Member Avatar for edbr

I just replaced my hard drive and diid a new install. I now realise i left a couple of files i didnt back up.
my question is , am I ok to replace my old drive boot up , then export the foiles then put back my new drive .
its seems logical but im worried the pc will throw a fit and not be able to boot. thougt id ask before i try :)

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by pacav69

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Short recap and practical follow-up: replaced the system disk, worried the boot manager might be upset, then successfully booted the old disk to recover files. The suggestions from and (fit the old drive internally or use a USB/SATA enclosure) are sensible — the lowest-risk way to retrieve files is to treat the old drive as a non-boot secondary and copy what’s needed from the mounted volume. (learn.microsoft.com)

Safe, repeatable workflow: power off, connect the old drive to an unused SATA port (or a powered USB-SATA adapter/enclosure), boot the working Windows installation, and copy the files from the newly mounted volume. If a specific drive letter is needed it can be adjusted in Disk Management rather than trying to boot the other Windows installation. For a one-off recovery, unplugging the new drive (so the machine boots only the old disk) is fine, but avoid running installers or cloning tools while both drives are present.

Firefox-specific note (why wanted the old disk): Firefox stores profile data in the profile folder; saved logins require both the login database and the key file. Modern Firefox uses logins.json plus key4.db, so copying the whole profile folder or at least those two files (with Firefox closed) will preserve passwords. Firefox Sync is an easier long-term solution for future moves. (support.mozilla.org) Older Firefox releases used signons.sqlite/key3.db, so restoring very old profiles may need that pair. (support.mozilla.org)

Caution about firmware/UEFI: when both disks contain Windows/EFI partitions the firmware can change which installation is set as primary; adding a second bootable Windows can alter UEFI entries and produce unexpected boot behavior. To avoid that, prefer mounting the old disk as a secondary or use an external enclosure, and make a disk image or copy of the profile before making changes. (learn.microsoft.com)

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Member Avatar for pritaeas

Why not just add your old harddrive to your existing setup?

Member Avatar for edbr

i want to run fire fox to export password files , i thought i had but seems i either didnt or lost it

Member Avatar for pacav69

You could install your old drive in a USB external case and then access the files from there.

Sure you reinstall the old hard drive and export your files to an external drive.

Another way to back up firefox files is to use firefox's SYNC this will store your passwords, bookmarks etc to google account and when you startup a new firefox and setup sync it will resync your files once again.

Member Avatar for edbr

yes thanks i know that but was just concerned changing drives would mess up the bootmanager. i had tried cloning before but had issues with bad sectors so i reinstalled just cant track a few files.
i will boot the old disk, I just wanted to ask incase there was an issue i didnt know about, windows seems a bit skittish at times

Member Avatar for edbr

ok i just changed drive and no problem. Just me being super cautious. thanks

Edited by edbr
Member Avatar for pacav69

the boot manager is not effected by changing drives

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