Switching M.2 disks around. Is it that simple?


Wisewiz

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I have two NVMe M.2s, both working beautifully, but one is mounted in a PCIe x4 adapter, and one is mounted in the factory-installed M.2 socket on the board. Because I had the M.2s and the adapter before I got the mounting hardware for the board socket, I went ahead and put the OS and my programs on the M.2 in the adapter-mounted socket, and later, when I got the hardware, I mounted the second disk on the board, and made that one my local storage drive.

I have a vague suspicion that the factory on-board socket might be a better home for my OS and programs, and the PCIe adapter socket might be fine for my local storage (mostly MR images and some stored files, neither of which get accessed very often; no programs and no games).

Whether or not that suspicion is well founded isn't really important. I don't expect to see any performance difference that's measurable, but I'll be happier knowing that the OS is on the board directly, and not on an adapter in a PCIe slot.

So, tonight I'm going to open my case anyway, to pull out my (now completely unused and currently offline) SATA SSDs for use elsewhere, and I'm thinking while I've got 'er open, I might as well physically switch the two M.2 disks.

Yeah, I know I could do it by imaging and restoring and so on without moving the hardware, but this seems much faster and easier.

Is that right? If I switch them and then boot into my UEFI and reset the boot order, will that be it, or am I forgetting something?
 
Windows Build/Version
11 Pro 22H2 1413 (compliant)

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  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
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    PC/Desktop
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    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
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    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
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    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
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    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
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    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
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    Lenovo 3132
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    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
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    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
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    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
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    1920 x 1080
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    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
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    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
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I'm unfamiliar with your machine but given it has W11 22H2 on it then it has to be reasonably modern. Given this assumption then I think you just swap your drives and boot up. No need to reset the boot order (if it exists) as the drives will retain their identity and the BIOS / UEFI will find your boot drive and boot your machine.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Bob the Builder
    CPU
    Intel i7-13700KF @ 5.4GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG Z790 Edge WiFi DDR4
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    G-Skill F4-3200C16-16GVK x 2 (32GB total)
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    GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Ventus 2X 8G OCV1 LHR
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    Realtek® ALC4080 (mobo chipset)
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    Samsung 980 Pro NVMe M2 500GB, Samsung 980 NVMe M2 500GB, Samsung 2.5" SSD 1TB, Seagate 2.5" ST5000 5TB, Seagate Barracuda NVMe M2 1TB, Samsung MZVL2512HCJQ OEM NVMe M2 1TB
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  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 22H2
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    MSI SUMMIT E16 FLIP EVO A11MT-013AU
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    Intel i7-1195G7
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    16 GB
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    16" 120Hz Pen Touch panel
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    2560 x 1600 (16 x 10)
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    Samsung NVMe 980 Pro 1TB
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    Delta Electronics ADP-65SD B, HP 1HE08AA
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    ASUS router RT-AX86U with Wi-Fi 6
    Macrium Reflect 8 paid for backups etc.
I'm unfamiliar with your machine but given it has W11 22H2 on it then it has to be reasonably modern. Given this assumption then I think you just swap your drives and boot up. No need to reset the boot order (if it exists) as the drives will retain their identity and the BIOS / UEFI will find your boot drive and boot your machine.
Yeah, the "compliant" means it's recognized by MS as worthy of 11, without fudging.

I didn't know I didn't have to readjust my boot options in the BIOS, though, That's news I should have known, I guess.

I'm gonna extract the power and data cables from the board, remove the old (NOT!) SSDs, switch the two M.2s, and boot 'er. Thanks for the input. (y):-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
You will likely have a "boot order" set in the BIOS but you won't have to be concerned with it if things are OK now. The boot order is not based on drive letters nor drive location. It is based on drive content. That is, can it be booted. The drive letters are embedded in the System Volume Information file which exists in the root folder of each drive so they move with your drive. You might be interested in boot order if you wish to boot from external devices. For example, if you want to boot from a USB DVD drive or a USB thumb drive. Even then it is not a big concern. If you access the Advanced Boot Menu ( Google for how or use a shortcut with "C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 0" ) then it has an option to boot from USB.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Bob the Builder
    CPU
    Intel i7-13700KF @ 5.4GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG Z790 Edge WiFi DDR4
    Memory
    G-Skill F4-3200C16-16GVK x 2 (32GB total)
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Ventus 2X 8G OCV1 LHR
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC4080 (mobo chipset)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 28 inch Display 288E2UAE
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160 (16 x 9)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro NVMe M2 500GB, Samsung 980 NVMe M2 500GB, Samsung 2.5" SSD 1TB, Seagate 2.5" ST5000 5TB, Seagate Barracuda NVMe M2 1TB, Samsung MZVL2512HCJQ OEM NVMe M2 1TB
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    MSI MPG R850GF PSU (850W)
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    Fractal Design Define 7 Compact ATX
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    CoolerMaster MA610P
    Keyboard
    HAVIT mechanical keyboard HV-KB390L TKL
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    Logitech M350 Pebble Mouse BT + wireless
    Internet Speed
    50 x 20 megabits / second fibre
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
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    Microsoft
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    Intel Ethernet 1226-V 2.5GHz @ 1GHz
    Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210
    ASUS router RT-AX86U with Wi-Fi 6
    Logitech BRIO webcam
    Macrium Reflect 8.1 paid for backups etc.
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI SUMMIT E16 FLIP EVO A11MT-013AU
    CPU
    Intel i7-1195G7
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Iris Xe graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" 120Hz Pen Touch panel
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600 (16 x 10)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung NVMe 980 Pro 1TB
    PSU
    Delta Electronics ADP-65SD B, HP 1HE08AA
    Mouse
    Logitech M350 Pebble Mouse BT + wireless
    Keyboard
    Full Keyboard
    Internet Speed
    50 x 20 megabits / second fibre
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
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    Other Info
    Killer Wi-Fi 6E 1675x (210NGW)
    MSI Pen
    Web Cam with Windows Hello Face
    Fingerprint Reader
    ASUS router RT-AX86U with Wi-Fi 6
    Macrium Reflect 8 paid for backups etc.
Thank you, my friend. That was good information.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
Yeah, the "compliant" means it's recognized by MS as worthy of 11, without fudging.

I didn't know I didn't have to readjust my boot options in the BIOS, though, That's news I should have known, I guess.

I'm gonna extract the power and data cables from the board, remove the old (NOT!) SSDs, switch the two M.2s, and boot 'er. Thanks for the input. (y):-)
It seems the old SATA assignation of which port is drive 0 and which is drive 1 does not really apply to nvme drives.

I had an optane drive as drive 0, and an nvme drive as drive 1. I was having software related issues with the optane drive, so I took it out and cloned it to a spare nvme drive, and plugged it in, and it booted fine.

Then I noticed the new OS nvme drive was assigned drive 1, and the original data nvme was assigned drive 0.

I had not changed the data drives position, and I have concluded the old physical port assignations defining drive 0 and 1 do not apply to nvmes in the same way as for SATA drives.

I physically swapped the drives like you are wanting to do, and that swapped the drive assignations so OS was 0 , and data was 1, and it was all fine (the reason I did that was I have batch files that depend on OS being on drive 0 and I did not want to change them).

However, at no point did I go into bios, change boot orders etc.

In simple terms, swap them over if you wish and it should just work.

Good luck.
 

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  • OS
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    ASUS Vivobook 14
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    I7
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    Yep, Laptop has one.
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    16 GB
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    72 Mb/s :-(
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    Edge mostly
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    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
In simple terms, swap them over if you wish and it should just work.
Well, I don't think of myself as being a simple man who needs simple terms ;-) but I do thank you, cereberus, for your contribution to my meagre knowledge. It all helps.

It's all done now: the old are out, the new are switched, and I've got to help the missus around the kitchen for a bit before I plug 'er back in and give 'er a try (to be clear, I'm talking about the PC, not the missus). I'm confident that this simple task is going to turn out to have been truly simple. Thanks.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
You will likely have a "boot order" set in the BIOS but you won't have to be concerned with it if things are OK now. The boot order is not based on drive letters nor drive location. It is based on drive content. That is, can it be booted. The drive letters are embedded in the System Volume Information file which exists in the root folder of each drive so they move with your drive. You might be interested in boot order if you wish to boot from external devices. For example, if you want to boot from a USB DVD drive or a USB thumb drive. Even then it is not a big concern. If you access the Advanced Boot Menu ( Google for how or use a shortcut with "C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 0" ) then it has an option to boot from USB.
Hi there
slightly incorrect as the boot is done via an EFI file (assuming these are all on GPT disks). The EFI file is stored on an HDD / SSD / NVME device not in the computers BIOS CMOS -- and the default efi file (if more than 1) is set in the CMOS in the computers BIOS parameters. Note not the actual efi file as this is stored on a disk device but the default device id.

The hardware then initiates the boot process which reads the appropriate efi file from the hdd disks on the computer. In the EFI file there's a reference to the UUID of the appropriate boot loader partition which is just the hardware identification of the appropriate "bootable" partition / disk. So these can be swapped around "ad Nauseam" without any problems assuming the appropriate driver. This is also how the boot disk can initiate boot from other Windows systems on other HDD's on the same system.

Screenshot_20230326_003303.png
Screenshot_20230326_003925.png
cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
UPDATE: As per your comments above, @cereberus, the Assigner of Disk Numbers works in very mysterious ways. Now that it's all back together and running, the system disk, which was disk 4 when there were two SATA SSDs and two NVMes, is now (YAY!) disk 0, and the storage disk is disk 1. And that's the way it ought to be. I am happy and pleased and tired, and so I think I'll get ready for bed, and just gloat for a bit about the fact that this simple task worked out so very well. Thanks for the help and support. :clap::clap::clap:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together

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