Help with Win7 migration/reinstall to an SSD

[ace32229]

Hi everyone !

I've purchased a Crucial M4 128GB SSD and it has been formatted etc. so that I can see and access it via My Computer. I intend to put my OS (Win7 Home Premium SP1) and maybe a few games onto the SSD via the best method (I understand a fresh reinstall is the safest, but not quickest), whilst keeping the vast majority of my programs and my media files on my 1TB HDD.

The situation at the moment is that I have a lot of games in my program files and a lot of movies on My Videos (movies and My Documents are backed up on external hard drive). I do have the Windows 7 CD but unfortunately my CD drive is broken (I've tried fixing it, no luck), but I can probably find a USB to put Win7 install files onto, if I could find them I REALLY don't want to have to reinstall all my programmes and games (which can't fit on my back-up drive) and there is no way that all of my programs can fit onto the SSD alone. And I'm kinda worried that if I reinstall Win7 I will lose all my files on my HDD at the moment.

I've tried fiddling around with migration programs but they all refuse to work because my HDD is so much bigger than my SSD capacity. Currently my HDD is at 647GB out of 931GB. Also, a lot of guides simply say make an image of your HDD then back it up onto the SSD, which I cannot do due to the greater size.

What I'm looking for is a step-by-step guide (I'm still learning computers with me, be gentle) or instructions from you guys on how I can most easily do this.

tl : dr how to move just Win7 onto an SSD when 1) my HDD is much greater than the capacity of the SSD and 2) I do not have a CD drive.

 

[blader15sk8]

You want to do a fresh install no matter what. Migrating to an SSD isn't worth the hassle in the long run. Just deal with having to reinstall all your apps and games, it's not that bad.

Look into ninite (ninite.com) for a quick way to reinstall some common applications. Basically you can choose a bunch of programs and have them all install at the same time with one installer.

If you have Steam games, you can backup your steamApps folder and copy it back into a fresh Steam install, and when you go to install the game again it will "discover existing files" and not have to redownload everything.

If you are worried about losing some of the data on your HDD, just pull it out of your system during the fresh windows installation, then put it back in once you are done. Just make sure you have your Mobo set to boot from the SSD first, and not the HDD as you will still have a windows installation on there.

 

[ace32229]

Thanks for the quick reply So what you're saying is:
1) Put Win7 install files onto a USB (anybody got a quick link for doing this?)
2) Unplug HDD
3) Install Win7 to SSD
4) Change the default boot location to the SSD in BIOS
5) Reattach the HDD
6) ? Then delete the windows files on the HDD? Which files should I specifically delete to ensure there is no conflicts across the two drives? Also how do I keep My Videos and My Documents on the HDD? Thaks

 

[USAFRet]

Except for very rare circumstance, I always recommend a fresh install with a new SSD.

And besides being the best solution, that is your only solution. Your current install is too large for the SSD, so there is no way to migrate the whole thing.

Disconnect the HDD (which you should do anyway), and go for it.

 

[USAFRet]

1) Put Win7 install files onto a USB (anybody got a quick link for doing this?)

Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool

6) ? Then delete the windows files on the HDD? Which files should I specifically delete to ensure there is no conflicts across the two drives? Also how do I keep My Videos and My Documents on the HDD? Thaks


In Libraries, you can designate new locations. Somewhere on the HDD that you create.
Rightclick on each Library - Documents, Music, etc. You'll see the option to point that at a new place.

 

[ace32229]

Great guys, thanks again for the help, v. appreciated, and finally, after installing Win7 to the new SSD, I should completely delete Win7 on my old HDD (as in the 'Windows' folder on C

 

[USAFRet]

Great guys, thanks again for the help, v. appreciated, and finally, after installing Win7 to the new SSD, I should completely delete Win7 on my old HDD (as in the 'Windows' folder on C

Windows, Users, Program Files, Program Files (x86).

 

[ace32229]

Windows, Users, Program Files, Program Files (x86).

Oh I didn't realise that I had to delete Program Files as I have a lot of non steam games that I still play + other applications that will take a long time to redownload/install. Also, when I reinstall Win7 on the SSD it will presumably create a new Program Files folder on that drive, so is it simply a copy+paste job to move it over to the HDD? Sorry for all the questions

 

[USAFRet]

Windows, Users, Program Files, Program Files (x86).

Oh I didn't realise that I had to delete Program Files as I have a lot of non steam games that I still play + other applications that will take a long time to redownload/install. Also, when I reinstall Win7 on the SSD it will presumably create a new Program Files folder on that drive, so is it simply a copy+paste job to move it over to the HDD? Sorry for all the questions

No. Not copy/paste.
Applications, when they install, create many entries in the registry, as well as User/AppData and elsewhere.
You new OS will not know about these.

For Steam games, save the SteamApps folder elsewhere. That contains all your game data. Install the Steam client on your HDD somewhere.
Go here and follow the steps: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

For other, non Steam games games, reinstall where you want. You may be able to find and save the gamesave data. But that varies with each one as to where it is.