Copying OS from one drive to another

[Colt_0pz]

How can I copy my version of win8 from a hard drive to an ssd? I am installing an ssd into my old asus g750 and I would like to have my os on there.

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, Colt_0pz said:

How can I copy my version of win8 from a hard drive to an ssd? I am installing an ssd into my old asus g750 and I would like to have my os on there.

Is the SSD large enough to fit the contents of the HDD? If so, you can clone the drive to the SSD and everything will be the way it was. No need to copy files and mess with settings. 

[comicsansms]

Samsung and many other SSD's come with a cloning tool.

[Enderman]

dont clone

you will most likely have a ton of issues, or it might not even boot

you can also cause wear to the SSD if you clone from a hard drive

 

it is highly recommended you never clone an OS to an SSD

do a clean install and dont be lazy

[DrMacintosh]

51 minutes ago, Enderman said:

dont clone

you will most likely have a ton of issues, or it might not even boot

you can also cause wear to the SSD if you clone from a hard drive

 

it is highly recommended you never clone an OS to an SSD

do a clean install and dont be lazy

Must have a really corrupt file system and a shady cloning utility. Give me facts and data. There is nothing inherently damaging of copying data and placing it in a new drive. If there were, I'm pretty sure IT professionals would not use it. 

[LunaP0n3]

Various programs are out there that offer cloning features.
Cloning the drive is pretty simple, and here are heaps of guide out there on cloning.

When it comes to do the cloning process, you can:

-Create a bootable CD that contains cloning software. You then connect the SSD up to the PC and perform the cloning to the SSD in a drive dock.

-Use a dual HDD docking station on another PC and perform the clone independently of your PC.

-Some allow you to set the options, then the program reboots the machine and performs the clone.

Of course, most SSDs will come with a cloning tool.

[Captain_WD]

3 hours ago, Colt_0pz said:

~snip~

Hello

 

My two cents on this: though cloning is a useful option to avoid the reinstallation of the OS and all applications, it is not really recommended as there's a chance that the SSD will be recognized as a HDD and thus cause some driver issues or enable the OS to defrag the SSD which can degrade its lifespan. A fresh install of the OS would clean all unnecessary software and data of your previous HDD and would get rid of any errors that may have accumulated over time. You are then free to transfer your old data from the old drive to the new one. 

 

If you do decide to clone the old drive, there should be a cloning software that comes with the SSD, as the guys explained.

 

Captain_WD.

[Enderman]

6 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Must have a really corrupt file system and a shady cloning utility. Give me facts and data. There is nothing inherently damaging of copying data and placing it in a new drive. If there were, I'm pretty sure IT professionals would not use it. 

google "problems after cloning windows" and you will see all the crap that happens when you clone

 

even WD recommends against it

[DrMacintosh]

2 hours ago, Enderman said:

google "problems after cloning windows" and you will see all the crap that happens when you clone

 

even WD recommends against it

I just looked at a few cases. All were either cloning multiple drives onto one, or from failing HDDs. With a healthy source and destination drive, and a "healthy" file explorer file system, nothing should happen. Of course WD recommends against it. They dont want customers getting all angry at them for failed drives and incorrect copies.  

[Colt_0pz]

20 hours ago, Captain_WD said:

~snip~

How can i reinstall an OS for a laptop made from a company since cloning seems like a bad idea. (i don't mind starting fresh)

[Captain_WD]

2 hours ago, Colt_0pz said:

~snip~

You can easily get the OS iso file from the MS's website and follow the tutorial there on how to create a bootable Flash Drive with the appropriate tools again provided there. Then all you need to get is your OS key which you can either get from your laptop's case (if it's printed somewhere) or check it from the OS itself. Assuming you can boot your computer without any problems, you can easily create a simple VBscript that will read the value out of the registry and then translate it into the format that you need for reinstalling. 

Copy and paste the following into a Notepad window:

 

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

 

You’ll need to use File -> Save As, change the “Save as type” to “All Files” and then name it productkey.vbs or something similar ending with the vbs extension. Once you’ve saved it, you can just double-click and the popup window will show you your product key. Protip: If you use CTRL + C when the popup window is active, it will copy the contents of the window to the clipboard, and then you can paste it into Notepad or somewhere else.

 

Post back if you have any further questions

 

Captain_WD.

[daDILLYdog]

46 minutes ago, Captain_WD said:

You can easily get the OS iso file from the MS's website and follow the tutorial there on how to create a bootable Flash Drive with the appropriate tools again provided there. Then all you need to get is your OS key which you can either get from your laptop's case (if it's printed somewhere) or check it from the OS itself. Assuming you can boot your computer without any problems, you can easily create a simple VBscript that will read the value out of the registry and then translate it into the format that you need for reinstalling. 

Copy and paste the following into a Notepad window:

 

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

 

You’ll need to use File -> Save As, change the “Save as type” to “All Files” and then name it productkey.vbs or something similar ending with the vbs extension. Once you’ve saved it, you can just double-click and the popup window will show you your product key. Protip: If you use CTRL + C when the popup window is active, it will copy the contents of the window to the clipboard, and then you can paste it into Notepad or somewhere else.

 

Post back if you have any further questions

 

Captain_WD.

I doubt this is even worth asking but is that code good for say a fresh reinstall of Windows 10 upgraded from 7? (The code that it displays) I heard that reinstalling windows 10 is easy since the computer recognizes that it was already installed and no need for a key but should I keep this key for any purposes?

[daDILLYdog]

19 hours ago, Enderman said:

google "problems after cloning windows" and you will see all the crap that happens when you clone

 

even WD recommends against it

I was going to do this to my 2012 MacBook that I use as a, paperweight (cloning a HDD to SSD) but now I know it's better to do the hassle filled fresh install.

[Captain_WD]

43 minutes ago, daDILLYdog said:

~snip~

This is the key that the OS is registered with. If so happens that you need to reinstall it, it may be of use. This is the only thing this is doing - showing your OS key, nothing more.

 

Captain_WD.

[Colt_0pz]

On 5/18/2016 at 2:18 AM, Captain_WD said:

~snip~

I forgot to mention that i have not upgraded to windows 10 on my laptop yet

[Captain_WD]

On 18.05.2016 г. at 11:35 AM, daDILLYdog said:

~snip~

 

1 hour ago, Colt_0pz said:

~snip~

 

You guys should check with MS if the policy of reusing older Keys with Windows 10 is still valid or if they don't allow using keys from previous OSs for Windows 10 anymore. The key should give you the opportunity to reuse it with the same OS, not really sure about upgrades as they have changed some things recently. 

 

Captain_WD.