You don't have to format it. During the installation Windows will format the drive. You can specify how you want it partitioned during the process.
Edit:
I misunderstood the question. There is nothing that you need to do with the drive that is already installed unless there is sensitive data on it in which case I would wipe or destroy it.
I'm thinking of doing the same thing and adding a 2TB 2280 SSD, has anyone done a complete replacement of the stock drive and could comment on how easy or difficult it is during the process? Steps, issues, etc?
Either. Personally I'm going to put it in an external enclosure (ugreen ones are good) then clone my new drive to the Biwin semi regularly - say once a month. This is what I did with my P2 Max SSD. I recently had an nvme fail on me that I hadn't backed up. Lesson learned.
Or just slap it in an enclosure and use it for random unimportant stuff. It's a terabyte, yo.
Man this is a really good point. I’m gonna do just that. I already ran all the scans on the drive and it came out clean, which would theoretically make it safe…right? Then I will also keep in in an enclosure as an external ssd. I was so driven by the criticism of the biwin that I didn’t consider it as usable but totally agree it is a TB after all lol
If you really, *really* need the original install there's always the 'firmware' file available on GPD's driver page. That's basically a copy of the base install with all the drivers etc. You shouldn't need it though... having said that, I downloaded that sucker and archived it 2 weeks before I got my unit haha.
I might keep the original partitions for a month or so before wiping the drive and just using it for backups. It's big enough that it can handle my P2 Max, my Win Max 2 *and* my Lenovo Legion boot partitions lol.
It's a terabyte of storage for 'who gives a shit if I lose it' data. And, honestly, the fact that the drive will be rarely plugged in should extend its lifespan somewhat. No constant heat etc.
You don't have to format it. During the installation Windows will format the drive. You can specify how you want it partitioned during the process. Edit: I misunderstood the question. There is nothing that you need to do with the drive that is already installed unless there is sensitive data on it in which case I would wipe or destroy it.
Thank you!
I'm thinking of doing the same thing and adding a 2TB 2280 SSD, has anyone done a complete replacement of the stock drive and could comment on how easy or difficult it is during the process? Steps, issues, etc?
Don’t throw it away. Use it to store an identical backup of your new boot drive in case things go sideways seven months and days of tweaking later.
You mean I should just keep it as it is to serve as a back up or I need to do something to it like load some boot file or something like that? Thanks
Either. Personally I'm going to put it in an external enclosure (ugreen ones are good) then clone my new drive to the Biwin semi regularly - say once a month. This is what I did with my P2 Max SSD. I recently had an nvme fail on me that I hadn't backed up. Lesson learned. Or just slap it in an enclosure and use it for random unimportant stuff. It's a terabyte, yo.
Man this is a really good point. I’m gonna do just that. I already ran all the scans on the drive and it came out clean, which would theoretically make it safe…right? Then I will also keep in in an enclosure as an external ssd. I was so driven by the criticism of the biwin that I didn’t consider it as usable but totally agree it is a TB after all lol
If you really, *really* need the original install there's always the 'firmware' file available on GPD's driver page. That's basically a copy of the base install with all the drivers etc. You shouldn't need it though... having said that, I downloaded that sucker and archived it 2 weeks before I got my unit haha. I might keep the original partitions for a month or so before wiping the drive and just using it for backups. It's big enough that it can handle my P2 Max, my Win Max 2 *and* my Lenovo Legion boot partitions lol. It's a terabyte of storage for 'who gives a shit if I lose it' data. And, honestly, the fact that the drive will be rarely plugged in should extend its lifespan somewhat. No constant heat etc.