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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[-] DickFiasco@lemm.ee 3 points 2 days ago

To answer your questions:

Since this is a one-time backup, the easiest way is to copy your files to the external drive, install Linux, then copy them back to the SSD. I don't know if it's possible to preserve the Windows metadata though since that data isn't stored in normal, user-accessible files. Folder structure will be preserved though, and you can keep the same creation and last-modified dates using the cp command with the --preserve option.
The normal file copy/paste commands will work fine. If you want to do periodic backups, look at rsync.
LibreOffice will open most Microsoft Office files, and Linux has many FOSS alternatives to common commercial software. You can also look at Wine to run native Windows programs under Linux.

this post was submitted on 14 May 2025

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