Question How do I migrate/move my OS to my new M.2 SSD only.

[firefarter34]

Hi guys,

I am trying to move my OS to a new SSD I just bought.

C is my main, all my files are there
H is my other drive, it's currently empty, I don't use it
S is my SSD that I have tried to use other programs but I got an error with

I tried using: MiniTool Partition wizard Free
Because the bootable volume and system volume are not on the same disk (Migrate os tool) not available sorry.

I think the boot drive is on more than one but.. I don't know. I'm not a storage expert and I don't know a ton about migrating an OS. I'm good hardware but meh on software.



Can anyone give me some good step by step instructions on what to do? I've searched videos but none of them are "Migrate os" only except the one where they used Minitool but that didn't work.

I have 2 Hard drives and 1 SSD, the hard drives are identical spec wise, the same drive and size but they are not in RAID or anything like that. The SSD is a Western Digital. I was going to use Acronis but I don't want to clone the drive to my SSD. I want to just move my Windows 10 to an SSD. I can always redownload all of the data or back it up but if I can avoid that, it would save me a lot of time and effort.


Thank You
Richard

 

[USAFRet]

There is NO application or function that will migrate "only the OS".
None.

What size/make/model is the new SSD?
How much consumed space (not free space) is on your current C drive?

 

[firefarter34]

WD Blue 3D NAND 1TB PC SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, M.2 2280 - WDS100T2B0B

I have quite a lot of data on my harddrive, more than my SSD has

 

[clutchc]

As USAFRet says, it doesn't work that way. But if you have a ton of Steam (and Origin) games on the HDD that you don't want to have to download all over again, there is a simple work-around to solve that.

 

[USAFRet]

So...
A 1TB WD Blue SATA III SSD.
Currently, approx 1.4TB consumed on your current C drive.
The boot partitions living on a whole different drive (I think we can work around that)

However...to migrate your C to the new SSD, your actual consumed space must be below 800GB.
You are currently 600GB over that.

Reduce the actual consumed space on your C drive to below 800GB, and then we can maybe proceed.

Report back here when you've reached that 800GB number.

 

[firefarter34]

I moved enough off the drive to wher eI have about 700 gb on C

Edit, make that 240 gb. Rip all the games, videos and junk I've collected lol.

 

[USAFRet]

OK, let's try this.

My basic script, with modifications for your scenario:

-----------------------------

Specific steps for a successful clone operation:

-----------------------------

Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD

Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)

Power off

Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD

Power up

Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)

Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive - Also select the 499MB and 99MB partitions on your Disk 2.

Click the 'Clone' button

Wait until it is done

When it finishes, power off

Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD

This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD

Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive

Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order

If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.

Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.

This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.

-----------------------------

If this fails, we'll go back and regroup.

 

[firefarter34]

Windows won't boot when I unplug one of the HDDs. I tried both of them it just gives me a blue screen and recovery optioons with error code 0x00000e or something like that.

A required device cann;t be accessed or something like that is what it says. It looks like this (Below) but the error code is all 0s.

The picture is not mine, just snapped it off the internet but it's exact besides the rror code

 

[USAFRet]

Windows won't boot when I unplug one of the HDDs. I tried both of them it just gives me a blue screen and recovery optioons with error code 0x00000e or something like that.

A required device cann;t be accessed or something like that is what it says. It looks like this (Below) but the error code is all 0s.

Is this before or after the clone operation?

 

[firefarter34]

Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD

Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)

Power off

Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD

There's where I am at

 

[firefarter34]

When I installed Windows, i had both drives installed, they came from an old computer after I wiped all the data on there when I took it out of RAID

 

[USAFRet]

Right.
For your situation, you need to leave the Disk 2 connected. That's where the boot partition resides.
(Sorry, I missed changing that part in my text)

And in the text above, the part bolded in RED is where you select those 2 partitions,a s well as the main C partition to (hopefully) do this clone thing.

 

[firefarter34]

So to make sure I have everything right:

I run the software, I select the 499 and the 99, then I do the main C drive.

I can only clone them one at a time, that wont mess anything up right?


Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4: Does this look right to you? It will only let me clone one drive at a time, as you can see in Step 1. Clone this drive is ONLY under the selected drive.

--------

What happens when I do the other drive:


Step 2*

Step 3: same as above

Step 4: Do these look right to you?

 

[USAFRet]

You clone the two partitions circled in RED, then the one in BLUE.

 

[firefarter34]

It is running now

 

[firefarter34]

 

[firefarter34]

it did not work, the SSD is not seen as a bootable drive in Bios. I tried in advanced and basic modes, here's what

 

[USAFRet]

OK - Disk 0 is your hopeful new boot drive?

 

[USAFRet]

How familiar are you with the commandline?
We can maybe force this with diskpart

At an admin command window:

----------------
diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
list partition
select partition 2
shrink desired=500
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs quick
active
assign letter=H
exit
bcdboot c:\windows /s H:
-------------------
Power OFF
Discconnect the other drivesSee if it boots up


We can remove the H drive letter later, after this thing works

 

[firefarter34]

I'm sorry but I decided to say "* it"

I have work tomorrow and I have to work 6 days in a row, 3 of them will be 13 hour shifts each. I didn't want to mess around with this for as many hours as I did so I bought a windows 10 pro key and I did a fresh install. I did lose the data I didn't backup but it was mostly games and recording of memey things I do in games.

I really really do appreciate your help man. If I could tip you for your time I will. But if you don't want to worry about it, I'll just give you a hug via Ethernet.

Thanks though, I think it was just the fact I had two harddrives setup that messed everything.

-Richard