HDD to SSD Transfer

[Azriel]

I plan on buying a Samsung Evo 850 and want to transfer my Windows 10 Home (originally was Microsoft Windows 8.1) from my https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088PUEPK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . Would this be possible and if so how can I? I did lose my product key but used https://downloads.tomsguide.com/ProduKey,0301-26388.html to find it. Please let me know what you all think.

[Enderman]

You do a clean install.

https://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

Otherwise you're pretty much guaranteed to have issues, if you even get it to boot.

[Azriel]

4 minutes ago, Enderman said:

You do a clean install.

https://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

Otherwise you're pretty much guaranteed to have issues, if you even get it to boot.

Thank you very much. If I may ask, do you know if the program on TomsGuide is useful? Many people have said that the program can find the product key but I was just curious.

[kb5zue]

5 minutes ago, Azriel said:

I plan on buying a Samsung Evo 850 and want to transfer my Windows 10 Home (originally was Microsoft Windows 8.1) from my https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088PUEPK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . Would this be possible and if so how can I? I did lose my product key but used https://downloads.tomsguide.com/ProduKey,0301-26388.html to find it. Please let me know what you all think.

You can use the Belarc Advisor to locate your Windows Key.  After that, do a backup of all your important data and pictures, etc.  After backing up, remove the current drive and install the EVO.  Once the EVO is installed, do a complete and fresh install of Windows using the Windows Media Creation Tool.  

 

http://www.belarc.com/en/products_belarc_advisor

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15088/windows-create-installation-media

 

[Enderman]

5 minutes ago, Azriel said:

Thank you very much. If I may ask, do you know if the program on TomsGuide is useful? Many people have said that the program can find the product key but I was just curious.

4 minutes ago, kb5zue said:

You can use the Belarc Advisor to locate your Windows Key.  After that, do a backup of all your important data and pictures, etc.  After backing up, remove the current drive and install the EVO.  Once the EVO is installed, do a complete and fresh install of Windows using the Windows Media Creation Tool. 

With windows 10 you don't need to worry about the product key unless you are changing motherboards.

It activates automatically.

The key does not get stored on your hard drive.

[Azriel]

10 minutes ago, kb5zue said:

You can use the Belarc Advisor to locate your Windows Key.  After that, do a backup of all your important data and pictures, etc.  After backing up, remove the current drive and install the EVO.  Once the EVO is installed, do a complete and fresh install of Windows using the Windows Media Creation Tool.  

 

http://www.belarc.com/en/products_belarc_advisor

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15088/windows-create-installation-media

 

Thank you very much!

[Azriel]

6 minutes ago, Enderman said:

With windows 10 you don't need to worry about the product key unless you are changing motherboards.

It activates automatically.

The key does not get stored on your hard drive.

Thanks much for all of your help!

[JoostinOnline]

31 minutes ago, Enderman said:

You do a clean install.

https://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

Otherwise you're pretty much guaranteed to have issues, if you even get it to boot.

Huge exaggeration.  Samsung has some excellent cloning software.  How many drives have you cloned?  Personally, I've done dozens.  It's very rare that I've had problems, and never with Samsung Data Migration.

[Enderman]

2 minutes ago, JoostinOnline said:

Huge exaggeration.  Samsung has some excellent cloning software.  How many drives have you cloned?  Personally, I've done dozens.  It's very rare that I've had problems, and never with Samsung Data Migration.

Go take a look at the negative reviews on all samsung SSDs.

99% of those reviews are people that had cloning fail.

 

Google "issues after cloning" and you get tens of thousands of results.

I have seen thousands of posts on this forum alone the past few years because of people who cloned/migrated and then had issues.

 

Guess what the solution is?

Clean install.

 

Guess how you can save time and avoid headaches?

Clean install properly in the first place instead of cloning.

[JoostinOnline]

2 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Go take a look at the negative reviews on all samsung SSDs.

99% of those reviews are people that had cloning fail.

 

Google "issues after cloning" and you get tens of thousands of results.

I have seen thousands of posts on this forum alone the past few years because of people who cloned/migrated and then had issues.

 

Guess what the solution is?

Clean install.

 

Guess how you can save time and avoid headaches?

Clean install properly in the first place instead of cloning.

You said " you're pretty much guaranteed to have issues".  Unless you're a total idiot, that's simply not true.  A clean install is the safest method, and it's usually what I recommend.  However, cloning isn't as dangerous as you are making it out to be.  It's one of the services I offer in my business.

[Enderman]

5 minutes ago, JoostinOnline said:

You said " you're pretty much guaranteed to have issues".  Unless you're a total idiot, that's simply not true.  A clean install is the safest method, and it's usually what I recommend.  However, cloning isn't as dangerous as you are making it out to be.  It's one of the services I offer in my business.

Then explain why after cloning everything seems fine but if you go to windows event viewer there are system errors.

Oh, and all the problems what windows runs into when trying to install future updates after you've cloned/migrated.

Again, look at "windows update problem" on google, there are tens of thousands of people with problems like that and most of them are because they cloned or upgraded windows.

[Azriel]

22 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Go take a look at the negative reviews on all samsung SSDs.

99% of those reviews are people that had cloning fail.

 

Google "issues after cloning" and you get tens of thousands of results.

I have seen thousands of posts on this forum alone the past few years because of people who cloned/migrated and then had issues.

 

Guess what the solution is?

Clean install.

 

Guess how you can save time and avoid headaches?

Clean install properly in the first place instead of cloning.

Lol, thanks so much. I do think that a clean installment would be best for my situation. Thanks once again!

[kb5zue]

58 minutes ago, kb5zue said:

You can use the Belarc Advisor to locate your Windows Key.  After that, do a backup of all your important data and pictures, etc.  After backing up, remove the current drive and install the EVO.  Once the EVO is installed, do a complete and fresh install of Windows using the Windows Media Creation Tool.  

 

http://www.belarc.com/en/products_belarc_advisor

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15088/windows-create-installation-media

 

Sry, have to admit that I have never used the TomsHardware software that you mentioned.  But I have used the Belarc Advisor for years without any problems.  The Belarc Advisor will also let you know what programs you use the most and how often they are used.  It is a pretty good program and best of all, it's FREE.

[Azriel]

Just now, kb5zue said:

Sry, have to admit that I have never used the TomsHardware software that you mentioned.  But I have used the Belarc Advisor for years without any problems.  The Belarc Advisor will also let you know what programs you use the most and how often they are used.  It is a pretty good program and best of all, it's FREE.

I just installed Belarc and found my Windows activation key. Thank you for your help! TomsHardware is a great site but I am usually wary to install programs without a bit of research.

[kb5zue]

Just now, Azriel said:

I just installed Belarc and found my Windows activation key. Thank you for your help! TomsHardware is a great site but I am usually wary to install programs without a bit of research.

I agree with you 100 percent.  And I'm glad to help.

 

[JoostinOnline]

12 hours ago, Enderman said:

Then explain why after cloning everything seems fine but if you go to windows event viewer there are system errors.

Oh, and all the problems what windows runs into when trying to install future updates after you've cloned/migrated.

Again, look at "windows update problem" on google, there are tens of thousands of people with problems like that and most of them are because they cloned or upgraded windows.

There usually aren't. Millions of people clone their drives, usually without issue. You never answered my question. How many drives have you personally cloned? 

[JoostinOnline]

12 hours ago, Azriel said:

I just installed Belarc and found my Windows activation key. Thank you for your help! TomsHardware is a great site but I am usually wary to install programs without a bit of research.

For future reference, ProduKey would work too, and you don't have to install it.