SSD move

[nicholaswillems]

(Sorry for the poor title)

 

So hello there, I just got an SSD and I was wondering what the best way was to install it.

 

On the SSD I want to put windows 8 (I still have the CD), BF4 and CSGO (most played games) and office, to begin with. Right now everything is on my HDD.

 

What I was planning to do was the following:

1. Disconnect HDD, connect CD drive and SSD, put the windows CD in and install windows.

2. Shut down, reconnect HDD and start up again.

 

I don't really think it's the right way to do it, so could someone say how it's done best and how I can install/move some games/programs to the SSD after my OS is done?

Also, can/how do I remove the OS on the hard drive once it's on the SSD?

 

Thanks

[Archangel1994]

You cannot have a windows installation just sitting there on a disk that is not booted from.

 

I highly recommend just doing a clean install of everything

[Norwegiantweaker]

(Sorry for the poor title)

 

So hello there, I just got an SSD and I was wondering what the best way was to install it.

 

On the SSD I want to put windows 8 (I still have the CD), BF4 and CSGO (most played games) and office, to begin with. Right now everything is on my HDD.

 

What I was planning to do was the following:

1. Disconnect HDD, connect CD drive and SSD, put the windows CD in and install windows.

2. Shut down, reconnect HDD and start up again.

 

I don't really think it's the right way to do it, so could someone say how it's done best and how I can install/move some games/programs to the SSD after my OS is done?

Also, can/how do I remove the OS on the hard drive once it's on the SSD?

 

Thanks

you could do that and start windows in safemode when you connect the HDD and delete the old windows ( otherwise ur stuck with a dualboot 

[Paul_VB]

If youre sticking with the same OS, just clone it

[Rheinwasser]

You cannot have a windows installation just sitting there on a disk that is not booted from.

 

I highly recommend just doing a clean install of everything

well, he wanted to do a fresh install.

 

this method has worked fine for me in the past.

[Rheinwasser]

you could do that and start windows in safemode when you connect the HDD and delete the old windows ( otherwise ur stuck with a dualboot 

he wants to keep the data on the ssd from what i've understood.

 

If youre sticking with the same OS, just clone it

fresh install doesn't hurt, especially with an ssd.

and he can't do that because his hdd is obviously larger than his ssd.

[Archangel1994]

well, he wanted to do a fresh install.

When I say everything I mean everything. I prefer formatting all drives then reinstalling what you install. It's cleanest way.

[Enderman]

What I was planning to do was the following:

1. Disconnect HDD, connect CD drive and SSD, put the windows CD in and install windows.

2. Shut down, reconnect HDD and start up again.

Yes this is the correct way.

When you connect the HDD in step 2, immediately go into BIOS and remove it from the boot priority list, so that it doesnt see it as a boot drive (because you only want to boot from the new SSD)

 

Then go into windows and drag all your personal files to the SSD.

Then format the old HDD from within windows, and move all your files back to the now clean HDD.

Install all your programs on the SSD, but documents, files, videos, etc... on the HDD

[Enderman]

If youre sticking with the same OS, just clone it

Never clone an operating system.

Never.

[Norwegiantweaker]

he wants to keep the data on the ssd from what i've understood.

 

fresh install doesn't hurt, especially with an ssd.

and he can't do that because his hdd is obviously larger than his ssd.

 

did i missread something ?. unless he wants his stuff thats on his hdd i would just format everything while in the windows installation thing. 

[Paul_VB]

Never clone an operating system.

Never.

I've never had any issues with cloning an OS before. i dont see how it can affect anything, i mean the bits are litterally identical from one drive to annother.

 

As for the issue of the HDD being bigger, just take some of the games and stuff and move them to a different partition on the HDD and shrink the OS partition down to as small as possible

[Rheinwasser]

When I say everything I mean everything. I prefer formatting all drives then reinstalling what you install. It's cleanest way.

i agree. but depending on his internetconnection re-downloading bf4 might be very annoying.

and bf4 doesn't really 'install' anyways.

[Rheinwasser]

did i missread something ?. unless he wants his stuff thats on his hdd i would just format everything while in the windows installation thing. 

sorry, i meant hdd.

that is what i think.

@nicholaswillems

[Enderman]

I've never had any issues with cloning an OS before. i dont see how it can affect anything, i mean the bits are litterally identical from one drive to annother.

No they are not identical because each drive is different, especially when going from a HDD to an SSD.

Many times a month I see people come to the forum saying that their windows is getting BSODs, system hangs, crashes, disk usage spikes, corrupted windows files, etc... and it is always because they cloned their OS to their new SSD.

The only way to fix all those issues is to do a clean install anyway, so you might as well not be lazy and do it the first time instead of waiting for the problems to come a few months or years after doing a clone.

[Norwegiantweaker]

i agree. but depending on his internetconnection re-downloading bf4 might be very annoying.

and bf4 doesn't really 'install' anyways.

ouch thats true. 

well the best way then is to install windows on the SSD boot it up install all the drivers etc. then power down connect the HDD. change the boot options in the bios. boot from the SSD then  transfer BF4 to the SSD then go into disk management and format the HDD ? @nicholaswillems

[Paul_VB]

No they are not identical because each drive is different, especially when going from a HDD to an SSD.

Many times a month I see people come to the forum saying that their windows is getting BSODs, system hangs, crashes, disk usage spikes, corrupted windows files, etc... and it is always because they cloned their OS to their new SSD.

The only way to fix all those issues is to do a clean install anyway, so you might as well not be lazy and do it the first time instead of waiting for the problems to come a few months or years after doing a clone.

Maybe it depends on what software they used.. Ive clones muliple OSs, SSD to SSD, HDD to SSD, and SSD to HDD. all have been fine and never had any issues

[Norwegiantweaker]

Maybe it depends on what software they used.. Ive clones muliple OSs, SSD to SSD, HDD to SSD, and SSD to HDD. all have been fine and never had any issues

each time i clone a OS i get a TON if missing DLL files and the drivers etc wont work like they are supposed to because they still have some files stuck in the HDD wich now has a different location ( C was on the hdd now C is on the SSD and the old C that was on the HDD is now called D ( or e b c whatever ) and the drivers try to find the file location wich does not exist on the clone )

[Paul_VB]

each time i clone a OS i get a TON if missing DLL files and the drivers etc wont work like they are supposed to because they still have some files stuck in the HDD wich now has a different location ( C was on the hdd now C is on the SSD and the old C that was on the HDD is now called D ( or e b c whatever ) and the drivers try to find the file location wich does not exist on the clone )

Sounds like you may have used a weird software to clone it. BTW, copying and pasting all the folders from the HDD  to the SSD isnt cloning. there are hidden files and other what-nots that Crtl+C and Crtl+V miss

[Norwegiantweaker]

Sounds like you may have used a weird software to clone it. BTW, copying and pasting all the folders from the HDD  to the SSD isnt cloning. there are hidden files and other what-nots that Crtl+C and Crtl+V miss

i used the cloning software that came with the ssd. it still wont grab the driver folders it only clones the windows os ?

[Paul_VB]

i used the cloning software that came with the ssd. it still wont grab the driver folders it only clones the windows os ?

I used something called easeUS partition master.. Never given me any trouble (except for 1 time, but a re-cloning fixed the issue)

 

http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm

[nicholaswillems]

Maybe to bring soms clarification, the ssd is 250gb and my HDD is 1tb (and almost full), so I don't think I can just copy everything over, format the HDD and move files back.. So if it's possible, I want to keep the stuff I have on my HDD. I do have a 3tb NAS at home so maybe I could put files on that, write down what programs I have and then reinstall those after formatting my HDD, or is it not that simple?

 

 

did i missread something ?. unless he wants his stuff thats on his hdd i would just format everything while in the windows installation thing. 

 

 

Yeah I would like to keep what I have on my HDD.

[Enderman]

Maybe it depends on what software they used.. Ive clones muliple OSs, SSD to SSD, HDD to SSD, and SSD to HDD. all have been fine and never had any issues

Well I guess youre either lucky or you havent been using those clones drives for long enough, but the issues will come eventually.

Either way cloning is bad practice, and ends up wasting more time than you saved when the time comes that your OS starts having issues.

[Paul_VB]

Well I guess youre either lucky or you havent been using those clones drives for long enough, but the issues will come eventually.

Either way cloning is bad practice, and ends up wasting more time than you saved when the time comes that your OS starts having issues.

I cloned my main rig about a year or two ago and i havent seen any issues with it. likewise for both my parent's laptops

[DirkW]

i used the cloning software that came with the ssd. it still wont grab the driver folders it only clones the windows os ?

 

Drivers, once installed, are part of the running windows OS - and since real cloning is used either on an entire drive or an entire partition at least, all files and folders should be included at all times. Otherwise the cloning software doesn't deserve its name.

[nicholaswillems]

So I want to wipe the HDD but I don't know which files I have to copy. What folders should I copy over to my NAS, to then copy back to the (empty) HDD once the SSD has the OS on it? Programs I can just write down and install again but when I go into 'documents', it see a huge lists with some games and my files just randomly and I feel like I'm going to copy the wrong things over. I really have no idea what I should back up.