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I have a Windows 10 / Linux Ubuntu PC Layout over 2 HDD's as below:

HDD 0 = 30Gb / 7.5Gb / 154Gb Linux Partitions plus 740Gb Vol K Windows 10 BU/data.

HDD 1 = 20Gb Recovery Z / 249GB (135 used) Windows 10 C: / 100Mb BDEdrive / 660GB Windows data files.

I am not too sure what the Z: and BDEDrive actually do in this set up ( I have another very similar Win 7 Pro to Win 10 Pro upgraded PC and these drives are not present but 100Mb System Reserved and 450Mb Recovery are!!

The Windows 10 C: drive is a wholly owned Win 7 Pro free upgraded to Windows 10 Pro and contains a number of applications including Adobe CS Master Suite which I would rather not reinstall. The data files are all in volume K and BU's etc on volume J:so C: is purely OS/Applications equalling 135Mb.

The Linux install currently has no valuable data or apps installed.

I wish to move Windows and probably Linux to a Crucial 275Mb SSD.

I have already secured the Windows 10 using Macrium.

Plan overview - (gleaned in my ignorance by checking a mix of web sources).
My Questions are at steps 5, 6 and 8. but any other advice is welcome

1. Create bootable USB with media creation tool.




2. Reboot from USB.




3. Run bootrec.exe /fixmbr




4. Restart without USB to go straight into Windows.




5. Delete Linux??. Do I simply unallocate the Linux partitions - I do want to reinstall Linux later.




6. Clone Windows C: drive to 200Gb of SSD, leaving 500Mb of the remainder for a system reserved need (is that sensible? but if so how do I apply it?).
   Do I also need to clone the Z: and BDEDrive?




7. Any Recovery files can go onto an HDD.




8. Once all running OK I then hope to reinstall Ubuntu Linux with the Linux data partition on an HDD.

Do I do this using about 35Gb of the SSD leaving a small reserve on the SSD for Win 10 O/S extension / usage? Or simply put it all on an HDD?

You are probably going to have to reinstall as partitions are not easily copied. Linux & BSDs have more tools to accomplish it, but you still need a decent amount of knowledge of disk formats and boot processes to make it happen.

You could, hypothetically, boot with something like the Clonezilla Live CD and then

1. manually create empty partition exactly equalling the size of the original one


2. manually use partclone to copy the partition across


3. manually use a live CD with GParted to resize the partitions while safely maintaining data


4. manually use the appropriate OS tools to make the disk bootable and then add the partitions to the boot list

However, copying partitions is not guaranteed to be successful when copying to disks with different geometries, even with modern LBA access.

For, Number 4, while there's tools in Unixes to do that in a fairly straightforward manner once you know what is involved, but it's not easy with Windows.

The Z: partition is possibly the install partition of the laptop, which is what does the boot setup when you get a modern laptop rather than using a CD. You might be able to boot to that partition and install the laptop's original OS to the SSD and then upgrade that Win7 installation to Win10, assuming it doesn't keep track of keys or use some other method to prevent multiple copies being made illegally.