swapping secondary drive with Steam, OneDrive, and Windows libraries?


  1. Posts : 428
    Windows 10
       #1

    swapping secondary drive with Steam, OneDrive, and Windows libraries?


    Long story short, my secondary drive (which is currently a 300GB 2.5" drive with latency issues) has my Steam, Origin, and uPlay game libraries; Onedrive folder; and user folders (by going to Settings -> System -> Storage and moving eveything except apps to the secondary drive. I have just ordered a proper 7200rpm 3.5" 1 TB drive, and I intend to swap them out and giver the new drive the old drive letter. Origin and uPlay are never running unless I need them, and I can quit steam for the transfer. But I'm not so sure about how to do the user libraries and Onedrive without something breaking? Can I just copy everything over, swap the drive letter, then reboot? or should I do the drive letter swap in safe mode or a temporary user?

    Thanks.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 19,518
    W11+W11 Developer Insider + Linux
       #2

    FuturDreamz said:
    Long story short, my secondary drive (which is currently a 300GB 2.5" drive with latency issues) has my Steam, Origin, and uPlay game libraries; Onedrive folder; and user folders (by going to Settings -> System -> Storage and moving eveything except apps to the secondary drive. I have just ordered a proper 7200rpm 3.5" 1 TB drive, and I intend to swap them out and giver the new drive the old drive letter. Origin and uPlay are never running unless I need them, and I can quit steam for the transfer. But I'm not so sure about how to do the user libraries and Onedrive without something breaking? Can I just copy everything over, swap the drive letter, then reboot? or should I do the drive letter swap in safe mode or a temporary user?

    Thanks.
    If there is no OS on secondary drive you can just copy everything over to new drive and than give it same letter. What could make a problem is stuff you moved over from primary/system drive. Windows may not let you transfer what are essentially system files/folders.
    Might be better idea to make full drive backup with Macrium Reflect first. When you boot from it's rescue disk just restore it on new disk and swap them before booting to windows.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 428
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    I'm talking about the libraries. Does Windows use some magical juju to identify the drive with the libraries and OneDrive? Will something permanently bork in the time it takes me to remove the driver letter from the old drive and add it to the new one?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 19,518
    W11+W11 Developer Insider + Linux
       #4

    FuturDreamz said:
    I'm talking about the libraries. Does Windows use some magical juju to identify the drive with the libraries and OneDrive? Will something permanently bork in the time it takes me to remove the driver letter from the old drive and add it to the new one?
    It will probably balk at those moved system folders. I would rather do it while not in your windows but from some other boot device. I normally use a live Linux distro but can also be done from Macruim Reflect BOOT/rescue USB or other Pe boot. You could also juste clen one disk to other one.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 428
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Update:

    Steam didn't give a shit. I presume the same goes for Uplay and Origin
    Onedrive, however, threw up an error message and demanded I either reattach the old drive or sign back in. I signed back in, set the folder, and it's just processing changes but otherwise seems happy.
    The libraries were reset. I think they were empty anyways so I don't think i lost anything...

    So moral: Windows does use magical juju after all. A proper disk cloning bootable usb may have avoided this idk
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 19,518
    W11+W11 Developer Insider + Linux
       #6

    FuturDreamz said:
    Update:

    Steam didn't give a shit. I presume the same goes for Uplay and Origin
    Onedrive, however, threw up an error message and demanded I either reattach the old drive or sign back in. I signed back in, set the folder, and it's just processing changes but otherwise seems happy.
    The libraries were reset. I think they were empty anyways so I don't think i lost anything...

    So moral: Windows does use magical juju after all. A proper disk cloning bootable usb may have avoided this idk
    Cloning by using any boot disk other than windows on main disk, or even better, making and restoring from full backup, would have been much easier I think.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 54
    Windows 10 Pro x64 + macOS 10.15 Catalina
       #7

    FuturDreamz said:
    Long story short, my secondary drive (which is currently a 300GB 2.5" drive with latency issues) has my Steam, Origin, and uPlay game libraries; Onedrive folder; and user folders (by going to Settings -> System -> Storage and moving eveything except apps to the secondary drive. I have just ordered a proper 7200rpm 3.5" 1 TB drive, and I intend to swap them out and giver the new drive the old drive letter. Origin and uPlay are never running unless I need them, and I can quit steam for the transfer. But I'm not so sure about how to do the user libraries and Onedrive without something breaking? Can I just copy everything over, swap the drive letter, then reboot? or should I do the drive letter swap in safe mode or a temporary user?

    Thanks.
    Well for a start you shouldn't mind about Steam, Origin or UPlay, because you can always reinstall the games. As for your Library's and Onedrive, don't worry about your Onedrive, that wont get corrupt, its stored online. Your Library's, just copy the files that are in all of them (Put in marked folders) to a USB stick ect and then just do what you need to do (Reinstall Windows ect) and then copy the files back. I used that method when upgrading to a HyperX Predator 2tb x4 PCIe SSD in my home server (running Windows Home Server) and it worked perfectly.
      My Computer


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:08.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums