How to Move the Windows Bootloader to Another Drive

If you need to transfer the Windows bootloader to a different drive, whether to streamline your system’s boot process or prepare for a drive upgrade, you can do so by following several specific steps. This process involves using Windows built-in tools and Command Prompt and may require creating a new boot partition. Let’s go over the steps in detail.

Step 1: Prepare the Drive and Check System Configuration

Before moving the bootloader, it’s essential to check your system’s current partition setup. Follow these steps:

  • Open Disk Management (press Win + X and select Disk Management).
  • Look for the drive with the System Reserved or another partition marked as active. This is usually where the Windows bootloader is stored.
  • Make sure there is free space on the new drive for creating a new boot partition (at least 500 MB).

Step 2: Create a New Boot Partition

You’ll need to create a bootable partition on the new drive to store the necessary boot files. To do this:

  1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator. Press Win + S, type cmd, right-click, and select Run as administrator.
  2. Type diskpart and press Enter.
  3. Type list disk to view all available disks.
  4. Select the desired disk with select disk [disk number], where [disk number] is the number of the new drive.
  5. Create a new partition using create partition primary size=500 (adjust size as needed, but 500 MB is typical).
  6. Mark this partition as active by typing active.

Step 3: Transfer Boot Files to the New Partition

After creating an active partition, you can transfer the boot files:

  1. Use the command bcdboot C:\Windows /s [new drive letter]: /f ALL, where [new drive letter] represents the letter of the new partition. This command will copy the Windows boot files to the new drive.
  2. Ensure the command completes successfully and that the boot files are now located on the new partition.

Step 4: Set Boot Order in BIOS

Now, configure the BIOS to make the new drive the primary boot device:

  • Restart your computer and enter BIOS (usually by pressing Del, F2, or another key during boot).
  • Find the Boot section and set the new drive as the first option in the boot order.
  • Save your changes and exit BIOS.

Step 5: Verify the New Configuration

After rebooting, confirm that the system boots successfully from the new drive. If you encounter errors, recheck the steps above. In some cases, you may need to run the bcdboot command again or use Windows recovery tools to restore the bootloader.