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!
AFAIK you are correct, which is why I called out wonky timestamps. This blogpost goes into some interesting ways to mess with timestamps. I think it’s probably more effort than it’s worth unless we get more context on why timestamps are important.