I’m finally planning to shift my primary PC to Linux in the coming week. I want to ensure all of my data from Windows be transferred to Linux, including my personal files and application data, even if there is no native support in Linux to access it.
For context, my setup has become untidy over the years; I have two partitions :C & :D and stored personal data in each partition, plus I have created directories of my own in several odd locations which I cannot recall but they also contain some critical files. I only have a single NVMe SSD installed that is almost out of space so I cannot dualboot, although I can make use of an external HDD during the transfer. I’ve already had some experience in Linux by installing it in another PC immediately after purchasing it.
Is there some way to automatically prepare all my data in Windows for transfer into Linux directly or in a backup drive accessible in Linux? Please don’t tell me I have to copy and paste all files by hand because given the criticality of the stored data I would rather stay in Windows than risking data loss.
So your issue sounds is one of disorganization rather than backup or migration.
Use something like WizTree or WinDirStat, which will help you visualize the data on your disk, and hopefully locate your critical files. You’ve got no choice other than to grind it out and get your shit organized.
Once done, migrate your newly organized files onto a new disk. Unless you want to play with weird drivers, I’d recommend you format the new disk as ExFat to maximize compatibility between Linux and Windows.
I didn’t want to believe it, but sadly it’s true. It’s going to take a long time for me to search for all my files, but if it’s the only right way to go, then so be it.