Can I move only the OS to an SSD and keep all of my other files?

[thirtyben]

I want to buy a Samsung 850 PRO (128gb) for my OS. Is there a way to migrate my OS to the SSD from my 1tb mechanical hard drive without loosing all of my files (Pictures, Documents, Games, Drivers, etc)? If so, what software do i use? I use Windows 10 home if that helps at all.

(I do see that this topic was already brought up but i wanted to know all of my options and see if there are any new methods.)

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, Ben.

You can clone just your OS if it's on a separate partition (smaller than the SSD's size). If this is the case you should be able to clone just the OS associated partitions. If you have everything on a single partition, unfortunately you can't specify which files you'd like for the cloning software to clone so it's not going to work. If this is the case, you could transfer all your personal data to another drive and trim down your HDD's data so that it is less than the SSD's maximum storage capacity in order to be able to clone it.
Here's a nice tutorial which might prove useful: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows.

Hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Boogieman_WD