Help installing windows 10

[Elastix]

Hello Forum,

 

This is my first post so please be kind. My home PC runs on windows 7 on the 256GB SSD, it also has a 2TB HDD. Now the windows 7 is not genuine and this started annoying me, so I tried some stuff to get rid of it but it won't work. Now finally I would like to install windows 10(which I will buy). But since my windows 7 is so weird it won't upgrade. So i got a little idea, Copy my whole SSD to my HDD which has more then enough space for it. Install windows 10 on SSD and then I have not lost any data because it's still on the HDD. Will this work? For copying I thought of using windows explorer.

 

Kind regards,

 

Elastix.

[Gonio]

Well if you mean by copy that you clone it, thats an option. But on the same time you could just copy all stuff you want to HDD already (since you have to sort it out anyway) and unplug it to be safe, do a fresh install of Windows 10 on SSD and add HDD. Voila files still there.

[Katsunaka]

When you go to install Windows 10 over the 7 install you have you can select Upgrade.

 

It'll replace the Windows 7 files but not your pictures, documents, movies and such. 

The better alternative is to copy the files you'd like to keep, and install Windows 10 with a clean installion.

 

Copy off your stuff you'd like to keep. You'll just have to reinstall games, programs and stuff like that. But keep pictures, and stuff you can't afford to lose. 

 

Install Windows 10. Reinstall all your programs. Enjoy Windows 10. 

Once you get Windows 10 up and running, look for a guide online for Windows 10. Something like the first things you should do in Windows 10. So you can adjust privacy settings and so on.

[Rohime]

Actually ... its easier than that... 

 

Use the windows 7 backup tool (control panel) to create a full back on your HDD (system image).  

This creates a VHD file that you  can actually boot from later on if you need to.

 

Then do a clean install of Windows 10.    You can also mount the VHD file (image backup) to win10 later to strip out any files you want to keep.

 

backup will be alot faster than windows explorer copy of file system, and MUCH more reliable that you get everything.

[Elastix]

24 minutes ago, Rohime said:

Actually ... its easier than that... 

 

Use the windows 7 backup tool (control panel) to create a full back on your HDD (system image).  

This creates a VHD file that you  can actually boot from later on if you need to.

 

Then do a clean install of Windows 10.    You can also mount the VHD file (image backup) to win10 later to strip out any files you want to keep.

 

backup will be alot faster than windows explorer copy of file system, and MUCH more reliable that you get everything.

So this will backup Windows and my files, photos and games?

If so, I will mark your reply as Solves.

 

Thanks a lot.

[Rohime]

yes, a Win7 backup telling it to create a full system image will back on EVERYTHING on the drive you backup (the SSD).    It will appear as a single file on the HDD where you put the backup (backup.VHD).

 

Then clean install Win10 on the SSD (taking care NOT to do anything accidently to the HDD). 

When Win10 is up and running then mount the backup and pretend its a separate drive to copy stuff off and put where you want.