[SOLVED] Best way to go about transfering old HDD into new PC ?

[KittyMrow123]

Hey guys I recently got a new PC (Dell Optiplex) and it came with a 240GB SSD.

I want to transfer my old hard drive (It had windows 10 home on it).

I am kind of nervous as I have never done this before. I read you should insert the hard drive and make it the boot drive with the BIOS.

What would happen if I installed windows on the SSD first as this is what I plan on doing in the future? Does it need to be the same version of windows 10 or could I install pro?

Should I not even bother with the SSD in the first place?

Whatever gets my old files back safely is the best option for me.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Nighthawk117]

If you got a new Optiplex, doesn't it have Windows already on it?

As for your old hard drive, I assume what your saying is you just want to access your old files? Your not asking about cloning the drive to the SSD?

 

[KittyMrow123]

The Optiplex didn't come with a HD or Windows it just came with the SSD

 

[faalin]

Moving a drive with an OS on it to another computer and trying to use it as ans OS goes like this

33% chance it will boot and have no issues
33% chance it will boot but give to lingering issues, you'll wish you would have just reinstalled windows and save yourself from pulling all your hair out
33% chance it blue screens and will not boot.


Depending on if your a glass half full or half empty kinda person, you ether have a greater the 50% chance it will work or less then 50% chance it wont and you'll have to reinstall windows anyways.

 

[Satan-IR]

I would clean install Windows on the SSD and use it as system drive and use the HDD as normal storage for other apps, games files etc.

I think you had another system with that Win 10 home installed on other hardware, right? Using that as the system dick/drive in the new Dell PC would most probably cause numerous problems, even as far as not working.

You'd need to remove the possible system reserved and recovery partitions, Windows installation files and boot files and records from the old HDD not to mess up with your new clean Windows installation. All provided you decide to install Windows on the SSD which I think is the better choice.

You can also clone the old HDD to the SSD if the amount of data on it (including the Windows installation) does not exceed 80% of the size of the SSD. Ssying that cause it's not advicable to fill SSDs (or any other dirve for that matter) to the brim.

 

[KittyMrow123]

Okay thanks a lot guys i'm gonna try using the SSD first.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Just an FYI, any program that were installed on your HDD will not work once you have Windows installed on the new SSD. They will need to be reinstalled as well.

-Wolf sends