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Swap Laptop HDD with SSD keeping OS

MTKJacob
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Hi everyone,

 

As title says,I'd like to know if it's possible to swap a laptop 500GB laptop HDD with a n 128GB SSD

keeping the OS that comes with the laptop,it's also like to know if it's legal since i heard that

the windows installation that comes with prebuild pc is somewhat tied to the hardware that was initially inside the machine.

 

If it's possible,how am i going to do that?

-Do i just need to save the Windows installation on an USB drive with the Windows 8 utility,put in the new drive

and install from the USB?

-Or do i need to copy the partition inside the HDD that contains the windows installation backup?

-Is there something i should look for as far as incompatibility for an SSD or any 2.5" drive will do?

 

 

Thanks in advance.

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@MTKJacob

 

Get something like the samsung 840 evo, as it comes with a usb to sata cable and migration software

 

connect the SSD to the pc via the included usb cable, migrate your windows installtion over to the ssd, then swap over the drives

simple as that

 

OR

You CAN reinstall the OEM installation, just download windows 8 iso, put the new ssd in, and install as a fresh OS (this is my preffered method)

Desktop - Corsair 300r i7 4770k H100i MSI 780ti 16GB Vengeance Pro 2400mhz Crucial MX100 512gb Samsung Evo 250gb 2 TB WD Green, AOC Q2770PQU 1440p 27" monitor Laptop Clevo W110er - 11.6" 768p, i5 3230m, 650m GT 2gb, OCZ vertex 4 256gb,  4gb ram, Server: Fractal Define Mini, MSI Z78-G43, Intel G3220, 8GB Corsair Vengeance, 4x 3tb WD Reds in Raid 10, Phone Oppo Reno 10x 256gb , Camera Sony A7iii

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Posted

@MTKJacob

 

Get something like the samsung 840 evo, as it comes with a usb to sata cable and migration software

 

connect the SSD to the pc via the included usb cable, migrate your windows installtion over to the ssd, then swap over the drives

simple as that

 

OR

You CAN reinstall the OEM installation, just download windows 8 iso, put the new ssd in, and install as a fresh OS (this is my preffered method)

What if he doesn't have OEM installation media? That's what my laptop did. No reinstallation media. Just laptop and a power brick, that's it.

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

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What if he doesn't have OEM installation media? That's what my laptop did. No reinstallation media. Just laptop and a power brick, that's it.

 

99% of the time there is a program on laptops that allows you to create recovery media for reinstalling windows, you just need to run that program and burn a DVD

Desktop - Corsair 300r i7 4770k H100i MSI 780ti 16GB Vengeance Pro 2400mhz Crucial MX100 512gb Samsung Evo 250gb 2 TB WD Green, AOC Q2770PQU 1440p 27" monitor Laptop Clevo W110er - 11.6" 768p, i5 3230m, 650m GT 2gb, OCZ vertex 4 256gb,  4gb ram, Server: Fractal Define Mini, MSI Z78-G43, Intel G3220, 8GB Corsair Vengeance, 4x 3tb WD Reds in Raid 10, Phone Oppo Reno 10x 256gb , Camera Sony A7iii

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Thanks for the replies

 

You CAN reinstall the OEM installation, just download windows 8 iso, put the new ssd in, and install as a fresh OS (this is my preffered method)

 

Will the backup done with an USB stick, made through the windows recovery solution,allow the re-installation on the SSD?

What do you mean by downloading the windows 8 iso? As far as i know the laptop coming with 8/8.1 doesn't have an installation key anymore

so the only solution to keep the original installation should be saving the recovery partition that's present in the HDD...or not?

---

About the migration software,does the two partition need to be of the same size or will the software automatically shrink the empty space from the HDD partition to fit into the 128GB SSD?

 

Thanks again.

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Thanks for the replies

 

 

Will the backup done with an USB stick, made through the windows recovery solution,allow the re-installation on the SSD?

What do you mean by downloading the windows 8 iso? As far as i know the laptop coming with 8/8.1 doesn't have an installation key anymore

so the only solution to keep the original installation should be saving the recovery partition that's present in the HDD...or not?

---

About the migration software,does the two partition need to be of the same size or will the software automatically shrink the empty space from the HDD partition to fit into the 128GB SSD?

 

Thanks again.

 

As long as the hard drive has less than 128gb filled up it will migrate just fine - this is going to be the easiest way

 

If the PC lets  you create a windows USB installation, then yes you can use this to install windows onto a new drive, make sure it is the full windows install not just the usb repair program

Desktop - Corsair 300r i7 4770k H100i MSI 780ti 16GB Vengeance Pro 2400mhz Crucial MX100 512gb Samsung Evo 250gb 2 TB WD Green, AOC Q2770PQU 1440p 27" monitor Laptop Clevo W110er - 11.6" 768p, i5 3230m, 650m GT 2gb, OCZ vertex 4 256gb,  4gb ram, Server: Fractal Define Mini, MSI Z78-G43, Intel G3220, 8GB Corsair Vengeance, 4x 3tb WD Reds in Raid 10, Phone Oppo Reno 10x 256gb , Camera Sony A7iii

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Nice, other two question:

 

-Could there be a problem with the windows activation? (maybe the OEM installation present in the prebuild is tied with the hardware?)

-Would any 2.5" SSD fit in a laptop drive bay?

 

-----------------

 

EDIT: ok,i flip the question... did anyone that did an hdd->ssd swap on a laptop with OEM system had some sort of issue?

 

Thanks.

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