Cloned all data to a new HDD and installed Windows 7 on a new SSD. When I boot the SSD first, nothing from the HDD is present.

[mlg129]

By themselves both drives work fine, but when booting from the SSD it presents as a fresh windows install, even though when I look through the explorer, I can clearly see that all of my files are on the HDD.

How do I make it so that I can run just windows (and some steam games down the line) on the SSD, and have all the rest of my data on my HDD? I browsed many other threads here and was unable to find a fix to my problem.

I also have no internet when I boot from the SSD even though I have an ethernet connection.

I will do my best to respond to question quickly!

 

[RealBeast]

If you did a clean install to the new SSD, did you then install the Ethernet (LAN) driver as well as the motherboard and other drivers? A missing driver is the most likely reason that you don't get an Internet connection with the SSD.

You can change the default location where things are stored in your new Windows install on the SSD.

You can see all the files on the HDD. What is it that you expect, running programs that are installed on the HDD?

 

[mlg129]

If you did a clean install to the new SSD, did you then install the Ethernet (LAN) driver as well as the motherboard and other drivers? A missing driver is the most likely reason that you don't get an Internet connection with the SSD.

You can change the default location where things are stored in your new Windows install on the SSD.

You can see all the files on the HDD. What is it that you expect, running programs that are installed on the HDD?

I did not, I guess I just expected it to work right out of the tin! I'm not sure where to find the drivers on the HDD so that I can install them on the SSD, as I'm, not in possession of any of the driver discs the hardware came with.

By changing the default location do you just mean using "Save As" to save new files to the SSD, or copy/pasting them over?

I expected it to run the same as before migrating over to an SSD, but with faster OS loading times. My apologies, I don't know much about this topic.

 

[USAFRet]

What, exactly, did you do with this "clone"?

How, and with what tool? Step by step, please.
What are the specific drives and sizes?

 

[mlg129]

What, exactly, did you do with this "clone"?

How, and with what tool? Step by step, please.
What are the specific drives and sizes?

Starting out with a 1TB HDD, I used Macrium Reflect to copy it to a 2TB HDD. I'm now using it primarily until I figure out how to properly boot off the SDD with my data, which sounds like it's mostly just installing drivers.

I'm unsure what you mean by "drives".

 

[USAFRet]

What, exactly, did you do with this "clone"?

How, and with what tool? Step by step, please.
What are the specific drives and sizes?

Starting out with a 1TB HDD, I used Macrium Reflect to copy it to a 2TB HDD. I'm now using it primarily until I figure out how to properly boot off the SDD with my data, which sounds like it's mostly just installing drivers.

I'm unsure what you mean by "drives".

At the end of the clone process, the first thing you needed to do was power OFF, disconnect the old drive, and allow the system to try to boot up from the new drive.

I'm assuming this did not happen?
Macrium (and all the others) really needs to put that in their instruction set.

So what is the current state of affairs?
Does the system boot properly with only the SSD connected?
Is the HDD still in the BIOS boot order? If so, where? Below, or above the SSD?

 

[mlg129]

What, exactly, did you do with this "clone"?

How, and with what tool? Step by step, please.
What are the specific drives and sizes?

Starting out with a 1TB HDD, I used Macrium Reflect to copy it to a 2TB HDD. I'm now using it primarily until I figure out how to properly boot off the SDD with my data, which sounds like it's mostly just installing drivers.

I'm unsure what you mean by "drives".

At the end of the clone process, the first thing you needed to do was power OFF, disconnect the old drive, and allow the system to try to boot up from the new drive.

I'm assuming this did not happen?
Macrium (and all the others) really needs to put that in their instruction set.

So what is the current state of affairs?
Does the system boot properly with only the SSD connected?
Is the HDD still in the BIOS boot order? If so, where? Below, or above the SSD?

I did not do that, as you said, neither Macrium nor any of the tutorials I read online mentioned it.

When I enter BIOS and tell my computer to boot from either drive (while both connected), they both start up normally. I also tested the booting with only the new HDD and only the new SSD, and they both boot up without issue.

The HDD is currently above the SSD in the boot order.

Currently I'm trying to figure out how to move all of my hardware drivers to the SSD so I can boot from that first all the time.

Sidenote: I tried to change the location of my "My Documents" folder from the HDD to the SSD and a prompt came up saying my access was denied.

 

[USAFRet]

Given a proper clone operation, you should not have to try to access your "My Documents" on the old HDD.
It should have been included in the cloning operation.

Drivers" You cannot 'move' them from teh old drive to the new drive.
1. Again, those should have been included in teh clone
2. If not, you need to download the actual driver installation thing, and install it like that.


This sounds like your whole clone operation when badly wrong.
Given a full clone that actually works, the new drive is exactly like the old drive, just on a different physical drive.

 

[mlg129]

Given a proper clone operation, you should not have to try to access your "My Documents" on the old HDD.
It should have been included in the cloning operation.

Drivers" You cannot 'move' them from teh old drive to the new drive.
1. Again, those should have been included in teh clone
2. If not, you need to download the actual driver installation thing, and install it like that.


This sounds like your whole clone operation when badly wrong.
Given a full clone that actually works, the new drive is exactly like the old drive, just on a different physical drive.

I did not clone to the SSD, I freshly installed Windows with an ISO file burned to a disc. I only cloned the old HDD to the new HDD, and it works perfectly fine.

I now realize that I just want the same drivers installed on my SSD along with the barebones Windows 7 installation, so that I can start booting from that.

 

[USAFRet]

I did not clone to the SSD, I freshly installed Windows with an ISO file burned to a disc. I only cloned the old HDD to the new HDD, and it works perfectly fine.

I now realize that I just want the same drivers installed on my SSD along with the barebones Windows 7 installation, so that I can start booting from that.

OK then...

A clean install of the OS on the new SSD is just that. Clean. Barebones.
No drivers, no applications...nada.

And you can't just copy the drivers and applications from the old drive to the new.
You must actually install them with the new OS on the SSD.

 

[mlg129]

I did not clone to the SSD, I freshly installed Windows with an ISO file burned to a disc. I only cloned the old HDD to the new HDD, and it works perfectly fine.

I now realize that I just want the same drivers installed on my SSD along with the barebones Windows 7 installation, so that I can start booting from that.

OK then...

A clean install of the OS on the new SSD is just that. Clean. Barebones.
No drivers, no applications...nada.

And you can't just copy the drivers and applications from the old drive to the new.
You must actually install them with the new OS on the SSD.

Ok, how do I do that? Since I currently don't have internet access when booting from the SSD, if I just get the ethernet LAN driver I can use software like Driver Easy to download all the other ones correct?

 

[USAFRet]

Ok, how do I do that? Since I currently don't have internet access when booting from the SSD, if I just get the ethernet LAN driver I can use software like Driver Easy to download all the other ones correct?

1. Yes. Go get the actual LAN driver for your hardware. Save it to a USB stick and install that way.

2. Do NOT use 'Driver Easy', or any similar driver updater thing. Those things are useless at best. System crippling at worst.
Just go to your manufacturers website, and download the proper drivers yourself.

 

[mlg129]

Ok, how do I do that? Since I currently don't have internet access when booting from the SSD, if I just get the ethernet LAN driver I can use software like Driver Easy to download all the other ones correct?

1. Yes. Go get the actual LAN driver for your hardware. Save it to a USB stick and install that way.

2. Do NOT use 'Driver Easy', or any similar driver updater thing. Those things are useless at best. System crippling at worst.
Just go to your manufacturers website, and download the proper drivers yourself.

Got it, thanks.

I realize now posting this thread was pointless as I just had to use my mobo's driver disc to get the necessary drivers. I'm dumb and sorry for wasting your time, I appreciate the help!