[SOLVED] Installing a SSD for OS and a few games

Jan 27, 2019
2
0
10
Hi,
I have looked everywhere and can’t find a solution. I have just bought a SSD and I want to add it to my PC, I want to use it to boot windows and put a few games I extensively play on it, I currently have a 1TB HDD in my pc. Do the instructions for my SSD (Samsung 850evo 250gb) assume I am replacing a drive with this one? And will it completely copy everything from my HDD to the SSD and leave the HDD empty? How do I just add it without copying and then just selecting what I want to put on it like the OS and a few game?
Any help would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance
 
Solution
You are fortunate that you bought a Samsung ssd.
They have a ssd C drive mover app that works well.
You can download the app and manual here:
https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools/

You install the 850 evo and run the utility and it will move your os and everything else to the ssd.
When done, you boot from the ssd.
If the used portion of your HDD is too large to fit on the ssd, you can exclude large data folders from the move.

When done, the HDD remains unchanged and you can do what you wish with the HDD.
If you had to leave some files on the HDD, they will still be available.
The old windows folders can be deleted.
You are fortunate that you bought a Samsung ssd.
They have a ssd C drive mover app that works well.
You can download the app and manual here:
https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools/

You install the 850 evo and run the utility and it will move your os and everything else to the ssd.
When done, you boot from the ssd.
If the used portion of your HDD is too large to fit on the ssd, you can exclude large data folders from the move.

When done, the HDD remains unchanged and you can do what you wish with the HDD.
If you had to leave some files on the HDD, they will still be available.
The old windows folders can be deleted.
 
Solution


How much space is currently consumed on your 1TB HDD?
For a 250GB SSD, your actual data space must be below 200GB to migrate it over.

The Samsung Data Migration tool allows you to leave off things like doc/music/video. But other than that, everything goes. You can't pick and choose "a few games".

So how much space is currently consumed, and what, exactly, constitutes that usage?


(specific migration steps to follow, once we get to the right data size)
 
MERGED QUESTION
Question from ollyk : "Adding a SSD to my PC just so I can have the OS and a few games on it"





 
Continuing from a PM:
I currently have 309gb consumed on my HDD. Can you please guide me through the process with this in mind, many thanks

So, 309GB consumed space.
We're close, but not close enough.

Can you trim that down to 200GB? Look around and see what old gunk you have in there.
Stuff you downloaded long ago, videos you no longer need, etc, etc.

Install either WinDirStat or WizTree
Run as Administrator, selecting only the drive in question.

Post a screencap here, and we can analyze the space usage.
 
The data usage:
n5sz8i.png


Pretty much just games.
You're going to have to trim that actual usage down to below 200GB.
There is no magic for "some of them".


And please...reply here instead of a PM
 
Once you get to that magic number of 200GB, these steps exactly:

-----------------------------
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
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 as necessary.
Delete the 450MB Recovery Partition, here:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/4f1b84ac-b193-40e3-943a-f45d52e23685/cant-delete-extra-healthy-recovery-partitions-and-healthy-efi-system-partition?forum=w8itproinstall

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------