Boot Manager which booted into Win 8. I then rebooted the machine, changed the BIOS to SSD. It came up with a message briefly something to the extent of "fixing.." then when into Win 10 the WIn 8 HDD was visible.