[SOLVED] Can I migrate only Windows 10 Boot Files to my new NVME safely?

[Sleevin]

Hi Everyone,

I've just bought a brand new Western Digital M.2 NVME SSD for my pc with the intent to migrate just the Windows 10 boot files to it (and some steam games).

I already have installed Windows 10 on my pc using my original HD, but is there any way I can transfer just the boot files and not entire HD onto my new SSD? I see there is a load of free software available for this sort of operation but in most cases you need the pro version to be able to go do this. Also as both hardrives have the partition style of GPT and neither use MBR, does this have any affect on the ability to transfer windows boot files?

Additional Question - Can I transfer Sony Vegas (Video Editing Software) onto my NVME safely with literally a copy and paste of the files? Or is it more complicated than that?

Any questions you need of my system or anything else please let me know.


Thanks Guys & Girls

Steve

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Nope. We recommend full wipe and install but I think you can copy steam games over

 

[hotaru.hino]

If you want to migrate your current OS install to a new drive:

• Clone the old drive onto the new one. Western Digital provides a version of Arconis True Image to perform cloning operations: https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/19825
• Create a system image onto an external storage device, then using Windows' recovery environment, use the image to "restore" the system onto the SSD.

Simple copying and pasting does not work for a variety of reasons.

 

[USAFRet]

You can't migrate ONLY Windows. There is no tool or function to do that.

How much space is consumed on your current drive?
What size is the new SSD?

 

[Sleevin]

You can't migrate ONLY Windows. There is no tool or function to do that.

How much space is consumed on your current drive?
What size is the new SSD?

So on my original HD i've got around 300gb left and the new SSD is a 1TB. If I need to make space I have a external to transfer data so don't think space will be an issue.

I saw this video on Youtube of a guy using 'Minitool Partition Wizard' will supposedly gives you the option of just migrating the OS boot files as well as the option to migrate the entire drive. You reckon it's bull?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ1odFowlGE&t=581s&ab_channel=EasyTechs

If you want to migrate your current OS install to a new drive:

• Clone the old drive onto the new one. Western Digital provides a version of Arconis True Image to perform cloning operations: https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/19825
• Create a system image onto an external storage device, then using Windows' recovery environment, use the image to "restore" the system onto the SSD.

Simple copying and pasting does not work for a variety of reasons.

Yeah understood on not being able to copy and paste, I understand software installs have too much going on in the background to just allow it to happen.

The image clone but what to do make of partition wizard software like 'Minitool Partition Wizard' & 'AOMEI Partition Assistant'?

Nope. We recommend full wipe and install but I think you can copy steam games over

Yeah steams got its own software to migrate it to games which is great, I fear the full wipe is risky more than time consuming but may look into it.

 

[USAFRet]

I saw this video on Youtube of a guy using 'Minitool Partition Wizard' will supposedly gives you the option of just migrating the OS boot files as well as the option to migrate the entire drive. You reckon it's bull?

Misleading garbage.

That might only work if you had a partition with ONLY windows before you started.

You can't split it up after the fact.

A Windows install stop being "only Windows" about 5 minutes after you set it up.
All application installs after that...Registry entries, AppData, etc, etc....all that is now part of the "Windows".

 

[USAFRet]

So on my original HD i've got around 300gb left and the new SSD is a 1TB. If I need to make space I have a external to transfer data so don't think space will be an issue.

What size is the original HDD?

What is the actual consumed space on it?

 

[TerryLaze]

I saw this video on Youtube of a guy using 'Minitool Partition Wizard' will supposedly gives you the option of just migrating the OS boot files as well as the option to migrate the entire drive. You reckon it's bull?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ1odFowlGE&t=581s&ab_channel=EasyTechs

You saw it, but did you really watch it?!
He has a single partition on the source drive with barely 19Gb data on it, so he only has windows on there and nothing else, so of course what he does only migrates windows.

Clone over the whole disk if there is enough space on the new drive, otherwise steam games can just be moved freely with copy paste so those are the easiest to move around to make enough space.

 

[DSzymborski]

Note, OP, that you don't move over the Steam program, just the game files, and then after installing Steam, point Steam directories to the already existing files.

Everything said in this thread by TerryLaze and others in this thread is accurate. Just trying to move over just Windows on a disk/partition that isn't just windows is a bit like taking a baked cake and trying to get the individual ingredients back whole.

 

[Sleevin]

What size is the original HDD?

What is the actual consumed space on it?

Original size is 1tb, consumed is around 300gb

 

[Sleevin]

Note, OP, that you don't move over the Steam program, just the game files, and then after installing Steam, point Steam directories to the already existing files.

Everything said in this thread by TerryLaze and others in this thread is accurate. Just trying to move over just Windows on a disk/partition that isn't just windows is a bit like taking a baked cake and trying to get the individual ingredients back whole.

Ok cloning the entire drive is the only option really, best tools to do this without screwing it up?

 

[Sleevin]

You saw it, but did you really watch it?!
He has a single partition on the source drive with barely 19Gb data on it, so he only has windows on there and nothing else, so of course what he does only migrates windows.

Clone over the whole disk if there is enough space on the new drive, otherwise steam games can just be moved freely with copy paste so those are the easiest to move around to make enough space.

Ok no worries, what software do you recommend for cloning the whole disk?

 

[USAFRet]

Original size is 1tb, consumed is around 300gb

If the new drive is also 1TB, migrate all of it.

If smaller, you need to do some housecleaning.

-----------------------------
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
Both drives must be the same partitioning scheme, either MBR or GPT
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
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

[Ignore this section if using the SDM. It does this automatically]
If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specifiy the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
[/end ignore]

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD. This is not optional.
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.
-----------------------------

 

[Sleevin]

Note, OP, that you don't move over the Steam program, just the game files, and then after installing Steam, point Steam directories to the already existing files.

Everything said in this thread by TerryLaze and others in this thread is accurate. Just trying to move over just Windows on a disk/partition that isn't just windows is a bit like taking a baked cake and trying to get the individual ingredients back whole.

I trust everyone for sure, just trying to get the best out of my ssd card. Just don't want to spend 80quid on a SSD to boot games 20 seconds quicker XD

 

[Sleevin]

If the new drive is also 1TB, migrate all of it.

If smaller, you need to do some housecleaning.

-----------------------------
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
Both drives must be the same partitioning scheme, either MBR or GPT
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
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

[Ignore this section if using the SDM. It does this automatically]
If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specifiy the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
[/end ignore]

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD. This is not optional.
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.
-----------------------------

Ok brill, much appreciate the breakdown. There's a few things i'm questioning before I try this tomorrow...

"Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD"
- How significant is safe? If the new SSD is 1gb, would 300, 500gb on the current drive be too big?

"If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive."
- The relevant driver being Macrium/Samsung software, or a driver relating specifically to the new NVME?

"Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive"
- Please confirm that this is relevant as i'm using a NVME card which is on the motherboard as a PCIE slot. The only use of SATA cables in use is my old current HD.

"Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command."
- Forgive me, this might need some explaining.

 

[USAFRet]

Actual used space - To clone into a 1TB drive, the actual consumed space must be below 800GB
Similarly, to clone into a 500GB drive, 400GB.

Given a recent Windows install, the NVMe driver is probably not relevant. Included within Windows. That line is a holdover from years gone by

Swapping the SATA cables is not relevant for an NVMe drive, but you MUST physically disconnect the old drive before you boot up the first time after the clone process completes

For deleting all off the old drive, the commandline function diskpart, and the clean command.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/format-hard-drive-command-prompt,37632.html
https://www.seagate.com/support/kb/...-a-drive-through-the-command-prompt-005929en/

 

[Sleevin]

Actual used space - To clone into a 1TB drive, the actual consumed space must be below 800GB
Similarly, to clone into a 500GB drive, 400GB.

Given a recent Windows install, the NVMe driver is probably not relevant. Included within Windows. That line is a holdover from years gone by

Swapping the SATA cables is not relevant for an NVMe drive, but you MUST physically disconnect the old drive before you boot up the first time after the clone process completes

For deleting all off the old drive, the commandline function diskpart, and the clean command.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/format-hard-drive-command-prompt,37632.html
https://www.seagate.com/support/kb/...-a-drive-through-the-command-prompt-005929en/

So just did the clone and restarted with the original HD disconnected leaving the pc to boot only by the SSD and it's worked perfectly.

So question is now after I change re-install the original HD, change boot priority and restart. What of the two tutorials you gave should I use to wipe the data on the old drive?

You said:
Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Is this a 100% requirement? and would the toms hardward link

Ok brill, much appreciate the breakdown. There's a few things i'm questioning before I try this tomorrow...

"Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD"
- How significant is safe? If the new SSD is 1gb, would 300, 500gb on the current drive be too big?

"If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive."
- The relevant driver being Macrium/Samsung software, or a driver relating specifically to the new NVME?

"Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive"
- Please confirm that this is relevant as i'm using a NVME card which is on the motherboard as a PCIE slot. The only use of SATA cables in use is my old current HD.

"Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command."
- Forgive me, this might need some explaining.

So just done the clone, restarted with just the SSD, worked perfectly. Thanks for your and everyone's help so far.

I've just switched the boot priority and now at the stage of potentially deleting everything off the old drive, but before I do, why did you say I "probably" had to do it? And which tutorial you linked to chose? I like the look of the toms hardware forum link as it seems easier to follow.

"Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command."

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/format-hard-drive-command-prompt,37632.html
https://www.seagate.com/support/kb/...-a-drive-through-the-command-prompt-005929en/

Thanks,
Steve

 

[USAFRet]

Yes.
Either of those will work.
That is the fastest and most comprehensive way.

Your end result is to have nothing on the old drive. Wiped clean, and then you can use it as desired.

 

[Sleevin]

Yes.
Either of those will work.
That is the fastest and most comprehensive way.

Your end result is to have nothing on the old drive. Wiped clean, and then you can use it as desired.

Everything worked perfectly, thank you!