[SOLVED] HDD to SSD?

[Smoirt]

So I got a pre-built a few years ago that came with the OS installed on a hard drive. I recently got a 240gb SSD and was planning on running the OS on that and everything else on the hard drive. It's probably easy, but how exactly would I transfer the OS onto the new drive with the license key.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What Windows version are you running?

What SIZE is your HDD and how much space is taken up on it?

 

[Smoirt]

What Windows version are you running?

What SIZE is your HDD and how much space is taken up on it?

I'm on Windows 10 home and I have a hard drive with 1tb but around 500gb filled.

 

[USAFRet]

I'm on Windows 10 home and I have a hard drive with 1tb but around 500gb filled.

500GB consumed space and a 240GB target SSD = you cannot migrate that over.
And you absolutely cannot migrate 'only the OS'. There is no function or application to do that.

This will require a clean install of the OS on the new drive.
Along with a full reinstall of all your drivers, applications, etc.

 

[Smoirt]

500GB consumed space and a 240GB target SSD = you cannot migrate that over.
And you absolutely cannot migrate 'only the OS'. There is no function or application to do that.

This will require a clean install of the OS on the new drive.
Along with a full reinstall of all your drivers, applications, etc.

If I factory reset back to a low enough space could I just transfer everything over?

 

[USAFRet]

If I factory reset back to a low enough space could I just transfer everything over?

If you do that, you might as well just do a clean install on the new drive.
Cloning into a 240GB drive requires the consumed space be well below 200GB.

1 step guaranteed to work vs 2 steps that might work.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, your option here is to do a clean install. That is the ONLY option you have really. As explained at the following link, word for word. Be sure to disconnect your HDD BEFORE doing the clean install and be sure to back up any important data from the HDD to another location either before you disconnect the HDD or before you reformat it in order to use it for additional storage space. I'd recommend backing up any important data on it BEFORE you do the Windows installation on the SSD because connecting two drives that both have Windows installed on them can have unusual and unexpected results if you try to boot with two windows drives connected at the same time. Technically you can designate the Windows drive you want to use in the BIOS, but it doesn't always work that way especially if you have Windows boot manager chosen as the primary boot device and you WILL have Windows boot manager chosen as the primary boot device if you do a proper UEFI installation.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

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