Windows 10 SSD upgrade

[KnightWumar]

I am currently using windows 7 on a hard drive and have the free upgrade to windows 10 button available, and I want to upgrade to an ssd.
So to be able to upgrade to windows 10 on a new ssd drive do I need to install windows 7 on new drive first ?
Will windows 7 automatically be registered if I have to install it on the new ssd ?
Do I have to wait to have the upgrade available on the new drive ?
Can I keep the old programs from the hard drive and will they work ? (mostly just games and few production softwares)

And what are the steps to do said solution ?

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

You can install windows 10 on the new ssd then use your windows 7 key to activate it.

[GoodBytes]

Very easy, as Electronics Wizardy, said.

 

To complete the answer:

Use Microsoft's Media Creation Tool: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10. Click on Download Tool Now button.

Insert a USB Flash drive of 8GB of more (note that all content inside will be erased for Windows 10 setup which the Media Creation Tool will do and setup).

Run Media Creation Tool, and you'll be greeted by a wizard, and simply follow it. In your case, select the option, when asked, that it is for another computer, despite being the same one. This is to that it doesn't do the normal upgrade process, but rather download Windows 10 ISO, and prepare your USB Flash drive.

 

Once everything is done, shutdown your computer, and unplug your HDD, and connect your new SSD.

Then insert your USB Flash drive into your system if you removed it, and tell your BIOS/UEFi to boot to it. As Windows 8 and up is fully UEFI ready, it is a good time (and only time), to disable CSM feature in the UEFI, if you have a fully UEFI ready system. Also, make sure that your SATA controller is correctly set to AHCI mode, just in case it isn't already.

 

Once booted to your USB flash drive, you'll notice that Windows 10 Setup started. Follow the instructions.

 

If it can't find your SSD (not common, but can happen):

Note: That is the only hard part, which may potentially happen depending on your system configuration.

Solution:

You are probably missing the SATA Controller Drivers. Insert your motherboard disk, and click on the setup at the same screen you'll be in: "Load Driver" link, and browse the motherboard disk for the drivers, and Windows will load them and take care of everything. If you don't have your motherboard disk, or prefer newer drivers, simply unplug your USB flash drive (yes, it is fine at this stage), plug it to another system, or alternatively, if you have, use a blank disk to burn the drivers from another system, or another USB Flash drive to put the drivers in. You can get the latest drivers from Intel web site if you are using Intel SATA controller. (they might be under "motherboard chipset drivers"), or you can go to the motherboard manufacture website to get them if you prefer, or not Intel SATA controller. You want to the get the .zip version of the drivers which you extract in a folder in your USB flash drive, not the .exe. As Windows 10 is not actually installed, it cannot run .exe's, let alone be able to extract .zip files, so you need to do that before hand. Once done, insert the disk/USB flash drive back to your system, and click on "Load Driver" link, and select them. It should now detect your SSD properly.

 

During the setup, at some point, it will ask you for your Windows 10 product key. You'll have the option "I don't have one", click on it. Your Windows 7 key will not work here.

Once Windows 10 is installed, install your drivers, do the system updated, update all the App (Store > click on your profile icon > Download & Updates >  Check for updates).

Once that is all done, now go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Activation. From there, you'll have the option to activate Windows 10. Enter your Windows 7 product key, and you'll be automatically upgraded.

[KnightWumar]

Thanks

[KnightWumar]

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

Once booted to your USB flash drive, you'll notice that Windows 10 Setup started. Follow the instructions.

 

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

During the setup, at some point, it will ask you for your Windows 10 product key. You'll have the option "I don't have one", click on it. Your Windows 7 key will not work here.

Once Windows 10 is installed, install your drivers, do the system updated, update all the App (Store > click on your profile icon > Download & Updates >  Check for updates).

Once that is all done, now go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Activation. From there, you'll have the option to activate Windows 10. Enter your Windows 7 product key, and you'll be automatically upgraded.

Thanks for all of the info.

A couple of more questions...

-So basically just do it as I am installing fresh windows 10 and only difference is activating it using my windows 7 key ?

but if I don't have my windows 7 product key how do I obtain it ? since someone built my pc (in the dark ages before I knew how to) and it was just activated when I got it.

 

-When this all goes well and I have my windows 10 in my boot drive and I want to get rid of the old windows 7 do I just erase everything in the C:\ partition or what ?

 

-When the windows 10 partition is named c:\ will the names of those in the HDD will change ? and will the drivers from the old drive have any effect ?

 

-Do I need to be connect to the internet while doing these steps ?

[GoodBytes]

Try this to extract the product key from the system:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html

 

Your HDD will be your D:\ drive once you install Windows 10 on your SSD which will be C:\

Drive letter is a Windows thing. The reality is that drive letters don't exists in the computer world, but the reason why Microsoft made drive letter instead of actual ids, is that it plays in part in making the OS easy to use, and more understandable. The drive with Windows is always C:\, and based on the order of how it detects things based on your specific hardware configuration, your other drives will follow. So yes, it is possible that C:\ is your SSD, D:\ is your optical drive, E:\ if your card reader (assuming you have one), F:\ is your HDD, for example. Of course, you can change letters for each drives from the Disk Management panel. Just do this, before you install anything, as drive letter changes will screw up programs/games, as Windows will warn you about when you'll do it. Usually it isn't a problem. But it all depends on how your system is setup, and how the motherboard manufacture has done things.

 

If you switch to Windows 7 (plug your HDD on SATA0, and SSD on SATA1, or set your BIOS/UEFI to boot to the HDD instead of SSD), you will notice that despite your HDD being D:\ under Windows 10, it will be C:\ under Windows 7, and now your SSD is D:\

 

You can format it the HDD after Windows 10 is installed, yes.

 

You need to be connected on the internet to get Windows 10 updates, for you to get any missing drivers, update Windows 10 Apps from the Store, and activate Windows 10.

 

Hope this helps

[KnightWumar]

8 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Hope this helps

Thanks you did well. Also I already know that the letters aren't physically a thing I am not that amateur, but was just wondering if the shortcuts will be affected and have to assign them again. As for the product key I found a different way using the notepad to make a .vbs file that read the key for me and display it.
Again a huge thank you.

[GoodBytes]

1 hour ago, KnightWumar said:

Thanks you did well. Also I already know that the letters aren't physically a thing I am not that amateur, but was just wondering if the shortcuts will be affected and have to assign them again. As for the product key I found a different way using the notepad to make a .vbs file that read the key for me and display it.
Again a huge thank you.

Shortcuts and registry items has the driver letter written to them. So if you change them after you install programs, it will screw up.

But if you wonder if your HDD with Windows 7 will be bootable, and all works, it will, as that drive will appear as C:\ when you boot to it, despite Windows 10 with your SSD showing it to be D:\.

 

[KnightWumar]

On 6/27/2016 at 8:09 PM, GoodBytes said:

Once that is all done, now go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Activation. From there, you'll have the option to activate Windows 10. Enter your Windows 7 product key, and you'll be automatically upgraded.

so after I got windows 10 to work and installed drivers and updates, I tried to activate it and it didn't work. And yes I did use the windows 7 product key.

 

[GoodBytes]

Are you using a Microsoft account or local account?

Did you try doing a phone activation?

Is the product key from your Windows 7 box?

[KnightWumar]

4 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Are you using a Microsoft account or local account?

Did you try doing a phone activation?

Is the product key from your Windows 7 box?

Nevermind. Because you see I just asked a shop to build me my pc long time and didn't know the details of how he installed windows on it so I don't know if activation was official.
As for our situation I found a software that activate windows 10 and activated it with ease. And now running windows 10 with no issue.

And thanks for going through this with me. Hope it wasn't annoying.