Help Regarding Disk changing (windows help)

[Rebel_07]

I installed windows on a HDD and have been using for about 6 Months now. I considered upgrading to an SSD, but how do I transfer windows ? Will it allow me to use the same license twice ? Please Help ...

[Guest]

Best would be just to reinstall the windows on the SSD, but keep in mind to backup your important stuff before.

As your other system components stay the same you dont need a new licence. You just reinstall and input the same key and it should work.

 

Other way is cloning the drive, but i dont like it.

[Rebel_07]

7 minutes ago, Some Random Member said:

Best would be just to reinstall the windows on the SSD, but keep in mind to backup your important stuff before.

As your other system components stay the same you dont need a new licence. You just reinstall and input the same key and it should work.

 

Other way is cloning the drive, but i dont like it.

so, do i need to format the HDD... right ?

[homeap5]

Do NOT install the same system twice, it's waste of time. Download Macrium Reflect, create bootable USB device (program gives you that option at first run), boot from usb and clone your system to SSD. Then boot from SSD without HDD connected and after first boot, shut down your system and connect your HDD again as second drive (and set boot in bios to your SSD).

 

If you have two partitions on your HDD (or just another HDD), you may first create copy of your system (all partitions except data partition), then restore that copy to your SSD (this way you'll have mountable image or backup just in case). If not - just clone. Is really easy.

 

If you don't want to create bootable usb, you can clone your system even while is working, but I don't recommend this method (even if should work) based on my experience.

 

And can you please stop suggesting installing Windows again every time? Everyone knows that this is an option, but I assume that people asks here for professional methods or at least methods that they don't know. Why Jai must spend hours to set everything again if he has perfecly good running system?

[GoodBytes]

9 hours ago, Jai Nagle said:

so, do i need to format the HDD... right ?

Nope.

 

They are different ways:

In Windows setup or after, you can select the HDD and format it, and delete the old recovery partition and boot partition reclaiming your HDD space to its fullest. Of course this way, means you'll lose everything on the HDD so you want a backup of the data before doing anything.

 

You can not format the HDD in Windows setup, or better yet don't plug in the HDD (will make the setup process easier), just plug in the SSD, install Windows, and once your system is setup, plug in your HDD (while the PC is off, of course). You'll have:  C:\ (your SSD with Windows on it), your HDD will be D:\ (you may have E:\ and F:\ partitions, which are the old hidden partition of your HDD before, one for the Boot, and the other for the Recovery), you can use a disk management tool of your choice to get rid of them and merge the space to the main partition of the HDD, keeping the data of the HDD intact, reclaim the space, and clean up. Alternatively if you don't care about the small space lost, you can use Disk Management utility of Windows and remove the drive letter on them, effectively hiding the partitions from your eyes.

 

 

[GoodBytes]

2 hours ago, homeap5 said:

Do NOT install the same system twice, it's waste of time. Download Macrium Reflect, create bootable USB device (program gives you that option at first run), boot from usb and clone your system to SSD. Then boot from SSD without HDD connected and after first boot, shut down your system and connect your HDD again as second drive (and set boot in bios to your SSD).

• If the data in the HDD is larger than the SSD, it wont' work
• The process can take MORE time than a clean install on the SSD
• Cloning processing has little to no error correction, than you'll end up with a broken Windows, or corrupted personal files. It may work great most of the time, but MOST is not a good guaranty.

 

2 hours ago, homeap5 said:

And can you please stop suggesting installing Windows again every time? Everyone knows that this is an option, but I assume that people asks here for professional methods or at least methods that they don't know. Why Jai must spend hours to set everything again if he has perfecly good running system?

No, people don't know that this is an option.

[homeap5]

If you're using Windows with all default settings, with only few simple additional tools (or none) then yes - installing Windows is faster (in fact not ever then, but let's assume that is true). But that is rare and most of users spend much more time to configure everything.

 

And clone process has error correction and verify. What you're type is some myth or you're using some strange tools (or you just have no experience).

 

Last thing - people knows that they can install windows, like they know that for the first time. They are just looking for better solutions.

 

In my case configuring lot of programs, tools, system itself etc. is long and painful process, so I never reinstall system.

[Rebel_07]

Thank you for the tips and steps, but my issue is I don't have partitions on my C drive, so I am pretty much stuck at formatting the entire disk...right? Also can anyone please give me a solid/final solution.

[homeap5]

Do you have any third HDD? I give you solution, but you not telling us enough info - hdd used space for example.

[Rebel_07]

On 7/16/2018 at 11:53 PM, homeap5 said:

Do you have any third HDD? I give you solution, but you not telling us enough info - hdd used space for example.

My main HDD (C) is 370GB free of 932GB. I don't have any backup drive at hand. No I don't have a third drive.

[homeap5]

In this case, unless you have 1TB SSD, you must install Windows again and then copy/install what is missing. Don't worry about license - it's just disk change.

 

Do not connect HDD while installing your new OS.

[Rebel_07]

4 hours ago, homeap5 said:

In this case, unless you have 1TB SSD, you must install Windows again and then copy/install what is missing. Don't worry about license - it's just disk change.

 

Do not connect HDD while installing your new OS.

1. so just install windows again on the SSD ? without the HDD connected....right ?

2. Also, just making sure...someone told me i need to call microsoft  to temporarily disable my key to reinstall windows.

[homeap5]

1 hour ago, Jai Nagle said:

1. so just install windows again on the SSD ? without the HDD connected....right ?

2. Also, just making sure...someone told me i need to call microsoft  to temporarily disable my key to reinstall windows.

1. Yes.

2. Someone lied.

 

[Rebel_07]

3 minutes ago, homeap5 said:

1. Yes.

2. Someone lied.

 

so once again.. after i install windows on my SSD... how to get rid of the one on the HDD??( format? )

[homeap5]

You can leave it (may be useful sometimes, you can test many things, use it for imaging your primary os etc.) or format, or just delete folders you don't want anymore.

[Rebel_07]

2 minutes ago, homeap5 said:

You can leave it (may be useful sometimes, you can test many things, use it for imaging your primary os etc.) or format, or just delete folders you don't want anymore.

ok thank you so much for the help...

[GoodBytes]

Yup! Format the HDD once you know you got all your stuff, you didn't forget a document, picture, etc. Once you are sure, wipe it, and you can use it as storage or another system.

[homeap5]

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

Yup! Format the HDD once you know you got all your stuff, you didn't forget a document, picture, etc. Once you are sure, wipe it, and you can use it as storage or another system.

Agree, except for novice user is better if he leave it for month or two, or even forever. Then he can delete folders like Windows or Program Files if disk reaches 90% full.

I remember when I was younger and format drives when I though that everything was copied. Then I realized that I lost some nice stuff I forgot to copy.

And since he has so many data on HDD that he cannot image and restore this disk into SSD, it probably will be more difficult to save all his data before formatting (he already said that he has no 3rd drive to backup stuff).

All games (or most of them at least) will run from D: like they run from C: before. Steam can be configured to use new directory, other stuff too. Too much backuping and copying imo if he copy back everything later.

Also, he always may restore some savegames that he forgots copy from users directory.

[Rebel_07]

2 hours ago, homeap5 said:

Agree, except for novice user is better if he leave it for month or two, or even forever. Then he can delete folders like Windows or Program Files if disk reaches 90% full.

I remember when I was younger and format drives when I though that everything was copied. Then I realized that I lost some nice stuff I forgot to copy.

And since he has so many data on HDD that he cannot image and restore this disk into SSD, it probably will be more difficult to save all his data before formatting (he already said that he has no 3rd drive to backup stuff).

All games (or most of them at least) will run from D: like they run from C: before. Steam can be configured to use new directory, other stuff too. Too much backuping and copying imo if he copy back everything later.

Also, he always may restore some savegames that he forgots copy from users directory.

yeah this is hectic for me... i should be done backing up data by the weekend (in some way)... lets see...

[homeap5]

As I said - you don't must backup anything. Just install windows on SSD and after installation is done - connect HDD as second drive, set boot from SSD in BIOS and that's all.

[Rebel_07]

22 hours ago, homeap5 said:

As I said - you don't must backup anything. Just install windows on SSD and after installation is done - connect HDD as second drive, set boot from SSD in BIOS and that's all.

alright, thanks very much...