Moving my old HDD and SSD to a new rig.

Kamille03 · September 21, 2020

I'm buying a new rig and wish to migrate both my SSD (Windows 10 installed) and HDD. I suppose there's no problem for my HDD, but I'm worried that it won't boot with my SSD. I've heard that it won't actually be a problem, but I'm open for recommendations on backup plans or ways to ease the transition.

Moonzy · September 21, 2020

12 minutes ago, Kamille03 said:

I've heard that it won't actually be a problem, but I'm open for recommendations on backup plans or ways to ease the transition.

it may work but it's recommended to do a clean install to prevent multiple drivers causing issues

i would recommend backing up your SSD to your HDD and install a fresh copy of windows on the SSD

and unplug the HDD while installing windows to prevent accidental deletion and error in partitioning.

to backup your SSD, you can go thru each folder and search for what you need

or you can copy paste the entire drive (and/or create an image so you can recover back to it, just in case) to the HDD, keep it for a month or two as you use the new install, and if something is missing just go back to it

DudeMcNerdy · September 21, 2020

Of course you can! Windows comes with a Microsoft tool built-in that allows you to prepare the system for deployment on other computers. This is used in enterprises to deploy the same configuration to multiple PCs.

WARNING: Backup all user data before you begin. (Like My Documents and Desktop) This will force you to make a new user profile. You might lose access to any information that was stored under your existing user accounts especially if you have used Windows Encryption.

Here is the process:

Open an administrative command prompt
Run the command
```
sysprep /generalize /shutdown
```
Wait for the computer to shut down
Move the hard drives to the new system

At this point when you turn on the new system it will walk you through the new PC setup as if you had just installed a new copy of Windows. When you get inside you will find all of your old stuff is still there.

Quote

Important
You must use the Sysprep /generalize command to generalize a complete Windows installation before you can use the installation for deployment to a new computer, whether you use imaging, hard disk duplication, or another method. Moving or copying a Windows image to a different computer without running the Sysprep /generalize command is not supported.

SOURCE: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/sysprep-command-line-options