Need to transfer Windows 10 to SSD

[XboxCarsForza]

So I've been using a 4TB HDD for my PC and I just got a sandisk ultra II, how do I transfer only windows and some games to my ssd and keep all the other files on the HDD?

[unknownmiscreant]

6 minutes ago, XboxCarsForza said:

So I've been using a 4TB HDD for my PC and I just got a sandisk ultra II, how do I transfer only windows and some games to my ssd and keep all the other files on the HDD?

Re install windows. Trust my experience, it is NOT worth the hassle trying to transfer the installation.

 

It works for a bit, but then something major goes wrong, usually a file-system error. These are irrecoverable, and mean that you not only have to reinstall windows, but also loose data. The time and nuisance factor of sorting this out is 10x more than just re-installing windows from the start. When it goes wrong, it always happens at the worst possible time.

 

To reinstall and transfer the data, I would recommend the following:

Unplug the HDD, install windows on the SSD, shut the PC down, plug in the HDD, copy what data you want, and delete all of the old windows installation files.

[XboxCarsForza]

6 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Re install windows. Trust my experience, it is NOT worth the hassle trying to transfer the installation.

 

It works for a bit, but then something major goes wrong, usually a file-system error. These are irrecoverable, and mean that you not only have to reinstall windows, but also loose data. The time and nuisance factor of sorting this out is 10x more than just re-installing windows from the start. When it goes wrong, it always happens at the worst possible time.

 

To reinstall and transfer the data, I would recommend the following:

Unplug the HDD, install windows on the SSD, shut the PC down, plug in the HDD, copy what data you want, and delete all of the old windows installation files.

Thanks, thanks really useful but is there a specific article or video that I can follow with that, and how exactly do I delete the old windows installation files?

[nerdv2]

If you install Windows on the different partition from your games, you could easily clone the drive to SSD. It's really not recommended. It's much more safer to reinstall Windows.

[XboxCarsForza]

Just now, nerdv2 said:

If you install Windows on the different partition from your games, you could easily clone the drive to SSD. It's really not recommended. It's much more safer to reinstall Windows.

How exactly do I reinstall windows?

[unknownmiscreant]

7 minutes ago, nerdv2 said:

If you install Windows on the different partition from your games, you could easily clone the drive to SSD. It's really not recommended. It's much more safer to reinstall Windows.

Never clone drives for long term use. Every time I have done it as a quick way to get a machine running, it has run into NTFS errors under 1 week later, often when I have a major assignment due.

 

7 minutes ago, XboxCarsForza said:

How exactly do I reinstall windows?

Re installing windows is pretty easy, just google, theres really not much to it.

[nerdv2]

3 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Never clone drives for long term use. Every time I have done it as a quick way to get a machine running, it has run into NTFS errors under 1 week later, often when I have a major assignment due.

Yeah, that's why it's sucks. Cloning drive only useful for big data backup.

[XboxCarsForza]

5 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Never clone drives for long term use. Every time I have done it as a quick way to get a machine running, it has run into NTFS errors under 1 week later, often when I have a major assignment due.

 

Re installing windows is pretty easy, just google, theres really not much to it.

But if I do the googled way of reinstalling windows, will my data on windows save

[XboxCarsForza]

7 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Never clone drives for long term use. Every time I have done it as a quick way to get a machine running, it has run into NTFS errors under 1 week later, often when I have a major assignment due.

 

Re installing windows is pretty easy, just google, theres really not much to it.

I googled it, and should I "restart" or :refresh windows"

[unknownmiscreant]

4 minutes ago, XboxCarsForza said:

But if I do the googled way of reinstalling windows, will my data on windows save

If you unplug the 4tb HDD, your data will be untouched. Only data on the SSD will be wiped.

[unknownmiscreant]

6 minutes ago, nerdv2 said:

Yeah, that's why it's sucks. Cloning drive only useful for big data backup.

It works for data backups, but not for windows.

[XboxCarsForza]

Just now, unknownmiscreant said:

If you unplug the 4tb HDD, your data will be untouched. Only data on the SSD will be wiped.

So let me get this straight... I unplug the HDD, then install windows on the ssd, then plug in the sdd, then I do what??

[unknownmiscreant]

Just now, XboxCarsForza said:

So let me get this straight... I unplug the HDD, then install windows on the ssd, then plug in the sdd, then I do what??

Then you will be able to access all your data and games on the HDD. Data can be copied to the SSD if desired, and unwanted windows installation files can be deleted off the HDD.

[XboxCarsForza]

Just now, unknownmiscreant said:

Then you will be able to access all your data and games on the HDD. Data can be copied to the SSD if desired, and unwanted windows installation files can be deleted off the HDD.

how do I delete unwanted installation files?

[XboxCarsForza]

2 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Then you will be able to access all your data and games on the HDD. Data can be copied to the SSD if desired, and unwanted windows installation files can be deleted off the HDD.

and should I move the SSD up in the boot priority?

[unknownmiscreant]

3 minutes ago, XboxCarsForza said:

and should I move the SSD up in the boot priority?

Yes.

5 minutes ago, XboxCarsForza said:

how do I delete unwanted installation files?

delete key.

 

The best thing to do might be to shrink the current c partition, make a new one, then copy all the data you wish to keep onto the new partition, then delete the old one.

 

But most windows files should be able to be deleted like any other file.