add additional ssd to Asus n550jk help

[jwal1213]

Good Morning,

I have an Asus N550jk (Windows 8.1) with a 1TB HDD. I want to add an addition SSD via replacement of my CD Drive. I want to move my OS and programs to the new SSD and keep my personal files on the HDD.

I should also mention that the SSD is a 250 GB Samsung Evo 850

So my question is - What is the exact process for this?

I would appreciate any help.

Have a great day!

 

[boosted1g]

I am assuming your files are larger then the ssd drive?


If total size of files on HDD < SSD size: then just clone HDD to SSD, make sure SSD works fine and all files are there, format hdd, move files to HDD.

If HDD file size > SSD size: You will need to get/borrow a 3rd drive. You will need to move files to the 3rd drive to get HDD < SSD size, then you can clone hdd to ssd, format hdd, and then move files to hdd.
Otherwise you will just have to manually install windows/programs/drivers to ssd, mount hdd and delete windows and program folders.

 

[USAFRet]

Couple of questions first:

How much used space is on your current drive?
How 'old' is the install?

 

[tonnycassidy25]

i would recommend fresh windows install for the c drive ,so the c drive will be a ssd and the data drive will be the existing hdd,like i did on my laptop

 

[jwal1213]

Thanks for the response,

Currently my total size is larger than the SSD size. I have several desktop drives I can use for backups. I mainly just want to move my programs to the SSD as the existing HDD is 5400 rpm's and seems to be a significant bottleneck for my machine. I am a web designer and do a fair amount of 3D work and it seems that my machine just locks up when i'm saving and trying to continue program operations, AKA multi-task.

At what point would i actually install the SSD in my machine and do I need to change anything with the boot order in BIOS?

I am assuming your files are larger then the ssd drive?


If total size of files on HDD < SSD size: then just clone HDD to SSD, make sure SSD works fine and all files are there, format hdd, move files to HDD.

If HDD file size > SSD size: You will need to get/borrow a 3rd drive. You will need to move files to the 3rd drive to get HDD < SSD size, then you can clone hdd to ssd, format hdd, and then move files to hdd.
Otherwise you will just have to manually install windows/programs/drivers to ssd, mount hdd and delete windows and program folders.

 

[jwal1213]

I think I am at 500gb total on the machine now and that will grow.

The 8.1 install is 3 months old at this point. I would prefer to clone the drive if possible as opposed to a fresh install to save time and energy.

Couple of questions first:

How much used space is on your current drive?
How 'old' is the install?

 

[boosted1g]

For bios you will want to set SSD drive's sata adapter to be AHCI. IF it is not already you will need to a do a registry key change be4 you can switch it in bios.

http://www.ithinkdiff.com/how-to-enable-ahci-in-windows-8-after-installation/

 

[jwal1213]

OK, i didn't know about the AHCI change - thanks. At what point do i physically install the drive? Should the clone operation be done while the SSD is external to the pc and attached via USB 3.0 and portable enclosure or is it ok to plug it into the CD drive slot via the cradle for the cloning process?

thanks

For bios you will want to set SSD drive's sata adapter to be AHCI. IF it is not already you will need to a do a registry key change be4 you can switch it in bios.

http://www.ithinkdiff.com/how-to-enable-ahci-in-windows-8-after-installation/

 

[USAFRet]

I think I am at 500gb total on the machine now and that will grow.

The 8.1 install is 3 months old at this point. I would prefer to clone the drive if possible as opposed to a fresh install to save time and energy.

Couple of questions first:

How much used space is on your current drive?
How 'old' is the install?

Then you need to get the current used space to under 200GB.

 

[jwal1213]

Good Morning,

Thank you all for your answers. I bought the rest of the hardware to make this switch and the computer ended up having issues at the end of last week. The touchscreen and all USB drives quit and it now needs sent back to Asus for repair. This is the 2nd time in 6 months that this has happened with the laptop. I use it to run a business and every time i send it in I have to wait 3 weeks to get it back which costs me money.

I finally said enough and purchased a new Asus GL551JW ROG laptop and will be selling the other one once it comes back from repair.

The new Laptop comes with an 128 GB mSata but I would still like to move the OS and programs to the Samsung SSD as I understand this will still further enhance the performance.

My question is, do I go through the windows setup on the new PC and then clone to the Samsung Drive or is there something I can do to clone it before I even set the PC up for the first time?