Question Upgrade from Windows 11 to Ubuntu while keeping the NTFS hard disk ??

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DDE_Server

DDE_Server

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Hi everybody,

i have old laptopn whicl contain two built-in hard disks

1.Windows hard disk >> Volume C >> SSD 128 GB >> Containing operating system
2. Volume D >> NTFS HDD 1TB hard disk containing my file

i plan to upgrade from Windows 11 to Ubuntu by formatting the hard disk containing Windows and installing Ubuntu LTS 24 while keeping the other hard disk untouched. My question is: will I be able to access my files in Ubuntu without any issues, like in Windows, or will I need to reformat? Is there any special tool required so that the FHS file system sees NTFS volumes? i need to access files as directories from this NTFS without having to format and transfer files to an external hard disk and transfer them again
 
DDE_Server said:
Hi everybody,

i have old laptopn whicl contain two built-in hard disks

1.Windows hard disk >> Volume C >> SSD 128 GB >> Containing operating system
2. Volume D >> NTFS HDD 1TB hard disk containing my file

i plan to upgrade from Windows 11 to Ubuntu by formatting the hard disk containing Windows and installing Ubuntu LTS 24 while keeping the other hard disk untouched. My question is: will I be able to access my files in Ubuntu without any issues, like in Windows, or will I need to reformat? Is there any special tool required so that the FHS file system sees NTFS volumes? i need to access files as directories from this NTFS without having to format and transfer files to an external hard disk and transfer them again
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Short answer: No reformatting needed

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ships with built-in NTFS support, both through the older ntfs-3g driver and the newer in-kernel ntfs3 driver. You will be able to read and write files on your Volume D (NTFS) exactly as you do now in Windows, without converting it to ext4 or any other Linux-native filesystem.

How it will work in practice

  • When you boot Ubuntu, the NTFS drive will typically show up automatically in the file manager (Nautilus/Files) under "Other Locations" or in the sidebar.
  • Clicking it will mount it, usually under a path like /media/yourusername/DriveLabel.
  • You can browse, open, copy, move, and delete files just like any other folder, since Linux treats mounted NTFS volumes as regular directories under the Linux filesystem hierarchy (FHS). No special "bridge" tool is required for basic access, since the driver is already included.

Recommended steps before and after switching

  • In Windows, before wiping the SSD, disable Fast Startup and fully shut down (not just restart) so the NTFS volume is unmounted cleanly. This avoids Ubuntu mounting it read-only due to the "dirty" bit.
  • Optionally run chkdsk D: /f in Windows beforehand to make sure the filesystem is healthy.
  • After installing Ubuntu, open Disks or GParted just to confirm the D: partition is intact and listed as ntfs.
  • If you want the drive mounted automatically at every boot to a fixed location (instead of only when you click it in Files), you can add an entry to /etc/fstab using the ntfs3 or ntfs-3g driver. This is optional; automatic mounting via the file manager works fine for casual use.

Things to keep in mind

  • Linux permissions do not map perfectly to NTFS permissions, so very old NTFS-specific ACLs set from Windows may not carry over meaningfully, but this rarely affects normal personal files.
  • Performance and reliability with ntfs-3g/ntfs3 are generally solid for everyday read/write use, though it is still not as robust as a native Linux filesystem for heavy, sustained I/O.
  • Make sure you are only formatting the SSD (Volume C) during Ubuntu installation, and explicitly leave the second disk untouched in the installer's partitioning step, since it is easy to accidentally select the wrong disk during manual partitioning.

In short, keeping your data drive as NTFS and installing Ubuntu only on the SSD will let you access your files immediately after installation, with no need to copy data off to an external drive first.
 
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