How can I switch to Linux Mint with a clean install and keep my 300GB of data (with metadata) safe? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by kingpepe8006@sh.itjust.works to c/linux4noobs@programming.dev

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Hi all, I'm planning to do a clean install of Linux Mint on my laptop and completely remove Windows. I have about 300GB of personal data on the system and only one SSD, so everything is currently stored on that single drive.

Here’s what I want to do:

Back up all my data safely, without losing any metadata (timestamps, folder structure, etc.).
Wipe Windows and do a clean install of Linux Mint.
Restore my data with everything intact—timestamps, folder structure, and metadata.
Be able to open or run file types that are only supported by Windows, like certain .exe, .msi, or specific file types.

I don’t have a second internal drive, so I’ll probably use an external hard drive or cloud storage.

What i want to know is:

1.What’s the best way to back up and restore my data safely while preserving all metadata?

2.What tools or methods should I use for backup and restore?

3.How can I access or use files that are only supported by Windows once I’ve switched to Linux? Are there workarounds or compatibility layers?

I’m fairly new to Linux, so beginner-friendly advice would be awesome.

Thanks in advance!

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[-] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I bought a second SSD and did my clean install there. You can also get an external case to put your old drive in and just copy from one to the other. There are other hardware solutions but that's probably the most straightforward.

The files themselves should work just fine as long as there is software to open them. Libre Office will open MS Office (that end in x like .docx) files just fine, for example. There is an installable compatibility layer to run windows software, Wine, but everything doesn't necessarily run perfectly out of the box.

I've only tried one thing (a game) and it needed some video options set that I only found on the forum of the game developer, but worked flawlessly after that. I can't really speak to compatibility beyond that but I expected it to be a lot harder than it was. AAA games and multiplayer games that use rootkit anti-cheat I think are the least compatible. If it's mainly office software you're interested in I would prefer native Linux myself, and I haven't really tried them anyway.

Some others might be able to steer you better but maybe the perspective of someone else who made the switch and somehow made it work will help.

this post was submitted on 14 May 2025

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