Resetting my Storage and wiping my drives - Best way to back up PC?

[Red_TC]

I have a decent system with the following specifications. Recently, I transitioned to using AMD components. The issue I'm encountering doesn't seem specific to AMD but rather a matter of timing.

My PC consists of four drives: two Samsung 970 EVO 2TB SSDs and two WD HDDs, one 1TB and the other 2TB. I primarily utilize the SSDs for games, apps, Discord, Spotify, OBS, etc., while the HDDs store files such as memes, audio, and other content I access infrequently.

I'm considering wiping my PC but wish to retain specific files and program settings, including OBS files (scenes, etc.), Elgato Stream Deck settings, photos, videos, and various audio files stored across multiple drives. I have a 1TB NVMe drive in a USB sled capable of holding all necessary data, facilitating the reset of my PC and subsequent reinstallation.

I'm seeking advice on the optimal method to achieve this.

Additionally, I've encountered issues when attempting to save to drives where I don't have administrative privileges, despite being the sole user of the PC without any other accounts. Is there some settings in Windows that may be conflicting for this that I should change before or after I wipe? I can go into more detail if someone would like, or I can make a separate post in a Windows 11 forum.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my inquiry! Have a wonderful day!

[Red_TC]

5 minutes ago, Red_TC said:

I have a decent system with the following specifications. Recently, I transitioned to using AMD components. The issue I'm encountering doesn't seem specific to AMD but rather a matter of timing.

My PC consists of four drives: two Samsung 970 EVO 2TB SSDs and two WD HDDs, one 1TB and the other 2TB. I primarily utilize the SSDs for games, apps, Discord, Spotify, OBS, etc., while the HDDs store files such as memes, audio, and other content I access infrequently.

I'm considering wiping my PC but wish to retain specific files and program settings, including OBS files (scenes, etc.), Elgato Stream Deck settings, photos, videos, and various audio files stored across multiple drives. I have a 1TB NVMe drive in a USB sled capable of holding all necessary data, facilitating the reset of my PC and subsequent reinstallation.

I'm seeking advice on the optimal method to achieve this.

Additionally, I've encountered issues when attempting to save to drives where I don't have administrative privileges, despite being the sole user of the PC without any other accounts. Is there some settings in Windows that may be conflicting for this that I should change before or after I wipe? I can go into more detail if someone would like, or I can make a separate post in a Windows 11 forum.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my inquiry! Have a wonderful day!

images of my windows admin issue 

[OhYou_]

if you dont need a bootable backup, just copy the contents of the drive into a folder on a different drive.
if you are running into permission issues, then right click this folder, and go to properties, security,advanced, new window pops up and change the owner.
or maybe it was take ownership, still in this advanced window, you should be able to change all the setttings and then check the box to replace all child object permission entries blah blah