Installing Win10 in a new SSD

[RazerEdge]

Hey, I just got a new Kingston SSD. now, I want to upgrade my Win7 to 10 - and install the new OS on the new SSD - without deleting any files on my old HDD (that currently running windows 7).

I got the win 10 ISO file ready to be burnt to a DVD, but im not sure how to actually do the installation without losing data on my HDD. Actually, I dont even know how to get the SSD to work..

 

Help pretty urgent! 

[Keyboard Basher]

If you're writing Windows 10 to a drive other than the drive that contains your Windows 7 partition, it will NOT delete any of the old files.

As for getting it installed onto the SSD, you might want to go into your bios and change the boot order to set the SSD as the primary boot device before installing windows 10. Once you've got that done, pop in your CD and reboot your pc. As it starts booting start slapping your boot menu key(consult your motherboard manufacturer to be sure) then select the CD drive and boot from it. After a few moments you should have a screen asking for a cd key, go ahead and type in the cd key. If it's correct, you'll be presented with a screen asking how you would like to install Windows 10. Use the custom installation option and select your SSD and install.

[RazerEdge]

If you're writing Windows 10 to a drive other than the drive that contains your Windows 7 partition, it will NOT delete any of the old files.

As for getting it installed onto the SSD, you might want to go into your bios and change the boot order to set the SSD as the primary boot device before installing windows 10. Once you've got that done, pop in your CD and reboot your pc. As it starts booting start slapping your boot menu key(consult your motherboard manufacturer to be sure) then select the CD drive and boot from it. After a few moments you should have a screen asking for a cd key, go ahead and type in the cd key. If it's correct, you'll be presented with a screen asking how you would like to install Windows 10. Use the custom installation option and select your SSD and install.

Thank you for helping. Can you please explain the steps i need to do from - connecting my SSD for the first time to - inserting the cd with the iso file and installing win 10?

I will apreaciate it so much.

OH, and do I need to remove the current os drive or something?

[Keyboard Basher]

First things first. You'll need to check for a few connectors inside your computer case.

 

 

 

 

Do you have any of these connectors?

[RazerEdge]

First things first. You'll need to check for a few connectors inside your computer case.

 

 

 

 

Do you have any of these connectors?

I got them packed like new

[Keyboard Basher]

Alright!

 

Look for an available SATA port on your motherboard.

The ports are generally located on the lower right hand side of the board.

 

 

 

Once you have those ports located go ahead and connect one end of the SATA cable to it.

Preferably one with a label next to it which reads "SATA6G_0" or "SATA6G_1", whichever port has the lowest number.

 

The next step would be to make sure that your SATA power cable is connected to the power supply.

Modern power supplies have integrated SATA power cables.

 

Now you'll have to mount the SSD to one of the drive slots in your drive cage. You should have some mounting hardware

in the box the SSD came with. Or if you're in a hurry just go ahead and set it in one of the drive cages(personally I would mount it.)

 

Go ahead and connect the SATA data cable and the SATA power cable to the SSD.

Once that's done, we're complete with the hardware configuration and can continue to the software configuration portion

of installing Windows 10.

 

What is the manufacturer of your motherboard?

[RazerEdge]

Alright!

 

Look for an available SATA port on your motherboard.

The ports are generally located on the lower right hand side of the board.

 

 

 

Once you have those ports located go ahead and connect one end of the SATA cable to it.

Preferably one with a label next to it which reads "SATA6G_0" or "SATA6G_1", whichever port has the lowest number.

 

The next step would be to make sure that your SATA power cable is connected to the power supply.

Modern power supplies have integrated SATA power cables.

 

Now you'll have to mount the SSD to one of the drive slots in your drive cage. You should have some mounting hardware

in the box the SSD came with. Or if you're in a hurry just go ahead and set it in one of the drive cages(personally I would mount it.)

 

Go ahead and connect the SATA data cable and the SATA power cable to the SSD.

Once that's done, we're complete with the hardware configuration and can continue to the software configuration portion

of installing Windows 10.

 

What is the manufacturer of your motherboard?

Gigabyte p67 board. And the whole hardware config. should be done while the system is on? or should I turn it off?

Also, im planning to just to stick the SSD with two-sided tape..is it that bad?

[Keyboard Basher]

You should absolutely shut down the system before changing the configuration of the hardware.

 

The tape isn't the best option as the adhesive can degrade over time and will eventually leave your drive unsecured in the case. Which is bad because some SSD cases are made of metal and if your drive somehow gets knocked around, it's liable to touch the motherboard and that can short out your system rendering it useless.

The alternative to hardware mounting it in a cage would be to use sticky Velcro coins or strips, sticky Velcro on the case and sticky Velcro on the SSD. The adhesive on the Velcro is much more durable than double sided tape.

[RazerEdge]

You should absolutely shut down the system before changing the configuration of the hardware.

 

The tape isn't the best option as the adhesive can degrade over time and will eventually leave your drive unsecured in the case. Which is bad because some SSD cases are made of metal and if your drive somehow gets knocked around, it's liable to touch the motherboard and that can short out your system rendering it useless.

The alternative to hardware mounting it in a cage would be to use sticky Velcro coins or strips, sticky Velcro on the case and sticky Velcro on the SSD. The adhesive on the Velcro is much more durable than double sided tape.

ok. so what is the next step?

[Keyboard Basher]

Before we go any further. Do you have another device to access the LTT forums with?

[RazerEdge]

Before we go any further. Do you have another device to access the LTT forums with?

Yep i just got my phone. my SSD is not recognized but in the stroage managment it apears as "Disk 0".

[Keyboard Basher]

Are you referring to the storage management within Windows 7 or the BIOS?

[RazerEdge]

Are you referencing to the storage management within Windows 7 or the BIOS?

Within windows. So I think in the bios it also recognized isn't it?

[Keyboard Basher]

What we need to do next is to change the boot order of the drives from withing the BIOS.
Shut down your PC. Then press the power button. Press F2 or DEL on your keyboard over and over until you are presented with a blue screen with yellow or white text.
Look for something which says "boot order", "drive configuration", or any similar bit of text.
Once you're in there, navigate to the Kingston SSD selection and move it up to the first boot option.(There will be text on the screen which shows you how to do just that)
Press "F10" to save and exit and your pc will reboot again.
This time as it restarts, press F8 or F12 to access the boot menu.
Select the CD drive and boot from it.

 

 

Select the options which correspond to your region.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully everything went well. If not, reply to this post and I'll get back to you.

 

*Apparently there's a limit of 10 spoilers on the forum.

[RazerEdge]

What we need to do next is to change the boot order of the drives from withing the BIOS.

Shut down your PC. Then press the power button. Press F2 or DEL on your keyboard over and over until you are presented with a blue screen with yellow or white text.

Look for something which says "boot order", "drive configuration", or any similar bit of text.

Once you're in there, navigate to the Kingston SSD selection and move it up to the first boot option.(There will be text on the screen which shows you how to do just that)

Press "F10" to save and exit and your pc will reboot again.

This time as it restarts, press F8 or F12 to access the boot menu.

Select the CD drive and boot from it.

 

 

Select the options which correspond to your region.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully everything went well. If not, reply to this post and I'll get back to you.

 

*Apparently there's a limit of 10 spoilers on the forum.

I did all this, and the windows is working. Few problems: I don't have any activation key.. I read at many places that windows should recognized my computer in few days. Is it currect?

Second, I don't have any office software (word,ppt..) and I don't know how to get it(it's suppose to be free?)

At least - to run programs from my old HDD (such games and so ) do I have to install them on the new SSD? Or there is another way?

Other then that - you helped me so much,Thank you.

[Keyboard Basher]

You should have been given an activation key upon purchase of the Windows 10 software. If you purchased it online through the Microsoft store, check your email for the activation key. Or if you purchased it through another online store, you will need to log into your account there and look for the activation key that you were given. If you didn't acquire the software through a purchase then you will have to go to the Microsoft store to purchase a valid key. Please make note of the version of Windows 10 that you are running, whether it's Pro or Home edition, as it will ask you right before purchasing the software to specify your version of Windows 10. If it's Home, select Home. If it's Pro, select Pro. Simple as that.

 

Moving on to the office software. There are a few free options as far as office software goes.

 

• https://www.openoffice.org/download/ - Apache's openoffice. I've never used it but it's free.
• https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-fresh/ - Libreoffice. Also free but it seems to be a bit slow.
• If you have a google account you can use Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides as your office suite. I use it quite frequently. Also Free.
• https://products.office.com/en-us/buy/compare-microsoft-office-products - Or you can cough up a chunk of cash for Microsoft Office 365.

There are more options for office software but these are the ones I've listed, so if you find a better one, use that instead.

 

As for running programs from your old HDD, it should work fine by running the application by clicking on the executable but should you encounter launch errors you may need to uninstall and reinstall the program you were trying to run.

[RazerEdge]

You should have been given an activation key upon purchase of the Windows 10 software. If you purchased it online through the Microsoft store, check your email for the activation key. Or if you purchased it through another online store, you will need to log into your account there and look for the activation key that you were given. If you didn't acquire the software through a purchase then you will have to go to the Microsoft store to purchase a valid key. Please make note of the version of Windows 10 that you are running, whether it's Pro or Home edition, as it will ask you right before purchasing the software to specify your version of Windows 10. If it's Home, select Home. If it's Pro, select Pro. Simple as that.

 

Moving on to the office software. There are a few free options as far as office software goes.

 

• https://www.openoffice.org/download/ - Apache's openoffice. I've never used it but it's free.
• https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-fresh/ - Libreoffice. Also free but it seems to be a bit slow.
• If you have a google account you can use Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides as your office suite. I use it quite frequently. Also Free.
• https://products.office.com/en-us/buy/compare-microsoft-office-products - Or you can cough up a chunk of cash for Microsoft Office 365.

There are more options for office software but these are the ones I've listed, so if you find a better one, use that instead.

 

As for running programs from your old HDD, it should work fine by running the application by clicking on the executable but should you encounter launch errors you may need to uninstall and reinstall the program you were trying to run.

Got it. But I just upgraded from windows 7. I didn't got any key. I didn't purchase win10.. I used the ISO file to upgrade

What can I do?

maybe that's what happened

 

"

When I told him my original W7 product key he said that he could see that this had been blocked on their servers.

The reason he gave (I think I'm right in saying) was that it had been activated more than once.

However he was also able to tell from the activation code that the hardware was the same on each occasion, therefore it was clearly the same machine.

From this I assume that if you have re-installed your original version of windows, or installed it on a new machine, Microsoft's servers will recognise this and block it. Presumably thinking that the key was being used by multiple machines.

But he could see that in my case the hardware ID hadn't changed, therefore it was the same machine.

 

What he did was provide me with a new Windows 10 product key and now I am activated."

 

I don't know how can I solve this.​

 

Edited November 24, 2015 by RazerEdge

[Keyboard Basher]

Great! Enter "Activation" in the Windows search bar and click it. You'll be presented with a window to enter the key you were given. Once that's done, you will have a genuine copy of Windows 10.

[RazerEdge]

Great! Enter "Activation" in the Windows search bar and click it. You'll be presented with a window to enter the key you were given. Once that's done, you will have a genuine copy of Windows 10.

I just quoted someone with the same problem, who got it solved by someone. I think you misunderstood: I don't have any key. I upgraded from win7 to a new SSD and maybe Microsoft blocked it. Now i'm clueless.

[Keyboard Basher]

Just a note, if you quote another forum post please be sure to label it as such.

 

You can attempt to use the key from your Windows 7 installation.

Here's a decent guide on how to accomplish that.

http://www.howtogeek.com/206329/how-to-find-your-lost-windows-or-office-product-keys/

You will have to boot into your Windows 7 HDD in order to access the information in the guide.

You can accomplish that by pressing F8 or F12 while the PC is booting up.

 

If this does not work, contact Microsoft directly and explain your situation so that they can activate your copy of Windows 10.

[RazerEdge]

Just a note, if you quote another forum post please be sure to label it as such.

 

You can attempt to use the key from your Windows 7 installation.

Here's a decent guide on how to accomplish that.

http://www.howtogeek.com/206329/how-to-find-your-lost-windows-or-office-product-keys/

You will have to boot into your Windows 7 HDD in order to access the information in the guide.

You can accomplish that by pressing F8 or F12 while the PC is booting up.

 

If this does not work, contact Microsoft directly and explain your situation so that they can activate your copy of Windows 10.

I still got the sticker on my case with the Win7 key. And it doesn't work. Im so upset... I will try contacting Microsoft but i'm in doubt they will help me. Is there any way to get that key? maybe restoring to the old OS and doing somethings?

[Keyboard Basher]

You won't have to restore to the previous OS because Windows 10 was written onto the SSD whereas the Windows 7 partition is still on the older HDD.

You wanted to preserve the data of your older drive while upgrading to Windows 10 on the SSD. I was under the impression that you had originally purchased Windows 10 and possessed a valid key. If you are unable to purchase a valid key or Microsoft is unable to activate Windows 10 then the only way to get Windows 10 activated on the SSD would be to upgrade over the existing Windows 7 operating system. Don't worry, there is an integrated method in the upgrade process to preserve old data from Windows 7. Once you've upgraded to Windows 10 you will then have to migrate all of your data from the HDD to the SSD. Just keep in mind that since SSDs are smaller than HDDs not all data will fit onto the SSD.

 

Be sure to format your SSD as NTFS and change the boot order to list the HDD as the primary boot device.

 

Here is a link which will make the migration process simple. Use this software only after you've upgraded your existing Windows 7 partition to Windows 10.

http://www.todo-backup.com/backup-resource/data-transfer/migrate-windows-10-to-ssd.htm

Ignore step 6 in the guide.

 

After the migration is complete, change the boot order to list the SSD as the primary boot device.

Once you've booted into Windows 10. It may not say that is it activated just yet.

If that's the case, this is where you should contact Microsoft about the upgrade.

 

I know you might be thinking "Oh boy, more stuff to do. I'm so excited! NOT!" But this is what must be done to get you upgraded to Windows 10. It's a longer process but since the upgrade process from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 is specific to the hardware configuration of your system, it has to be done this way. I can't think if a shorter way without causing errors or invalidation to your operating system.

[RazerEdge]

You won't have to restore to the previous OS because Windows 10 was written onto the SSD whereas the Windows 7 partition is still on the older HDD.

You wanted to preserve the data of your older drive while upgrading to Windows 10 on the SSD. I was under the impression that you had originally purchased Windows 10 and possessed a valid key. If you are unable to purchase a valid key or Microsoft is unable to activate Windows 10 then the only way to get Windows 10 activated on the SSD would be to upgrade over the existing Windows 7 operating system. Don't worry, there is an integrated method in the upgrade process to preserve old data from Windows 7. Once you've upgraded to Windows 10 you will then have to migrate all of your data from the HDD to the SSD. Just keep in mind that since SSDs are smaller than HDDs not all data will fit onto the SSD.

 

Be sure to format your SSD as NTFS and change the boot order to list the HDD as the primary boot device.

 

Here is a link which will make the migration process simple. Use this software only after you've upgraded your existing Windows 7 partition to Windows 10.

http://www.todo-backup.com/backup-resource/data-transfer/migrate-windows-10-to-ssd.htm

Ignore step 6 in the guide.

 

After the migration is complete, change the boot order to list the SSD as the primary boot device.

Once you've booted into Windows 10. It may not say that is it activated just yet.

If that's the case, this is where you should contact Microsoft about the upgrade.

 

I know you might be thinking "Oh boy, more stuff to do. I'm so excited! NOT!" But this is what must be done to get you upgraded to Windows 10. It's a longer process but since the upgrade process from Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 is specific to the hardware configuration of your system, it has to be done this way. I can't think if a shorter way without causing errors or invalidation to your operating system.

OK. So, after the migration process, the OS will be on the SSD and the rest will be on the HDD?

And how do I format my SSD to NTSF?

**I just realized that my HDD is 150GB and the SSD is 260 which is nice

[Keyboard Basher]

Not specifically. The OS will be copied to the SSD. You'll have two drives with the exact same information on them. But once you migrate the OS and verify that the SSD with Windows 10 is working and is activated, you can format the HDD to be a storage device. Or you can keep it as a backup of course. Your choice.

 

Press "Windows Key" + 'R' then type "diskmgmt.msc" and hit enter.

This will bring up the disk management program.

Here you can see hard drives/solid state drives as well as flash drives and other storage devices.

Right click on the SSD and click format.

Give it a name of your choosing.

Make sure that the file system is set to "NTFS."

Set it to quick format.

Then click ok.

 

It will take a few seconds or so to format it but after that, it's done.

 

Be sure to format the SSD before upgrading to Windows 10.

Follow the instructions I've listed in the previous post and all should go well.

[SydneySideSteveSomewheres]

Hey, I just got a new Kingston SSD. now, I want to upgrade my Win7 to 10 - and install the new OS on the new SSD - without deleting any files on my old HDD (that currently running windows 7).

I got the win 10 ISO file ready to be burnt to a DVD, but im not sure how to actually do the installation without losing data on my HDD. Actually, I dont even know how to get the SSD to work..

 

Help pretty urgent!

 

Just saw your post and read through the thread and wanted to add a comment to assist. Not that I wish to take away from the fantastic work by @8BitDoughnut everything that they have said I would agreed with (ALMOST).

 

My point is this I recently upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 which was on a HDD. Then I desired a speed increase and decided to migrate or clone the drive to a faster drive a SSD and had many, many issues. The best end scenario was one where the SSD has a licenced Windows 10 install but is missing the 110+ personal programs from the HDD, and even the techs at Microsoft could not fix this issue. 

 

Then I tried to roll back my HDD from Windows 10 to Windows 7 within the 30 day time frame, of which there are few methods to try -click here- Wiki article Microsoft community. None of which worked or again the tech heads at the Microsoft help center could assist me with, they just finished the call by saying "sorry I've not been able to help you with that, is there anything else I can help you with today"...duh...a dead end so far.

So what I have is a greatly improved computer for the steam games I have been playing, however this particular machine is my main unit, if I take it to the local computer store they will charge $25 a program to reinstall...thanks Microsoft maybe I could charge you!

 

Anyway now that I have done my rant, what you should do seeing that the HDD is smaller than the SSD is reformat the SSD to NTFS as @8BitDoughnut requests then just clone the whole Windows 7 HDD contents over onto the SSD. Then wait for the upgrade notification to come in through the normal Windows 7 updates schedule, which should mean no need to buy another licence. If you are a little less patient after the cloning process is complete, you could ring Microsoft and ask them how to get assistance with the upgrade as you already have the *.iso of Windows 10.

 

Hope this helps