Just installed a 240gb SSD and copied a partition from my HDD over to the SSD and wanted to make that my boot drive. Followed some website that told me to use regedit.exe and rename my SSD drive to C: and rename my HDD to something else. Now when I try to boot my pc, I go past two loading screens with the windows logo on them and get stuck at a black screen with a cursor that has a blinking loading circle on it and I'm not sure what to do.
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C: drive changed, can't boot Windows 10
- Thread starter Cody_72
- Start date
Solution
- Mar 16, 2013
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I'm not sure exactly what you did, but it was 100% incorrect.
And I am completely unsure of how to 'fix it', apart from a full OS reinstall.
There are ways to migrate an OS install to a new drive, but whatever you did was not it.
Do you have a link to these 'steps' so that we can warn other people to never ever do that?
I actually just did a clean install of my OS and got everything to boot. Had everything backed up so nothings really lost but now I'm back to square 1 where I want to changed my SSD to my boot drive. My PC automatically named my HDD my C: drive again
- Mar 16, 2013
- 175,402
- 19,878
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Interestingly...nothing in there says anything about regedit.exe, or changing drive letters around!
Here, specifically, is how it is done:
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Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive
Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up
It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.
If it works, and it should, all is good.
Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe as necessary.
Delete the original boot partitions, here:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/4f1b84ac-b193-40e3-943a-f45d52e23685/cant-delete-extra-healthy-recovery-partitions-and-healthy-efi-system-partition?forum=w8itproinstall
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- Mar 16, 2013
- 175,402
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And after you do a whole new install on the SSD, you'll have to verify the boot order, and be very careful about which drive you're going to attempt to wipe after.
You'll have a whole OS on both drives. You don't want that.
You'll have a whole OS on both drives. You don't want that.
Oh sorry that website was only for creating a partition. I actually don't remember the website I followed to rename drives. If I find it I'll post it here. But I will follow your instructions and report back. So should I wipe my ssd now? I have all my files that my HDD had when I used that program on it. Also, could this problem have just been caused by me not switching my SATA cables around? I wasn't aware that I needed to do that. Thanks a lot guys. I really appreciate it 
- Mar 16, 2013
- 175,402
- 19,878
- 184,590
Cody_72 :
Oh sorry that website was only for creating a partition. I actually don't remember the website I followed to rename drives. If I find it I'll post it here. But I will follow your instructions and report back. So should I wipe my ssd now? I have all my files that my HDD had when I used that program on it. Also, could this problem have just been caused by me not switching my SATA cables around? I wasn't aware that I needed to do that. Thanks a lot guys. I really appreciate it
No, the original problem was the regedit and changing drive letters.
It does not work that way.
The second problem was just choosing the wrong drive to install to.
- Mar 16, 2013
- 175,402
- 19,878
- 184,590
During the OS install on the SSD, delete ALL existing partitions on it.
Let Windows create what it needs during the install.
If you're going to use the migration steps above, you don't need to do anything except what is written.
N3rdR4ge
Distinguished
- Jun 16, 2014
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yeah the regedit/drive rename is not applicable to what you are doing. as usafret said, just disconnect all drives except the ssd. During the windows installation, when you are selecting a drive to install on, press delete to remove all of the partition information and unformat the drive. After pressing delete, You don't have to press anything else related to the drive. just select next to continue the install. should be good to go after that.
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