Moving OS from HDD to SDD

[NerdLeek]

I recently got a laptop with windows 10, but the OS is on the HDD although there is an SSD installed already. Is there a software or method to move the OS from the HDD to SSD. Thanks!

[jde3]

There are a lot of them.. Try Clonezilla.

[AdamBGames]

First you want to register your windows 10 with a microsoft account, it makes transferring the windows key easy. Then you want to install clonezilla onto a usb flash drive. boot into this drive using the laptop's bios and make sure both the ssd and the hdd are connected. go through the steps on screen and it will clone the drive. Then using the bios change the boot settings to the ssd. when in windows check that you are in the ssd then format the hdd

[Mooshi]

That's weird..whoever set the laptop that way needs their hands slapped by a nun's yard stick.

[jde3]

2 minutes ago, AdamBGames said:

First you want to register your windows 10 with a microsoft account, it makes transferring the windows key easy. Then you want to install clonezilla onto a usb flash drive. boot into this drive using the laptop's bios and make sure both the ssd and the hdd are connected. go through the steps on screen and it will clone the drive. Then using the bios change the boot settings to the ssd. when in windows check that you are in the ssd then format the hdd

Friends don't let friends talk to Microsoft. A Windows account login seems to me like a great way to make your computer less secure and for Microsoft to profile you. Just back it up the old fashion way.

[ProjectBox153]

Just reinstall Windows on the SSD. You won't have to deal with bloatware then. 

[AdamBGames]

7 minutes ago, Mooshi said:

That's weird..whoever set the laptop that way needs their hands slapped by a nun's yard stick.

someone who clearly doesn't know how the windows setup works

[Catsrules]

If reinstalling is an option do that. Get windows 10 on a memory stick and just delete everything form the installer and start over.

 

If reinstalling isn't an option, clonezilla will work, however I am guessing your HDD is bigger than your SSD if this is the case you need to shrink the OS partition as small as you can so it will fit on the SSD. Go into disk Management and you can do that from their. Also make sure the SSD doesn't have anything about EFI System Partitions or Boot. I have seen a few cases where Windows somehow installed the boot setting on the one drive and installed windows on another. 

 

I would still recommend creating a bootable windows 10 on a DVD or memory stick. I have had boot issues that required a windows automatic repair to fix. Usually something get screwed up on the boot setting. 

[kevp453]

+1 to use the option to just do a fresh install of Win10 on the SSD, reinstall your programs, and then move your data over. It sounds like more work, but in the end it's a lot easier and so much less troubleshooting.

 

If you're worried about activation, you can use Jelly Bean Key Finder to pull your Win10 key first.

[userzero]

It's injected to the BIOS. You don't need to worry about a key or Microsoft account or any of that bollocks.

 

Just clean install an OS to the SSD and move across the items you need to load fast. You'll fill the SSD quick if you dump everything on it.

[GoodBytes]

4 hours ago, userzero said:

It's injected to the BIOS. You don't need to worry about a key or Microsoft account or any of that bollocks.

OEM computers only. Custom build aren't.

 

 

[GoodBytes]

18 hours ago, AdamBGames said:

First you want to register your windows 10 with a microsoft account, it makes transferring the windows key easy. Then you want to install clonezilla onto a usb flash drive. boot into this drive using the laptop's bios and make sure both the ssd and the hdd are connected. go through the steps on screen and it will clone the drive. Then using the bios change the boot settings to the ssd. when in windows check that you are in the ssd then format the hdd

You don't need to make your account a MS account to backup your key on MS servers. It now does it regardless. But isn't kind of hardware changes as a generated key from your hardware configuration is made, so a big hardware change, will probably make the generate key no longer match and you'll need to enter the key once again. Not a big deal (unless you lost your key), but you lose that convenience.

[GoodBytes]

I suggest against cloning. When you clone,. you have limited to no error correction. Clone was created to duplicate EXACTLY, bit for bit, including lose floating bits from previously deleted files, the same, on another identical drive (does to the firmware version). So many people on this forum reports that it failed, or it seems to work at first but are faced with many issues as they use their system.

 

What you want to do is copy the data and partition information as an IMAGE. Like ISO's for disk.. but drives. Imaging a PC is the way to do it, but it was never designed for 1 PC. It is designed for spreading a setup configuration between multiple systems. In many cases (not all), Clean install would be faster or at worst the same speed as cloning, especially if you work with an SSD and a fast system.

 

So what to do?

• Use Microsoft very own: Media Creation Tool, found here (click on the blue button "Download tool now"): https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10 This tool will allow you to download Windows 10 setup (all editions), and prepare a USB flash drive (warning, it will be formatted, so be sure that you have no important data on it).
• Once done, shutdown your PC, and unplug your HDD, and make sure your SSD is connected to SATA port #1 (assuming it is a SATA SSD, else ignore this. Just unplug the HDD)
• Now turn on your PC and boot to your USB Flash drive
• Run through Windows 10 setup. When it will ask you to enter your product key, just pick "I don't have one", and pick the right edition that your license is (important, else you'll need to clean install once again).
• Once Windows 10 is finish installed, and you are on your desktop, with internet connectivity, Windows 10 will check Microsoft servers to fetch your product key and activate. This is done on tehe back you don't see anything. Check for Windows update, update all the built-in apps of Windows via the Store. And once all is done, by then your Windows should be activated. Restart where needed.
• Once all is done, you can turn off your system, plug your HDD, and turn it on. It should boot to your SSD, if not, check your Boot settings on your UEFI/BIOS to pick your SSD instead of your HDD.
• Now, in Windows 10, you'll have your HDD with the old Windows which you can delete later, more importantly, you can transfer your data over the SSD, including your Steam library of games to not have to redownload them.
• Once everything transfer, you are sure you have everything on your SSD, you can format your HDD, and transfer your data you want back to your HDD if you want to keep it, if not, remove it, and you are done

[NerdLeek]

On 4/6/2018 at 2:04 PM, GoodBytes said:

I suggest against cloning. When you clone,. you have limited to no error correction. Clone was created to duplicate EXACTLY, bit for bit, including lose floating bits from previously deleted files, the same, on another identical drive (does to the firmware version). So many people on this forum reports that it failed, or it seems to work at first but are faced with many issues as they use their system.

 

What you want to do is copy the data and partition information as an IMAGE. Like ISO's for disk.. but drives. Imaging a PC is the way to do it, but it was never designed for 1 PC. It is designed for spreading a setup configuration between multiple systems. In many cases (not all), Clean install would be faster or at worst the same speed as cloning, especially if you work with an SSD and a fast system.

 

So what to do?

• Use Microsoft very own: Media Creation Tool, found here (click on the blue button "Download tool now"): https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10 This tool will allow you to download Windows 10 setup (all editions), and prepare a USB flash drive (warning, it will be formatted, so be sure that you have no important data on it).
• Once done, shutdown your PC, and unplug your HDD, and make sure your SSD is connected to SATA port #1 (assuming it is a SATA SSD, else ignore this. Just unplug the HDD)
• Now turn on your PC and boot to your USB Flash drive
• Run through Windows 10 setup. When it will ask you to enter your product key, just pick "I don't have one", and pick the right edition that your license is (important, else you'll need to clean install once again).
• Once Windows 10 is finish installed, and you are on your desktop, with internet connectivity, Windows 10 will check Microsoft servers to fetch your product key and activate. This is done on tehe back you don't see anything. Check for Windows update, update all the built-in apps of Windows via the Store. And once all is done, by then your Windows should be activated. Restart where needed.
• Once all is done, you can turn off your system, plug your HDD, and turn it on. It should boot to your SSD, if not, check your Boot settings on your UEFI/BIOS to pick your SSD instead of your HDD.
• Now, in Windows 10, you'll have your HDD with the old Windows which you can delete later, more importantly, you can transfer your data over the SSD, including your Steam library of games to not have to redownload them.
• Once everything transfer, you are sure you have everything on your SSD, you can format your HDD, and transfer your data you want back to your HDD if you want to keep it, if not, remove it, and you are done

Thanks for the clear instructions! How long will this entire process take?

[GoodBytes]

49 minutes ago, NerdLeek said:

Thanks for the clear instructions! How long will this entire process take?

Around 9GB, but as 9GB flash drive doesn't exists, your choices are 8GB or 16GB.

So you need 16GB USB flash drive.

 

The process time depends on your USB flash drive, if it is on USB 2.0 or 3.0, if you are on an HDD or SSD, and their performance, CPU speed, and internet speed to download Windows 10 setup files (done by Media Creation Tool). Another time variable, is how many drivers Windows 10 needs to download or update from Windows Update once Windows is installed and has internet connectivity, and of course internet speed.

 

So it is hard to tell. Just installing Windows (excluding the Out of the Box Experience startup (the step where you create your account, etc.) can take anywhere from 5min to 45min. In my case, it takes about 7-8min (Core i7 930, 6GB of RAM, OCX Vertex 4 on SATA-2, using SanDisk Extreme 32GB USB 3.0 flash drive)

[NerdLeek]

23 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Around 9GB, but as 9GB flash drive doesn't exists, your choices are 8GB or 16GB.

So you need 16GB USB flash drive.

 

The process time depends on your USB flash drive, if it is on USB 2.0 or 3.0, if you are on an HDD or SSD, and their performance, CPU speed, and internet speed to download Windows 10 setup files (done by Media Creation Tool). Another time variable, is how many drivers Windows 10 needs to download or update from Windows Update once Windows is installed and has internet connectivity, and of course internet speed.

 

So it is hard to tell. Just installing Windows (excluding the Out of the Box Experience startup (the step where you create your account, etc.) can take anywhere from 5min to 45min. In my case, it takes about 7-8min (Core i7 930, 6GB of RAM, OCX Vertex 4 on SATA-2, using SanDisk Extreme 32GB USB 3.0 flash drive)

Thanks! For all my programs (like Microsoft Word, Steam, etc.) should I just move it over from my HDD to my SDD after installing Windows?

[GoodBytes]

36 minutes ago, NerdLeek said:

Thanks! For all my programs (like Microsoft Word, Steam, etc.) should I just move it over from my HDD to my SDD after installing Windows?

Depends on the size of SSD. Personally, I put everything on my SSD, beside personal data. I have a 256GB SSD. As for games, well when I am done playing it gets uninstalled. So I have space.