I have a 2 Tb SSD on my Surface Pro 9 divided into three partitions. Partition 1 holds Win 11 and partition 2 holds Data and all my GigFileas. I want to install a second Windows on partition three stripped down for gigging.
The last time I attempted this, Windows blitzed the whole drive deleting the partitions in the process including the Data partition. I had copies but had to rebuild everything I had before and still ended up with a blank partition three.
Can anyone suggest how to go about this safely please so that I don’t loose anything this time Cheers..
To get the procedure right, you could install virtual box or VMware Workstation (not necessarily on the computer you use for gigging), mimic the same setup and then try to add a new os instance. This way you can practice setting up without harming your real computer. You wouldn’t have to install GP and other stuff on this virtual machine (of course).
That’s what I would do. (Net worth: $ 0.02)
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Another community member did this in 2020 and was apparently happy with the results.
As for how to do it safely, how could anyone have a risk free method that works for all instances? An AI assisted search says the most common problems with what you propose to do are from Bitlocker (“Surface Pros enable it by default, and any change to partition layout or EFI boot files can trigger a recovery lockout. Suspend it before installing Windows on partition 3”), Fast Startup being enabled in BIOS, Windows Update killing the boot menu; and power plan resets. One other observation came up, you will need an additional Windows license for a concurrent install, whether on physical or virtual drive, although discounts on licensing can be found. You can find AI assisted recommendations for what you propose to do, tailored to Surface Pro installations, and follow-up help if you do run into problems.
@Frank has the best recommendation IMO - you get to practice until you are comfortable with the procedure.
Thanks for the tips, but Im not going to proceed any further.