How to move my Zorin OS 16 installation to another PC along with Windows?

General Help
#1

Hi guys,

Proud Zorin OS user here for almost a year now. I love everything about it!

I currently use a laptop with a dedicated SSD for zorin OS, my only OS for now.

I am buying a more powerful deskop PC now and I want to keep zorin OS as my main system and install windows 10 alongside it.

However, I want to keep my current Zorin OS setup.

Is it possible to just take out my current SSD, connect it via SATA port to the motherboard and just run the Zorin OS as I already do, or do I have to install everything from scratch?

I want to save all my files, data, and current apps I have on Zorin OS intact. So, is there some method to simply transfer everything to the new PC while installing Win 10 alongside it?

Thank you!

#2

Physically putting Your SSD into the new computer will work,You will get a few error messages and so on whilst the drivers and suchlike for the new computer get sorted out in Your old operating system. I have swapped a few SSD into different computers, all started and ran fine but with a few driver errors etc to be fine tuned. It is just a matter of selecting which drive to start at bootup, the old or the new w10 drive.
You will be able to access Your W10 files from the linux drive.

#3

Thank you for your input.

Can I access my Linux files from W10 though?

Also, I see now that there is an option of creating an image file out of my current drive in the Zorin 16 "Disks" app. Would I be able to create an image of my current disk, install fresh Zorin OS on a new PC and get drivers automatically, and then to get my previous stuff from the image of the old drive?

Thanks again!

#4

I have no idea about accessing Linux from windows. I would speculate it`s probably possible with some kind of extra programme. Best ask someone who uses windows for that.

My experience of multiple operating systems on the same drive is, put windows on first then put Linux on next, this then provides the bootloader for choosing which one to start.

My experience of multiple hard drives and multiple operating systems is, the computers function keys/BIOS are used to start the preferred drive easily.

If You put a fresh Linux on a drive in the new pc then it would be simple enough to drag your files across from Your old drive`s Linux using the appropriate physical connection.