[SOLVED] Can’t run new SSD separate from HDD

[BrandenKenn]

So my friend got his Samsung 970 EVO 500GB SSD in yesterday in hopes that he would be able to get a much faster start up for his apps and his OS for his GT73VR 6re.



So he cloned the OS from his HDD and got the EFI from the Sandisk SSD, but now when he goes into the BIOS to change the boot option to the SSD, the only drive it shows is labeled as “[Hard Disk: Windows Boot Manager (P1: Samsung SSD 970 EVO 500GB)]”. He can’t boot from the SSD by itself, there is no option.



Also when you check the storage devices, it still lists the C drive (the original HDD) as the boot drive and not the SSD.



Any idea what we’re doing wrong or what the issue is?

 

[Colif]

Was EFI on a different drive to hdd?

[Hard Disk: Windows Boot Manager (P1: Samsung SSD 970 EVO 500GB)

That is his new drive?

The windows boot manager is the way modern UEFI bios boot now. It includes a link to the samsung he just bought so it should boot?

when you clone, you meant to remove original drive before restarting or it can mess with the bios.

Is PC working?

 

[SkyNetRising]

the only drive it shows is labeled as “[Hard Disk: Windows Boot Manager (P1: Samsung SSD 970 EVO 500GB)]”. He can’t boot from the SSD by itself, there is no option.
Any idea what we’re doing wrong or what the issue is?

That is, how it's supposed to be. Nothing to fix.
"Windows Boot Manager"just means it is booting in UEFI mode from 970 EVO.

 

[BrandenKenn]

That is, how it's supposed to be. Nothing to fix.
"Windows Boot Manager"just means it is booting in UEFI mode from 970 EVO.

The HDD is still listed as the boot drive, the startup is still really slow, and when remove the HDD, the computer wont boot

 

[USAFRet]

Please show us a screencap of the current Disk Management window.

 

[BrandenKenn]

https://imgur.com/ar5y2R3

View: https://imgur.com/ar5y2R3


Here's a screenshot of the disk management window. Excuse all the partitions on Disk 2, I did a lot of stuff last night trying to fix this. Disk 2 is the SSD we're trying to get windows to boot from without the HDD. The HDD is Disk 1. The original SSD is Disk 0

 

[USAFRet]

However you cloned this, you did not do it correctly. The HDD is still the C drive, the OS.

And all those 'clone partitions'....noooo.


You need to completely redo this.
All the partitions on Disk 2 - DELETE
Reduce the system down to ONLY the HDD.
Does it boot correctly? (i'm thinking no)

(More questions to follow)

 

[BrandenKenn]

I deleted all the partitions on disk 2, and you’re correct. The HDD won’t boot alone

 

[USAFRet]

The boot partition exists on Disk 0. Incorrectly with the drive letter F.
The actual OS lives on Disk 1.

Cloning is great when conditions are perfect.
This is far from perfect.

Remove the F drive letter from Disk 0.

Do you have a full drive backup of all drives involved here? Just in case.

Let's see if we can make Disk 1 have the actual boot partition, then maybe we can proceed with the clone operation.
Disconnect Disk 2, just to alleviate any issues
Then to potentially create a boot partition on Disk 1.
From the commandline:

-------------------
diskpart
list disk
select disk 1
list partition
select partition 3
shrink desired=500
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs quick
active
assign letter=H
exit
bcdboot c:\windows /s H:
-------------------

Power OFF, disconnect ALL drives except the HDD
Power up and see if it boots correctly.

 

[USAFRet]

Or, just blow the whole thing off and do a clean OS install on the new SSD.

 

[BrandenKenn]

Yeah a clean install definitely would have been easier at this point, but I don’t have a spare USB on me. So there is no partition 3 on disk 1, did you mean to select a different disk or partition?

 

[BrandenKenn]

Hey it worked! So I’m assuming now I just clone everything from the HDD to the SSD and it should good to go, correct?

 

[BrandenKenn]

So I cloned the SSD onto the HDD. Took the HDD out and booted and now it gives me a blue screen after it tries to load with the “INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DRIVE” error. Any idea why?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Show latest screenshot from Disk Management.

 

[geofelt]

My suggestion is to use the free Samsung ssd migration app to move your windows C drive from the HDD to the 970. The app takes care of the partitioning issues.

Tool & Software Download | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Download various software related to your product, including Samsung Magician, designed for use with Samsung's memory products, and find related information.

www.samsung.com

When done, you can do what you wish with the HDD.

 

[USAFRet]

Now that we have the OS running from only the HDD, redo this whole clone operation.

Since this is a Samsung target drive, use the Samsung Data Migration tool.
Ignore the step about swapping the data cables around, but DO disconnect the HDD before you power up for the first time.
Resist the temptation to power up and poke around in the target drive to 'see if everything is in there'. Unless the tool coughs up an error, it did. And you can't tell anyway.


-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
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
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the 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 all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------

 

[BrandenKenn]

I did the cloning and got a boot_device_inaccessible error. Couldn’t figure it out, so I just did a fresh install on the SSD. It’s working now! Thanks for all the help guys