Can i use a m.2 ssd without an hdd even though it has both slots?

[cashendawg]

I want to use a m.2 ssd which is compatible with my motherboard, and i dont want the extra storage from my hdd, can i just use the m.2 slot? And also, is there a way to copy all my files from my hdd to the m.2 ssd? Thanks guys! Btw I am using a msi gs73vr stealth pro 7rf laptop.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Of course. But if the size of the files on your HDD is larger than the size of your SSD, that is a problem. It would be much better to simply back up any important files and settings from your current installation and do a clean install of Windows.

Windows 10 Clean install tutorial


If you wish to clone the drive though, and the used space is about 20% less than the usable capacity on the SSD, you can do this:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-clone-your-pcs-hard-drive-macrium-reflect

 

[AlphaCompton]

Yes and Yes. M.2 memory will show up as a regular hard drive. In rare cases you may need to use a driver in which you can follow the on screen instructions.
in order to copy from a regular hard drive to the m.2 (or any hard drive to hard drive) you can use software like Macrium which I think is free but there are other nicer options like Acronis True image and another free option like Clonezilla.
I work as a technician in a college so I've worked with clones for the 150+ computers I manage but for my personal computers I just reinstall everything, modern computers especially with faster and faster SSDs install everything so fast. I find my setup just gets better and better with each install.

 

[cashendawg]

Thanks so much for the quick responses guys! I cant see my ssd in my pc in library, only my hdd, but i can see it in speccy and device manager. My hdd is 1 tb but only used 250 gb, and my m.2 ssd it 500gb. I think i am going to disconnect my hdd then plug it in through the usb port with an adapter, then find out how to put my files from there to my ssd. Will that work?

 

[Darkbreeze]

250GB is too much. You will need to uninstall some applications or games, and clean up the drive. I'd suggest uninstalling any applications you can reinstall later, and then do this:


Click the start menu and open "Settings". OR right click the start menu and select Settings.

Open the Updates and security settings.

Click on Advanced options.

Turn on the setting for "Give me updates for other microsoft products when I update windows IF it is not already enabled.

Click the back arrow in the top left corner to return to the Windows update main page.

Click on check for updates and then let it run until no more updates are available or until it asks you to restart the system. If it asks to restart the system, then click ok or restart manually.

After restart, run Windows update again to make sure no further updates are available.

Next, open Windows explorer, navigate to the Windows folder and locate the Temp folder inside the Windows folder. Delete the contents of the Temp folder.

Open Windows explorer.

Right click on the C: drive and select properties.

Click the box that says Disk cleanup.

Check all of the boxes in the window that pops up. Click ok. In the popup box that says Are you sure you want to permanently delete these files, click Delete files.

Wait until the operation completes. You might need to move your mouse over the top of the Disk cleanup box if it seems like it's not doing anything for more than five minutes.

Now, click on Disk cleanup again. This time click on the box that says Clean up system files. Check ALL of the boxes and then click ok. Click delete files in the next box that pops up.


Next, click on the Tools tab on the Local Disk (C properties window.

Cllck the Optimize button.

Select the C: drive and then click Optimize. Wait until the operation completes.

Repeat this procedure for all connected drives one at a time.




Followed by this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2825881/cleanup-windows-upgrade-clean-install.html


And then see where you are as far as space.

Again, the BEST method would be to simply do a clean install and be done with it. The result will be a lot more satisfactory anyhow.

 

[jfriend00]

I want to use a m.2 ssd which is compatible with my motherboard, and i dont want the extra storage from my hdd, can i just use the m.2 slot? And also, is there a way to copy all my files from my hdd to the m.2 ssd? Thanks guys! Btw I am using a msi gs73vr stealth pro 7rf laptop.

First, you will have to find out if the motherboard can boot from the M.2 SSD and learn how to configure that in the BIOS. Then, verify that the SSD works in your laptop and that you can format it and copy files to it. If so, then there are a whole number of articles on how to transfer your Windows installation from HD to SSD without reinstalling windows and while preserving your data. Here are some of the articles:

How to Copy Your Windows Installation to an SSD

How to Migrate to a Solid-State Drive Without Reinstalling Windows

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstall-5837543

And, there are dozens more articles you can find in a Google search.

 

[cashendawg]

Thanks for the answer. I REALLY dont want to have to erase everything and have to redownload it again. Also, i lied about how much space is on my hdd, as its only 175 GB. A question, why is 225 too much? My ssd has 512 gb of space. Also, i made LOTS of optimizations for my pc, and i really dont want to redo them again, so will those save too or only the files? Thanks!

 

[AlphaCompton]

anytime.

Also I second the clean install, you can use the free Microsoft download, Media Creation tool to create a bootable usb. You won't have to worry about the cd-key or anything like that. It will just work.
Also if you can see a drive on device manager but not the normal windows file system, you probably have to format it first by going to disk management in Windows. If using Windows 10 you can right click the start menu and select Disk Management.

 

[cashendawg]

anytime.

Also I second the clean install, you can use the free Microsoft download, Media Creation tool to create a bootable usb. You won't have to worry about the cd-key or anything like that. It will just work.
Also if you can see a drive on device manager but not the normal windows file system, you probably have to format it first by going to disk management in Windows. If using Windows 10 you can right click the start menu and select Disk Management.

Ok, but why do I have to clean install? I'd rather not, just want a reason. Also, why do i not have to worry about the windows key? Ive done it before and i had to use a key...

 

[Darkbreeze]

Because more often than not, cloning from SSD or HDD to M.2 NVME drive creates problems and you end up doing a clean install anyhow. Better to just cut out the middle man and avoid a bunch of unnecessary headaches. If you have a 512GB M.2 drive, then you have plenty of room to clone.

Try it if you like. It might work. If it doesn't, then do the clean install. If you are not running Windows 10, or even if you are, you might need to include the NVME driver in the clone and you can google how to do that.

As mentioned, it would be a good idea to double check that your laptop supports booting from NVME M.2, because not all units do.

 

[cashendawg]

Because more often than not, cloning from SSD or HDD to M.2 NVME drive creates problems and you end up doing a clean install anyhow. Better to just cut out the middle man and avoid a bunch of unnecessary headaches. If you have a 512GB M.2 drive, then you have plenty of room to clone.

Try it if you like. It might work. If it doesn't, then do the clean install. If you are not running Windows 10, or even if you are, you might need to include the NVME driver in the clone and you can google how to do that.

As mentioned, it would be a good idea to double check that your laptop supports booting from NVME M.2, because not all units do.

Thanks for the answer, but how do I check if I can boot from the SSD? Also, if I were to try to clone could I have my internal HDD connected to my PC by an adapter and the SSD on the inside or is it the other way around?

 

[Darkbreeze]

That unit has internal locations for BOTH the M.2 SSD, AND a HDD or 2.5" SSD. Considering that unit uses a 7th gen Intel CPU I would assume that it is capable of booting from the M.2 device although the manual is worthless.

Indications are that it CAN, and this link might be useful to you along the way.

https://www.ultrabookreview.com/12757-upgrade-ram-ssd-msi-gs73/