Windows 10: Swap C & D Drive back to SSD & HHD

I had some issues with updating Windows: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-update-failed/85b5827f-2b4c-4d8d-b647-6cd19bdb0e49I followed the steps but I noticed that Windows 11 was working really slowly. I looked on Task Manger and it looks like my drives have swapped? Originally my C drive was the SSD and D drive was HDD but now they have swapped so C Drive is HDD and D is SSD. How can you swap your drives?

:)

 

Cloning to SSD then swapping drive letters


@SamHobbs
What you want done is very simple and can be done in short period of time. Here's my suggestion:
There's 2 modes that Windows can be installed: UEFI and the old legacy MBR. Open Disk Management, look at the disk where your C drive is, if there's a

1. EFI System Partition, your Windows was installed using UEFI.
2. System Reserved partition, your Windows was installed using MBR

Next, Connect your SSD to an available Sata port (no need to format or do anything). Download: Macrium Reflect Free . Install and run. Follow the steps below:

1. From Macrium, click on image this disk under your C drive and save it to either an Internal or External Drive. This will create a single backup image of the whole disk containing your C drive.
2. Again, from Macrium, click on Restore tab and select the image created from step 1, Select your SSD as the destination drive, click Next->Finish
3. Exit Macrium. If your Windows was installed using MBR, Open disk management and make sure the SSD is marked "Active" else go to next step.
4. Shutdown your PC. Disconnect the HD containing Windows C drive then connect your SSD to it.
5. Reboot. Your PC should boot and the Windows should have C as the drive letter.

NOTE: The procedure above is to backup your Windows to an image file then copy it back to the SSD. This ensures proper cluster size aligment for the SSD. In addition, Macrium also perform Trimming for the SSD. This is more preferable than cloning.

 

boot from cloned ssd installed on cd drive

Hi Amar,

1. I tried changing the boot order: booting from cd drive/bay first (where ssd is installed), but it is not booting from SSD and subsequently booting from HHD.

2. It is booting from HHD/C drive and it is perfectly working fine, and I see my SSD as well as D drive.

My objective is to boot from SSD so that my laptop performance is better and leave my HHD as-is for storage use.

I don't want to reinstall OS and all my softwares again; I just want to clone the C drive to D drive and make the D drive as primary drive.

Please let me know if you need any more detail.

Thanks

 

Problems swapping C drives when also using a single D drive.


I have 2 C drives (GAMES & VIDEO), both SSD with win10 but also have a "D" drive for files and downloads. Every time I swap the SSDs, I have access issues to D drive. I need to go into the folders on D drive to allow permission then go back to C drive to open a file (from D drive) with an app on C drive.

Got an idea its a security/sharing issue with Windows 10. Been doing this for years with other versions of windows and no problems. *Sad