Can't boot from M.2 SSD

[Matheen]

Okay, so 2 days ago i installed an M.2 Samsung 850 EVO 500GB into my laptop. I have a MSI PE60, which supports m.2

The ssd shows on my laptop under "My PC". It allowed me to clone my disk C to the ssd and it shows under BIOS under storage information as Samsung evo 500.1GB. However it won't let me boot with it and i have selected ACHI and it still wont let me boot, its not even under boot priorities, bios type is UEFI

I am a newbie :3

Please help me boot from my SSD

 

[clutchc]

I'm not familiar with that laptop, but I'm assuming you have both drives installed in it. Look in BIOS for a section that lets you choose which hard drive is the first hard drive. Then select it as the boot device in another section. Sometimes it is a two-step process.

 

[Matheen]

I'm not familiar with that laptop, but I'm assuming you have both drives installed in it. Look in BIOS for a section that lets you choose which hard drive is the first hard drive. Then select it as the boot device in another section. Sometimes it is a two-step process.

Yeah both are installed. No there is nothing there to select the SSD. I have tried through many settings, i can't find anything.

 

[clutchc]

When you cloned the SSD from the HDD, did you make sure the boot sector (MBR) was also being cloned? Some cloning programs don't do that automatically. You have to make the choice yourself.

 

[Matheen]

When you cloned the SSD from the HDD, did you make sure the boot sector (MBR) was also being cloned? Some cloning programs don't do that automatically. You have to make the choice yourself.

Could you recommend me a software to use, i have used EaseUS and AOMEI but i don't think i had selected it. Do i copy partitions or anything?

 

[clutchc]

I use EaseUS a bit. And yes, you have to manually select that the MBR get cloned in that pgm. At least in the older version I use.
Cloning IS copying partitions. You would have wanted to clone all the partitions that existed on the HDD. Maybe this guide will help you: http://www.howtogeek.com/97242/how-to-migrate-windows-7-to-a-solid-state-drive/

 

[Matheen]

I use EaseUS a bit. And yes, you have to manually select that the MBR get cloned in that pgm. At least in the older version I use.
Cloning IS copying partitions. You would have wanted to clone all the partitions that existed on the HDD. Maybe this guide will help you: http://www.howtogeek.com/97242/how-to-migrate-windows-7-to-a-solid-state-drive/

Wasn't much help, still struggling

 

[clutchc]

You are probably going to have to do the clone job all over. Something did not go as it should.
Btw, can you physically swap the two drives in the laptop? Might try that too once you know you have the MBR cloned.

 

[Matheen]

You are probably going to have to do the clone job all over. Something did not go as it should.
Btw, can you physically swap the two drives in the laptop? Might try that too once you know you have the MBR cloned.

I've cloned it twice with 2 different softwares and I can't physically swap them because one is a 5400rpm HDD and the other is a m.2 SSD, they both have two different slots of each other

 

[clutchc]

You are probably going to have to do the clone job all over. Something did not go as it should.
Btw, can you physically swap the two drives in the laptop? Might try that too once you know you have the MBR cloned.

I've cloned it twice with 2 different softwares and I can't physically swap them because one is a 5400rpm HDD and the other is a m.2 SSD, they both have two different slots of each other

Duh... yeah. Forgot we were dealing with a m.2 drive. What happens if you take out the HDD and try to boot? Does it revert to the SSD then?

 

[Matheen]

You are probably going to have to do the clone job all over. Something did not go as it should.
Btw, can you physically swap the two drives in the laptop? Might try that too once you know you have the MBR cloned.

I've cloned it twice with 2 different softwares and I can't physically swap them because one is a 5400rpm HDD and the other is a m.2 SSD, they both have two different slots of each other

Duh... yeah. Forgot we were dealing with a m.2 drive. What happens if you take out the HDD and try to boot? Does it revert to the SSD then?

Well, i haven't tried that, but if i cannot even select the m.2 as a boot would it still work?

 

[clutchc]

It will be interesting to find out. But are you positive that the cloned SSD has a boot sector? W/o it, it won't boot no matter what.

 

[clutchc]

Is this your laptop? https://www.msi.com/product/notebook/PE60-2QE.html#hero-overview

 

[Matheen]

It will be interesting to find out. But are you positive that the cloned SSD has a boot sector? W/o it, it won't boot no matter what.

Well i downloaded a pirated aomei i believe which allows me to move my OS from hdd to ssd, i done it, it turned my laptop off and i saw it all transferring (white writing, black background) like windows 7 when it gives you the option to boot in safe mode

It took like 40 minutes transferring everything but still no boot from my SSD, it just copied everything, online videos show that for them it transferred the OS and boot... so from the looks of it the boot sector must have been transferred

 

[Matheen]

Is this your laptop? https://www.msi.com/product/notebook/PE60-2QE.html#hero-overview

Yes that is my laptop, theres 2 models, mine is the 2qe with the Ii7 5700HQ and sorry i selected ur previous answer as the solution

 

[clutchc]

...I unselected it for you.
It's odd that MSI doesn't have a link to where one can download the owners manual for that laptop.

 

[Matheen]

Go on the link you sent me and then go on service and choose the 5th gen model and look there and also look at FAQs some said something similar to what i said, maybe you can understand that info better than me and help me? I believe there is a manual under the service tab

 

[Matheen]

...I unselected it for you.
It's odd that MSI doesn't have a link to where one can download the owners manual for that laptop.

Go on the link you sent me and then go on service and choose the 5th gen model and look there and also look at FAQs some said something similar to what i said, maybe you can understand that info better than me and help me? I believe there is a manual under the service tab

 

[clutchc]

That manual appears to be nothing more than an owner's manual. How to use, etc. Not going to help, I guess.
Did you ever try to remove (or at least unplug) the HDD and try to boot off the SSD?

 

[Matheen]

That manual appears to be nothing more than an owner's manual. How to use, etc. Not going to help, I guess.
Did you ever try to remove (or at least unplug) the HDD and try to boot off the SSD?

Just tried it, it didn't work :/ went to bios and couldn't select SSD or anything :/

 

[clutchc]

The SSD didn't show up in BIOS?

 

[Matheen]

The SSD didn't show up in BIOS?

No it didn't, i put the windows 10 installer on my usb, took my hdd out and left my ssd in there and installed it

But now i have two windows, like my hdd is completely separate to my ssd, they both show and can boot from eitber but i need to get rid of my hdd windows but i want most programs and games etc on my ssd so how do i move it without reinstalling everything?

 

[clutchc]

OK. You can boot to the SSD now? If so (and you want to move games to the SSD), Steam games are the easiest to transfer to the new drive.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

Origin games can be done in a similar manner. Retail games you installed from disk, will have to be re-installed.

 

[Matheen]

OK. You can boot to the SSD now? If so (and you want to move games to the SSD), Steam games are the easiest to transfer to the new drive.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

Origin games can be done in a similar manner. Retail games you installed from disk, will have to be re-installed.

How about other softwares and files? How do i move them all instead of choosing them indivually.. can i clone the drive? Or will that corrupt windows on my SSD

 

[Matheen]

OK. You can boot to the SSD now? If so (and you want to move games to the SSD), Steam games are the easiest to transfer to the new drive.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

Origin games can be done in a similar manner. Retail games you installed from disk, will have to be re-installed.

I got everything working fine now, i cant thank you enough for your help! Thanks alot!