[SOLVED] Installing new HDD

[Giannis Savvopoulos]

So I wanna change my hdd disk. Do I just manually copy and paste the files from the previous disk to the new one?

 

[Mastropomodoro]

well, yes and now. You can do a backup or you can move everything manually. Keep in mind that all programs installed won't work anymore.
A second option is to use a cloning software.

Just so you know, I assumed that the OS is not installed on the HDD and it is used just as a storage, for the next time remember to write your specs and situation. It will also help you getting an answer from the comunity

 

[USAFRet]

So I wanna change my hdd disk. Do I just manually copy and paste the files from the previous disk to the new one?

Please give us some details.

Is this the OS drive?
Which OS?
Change from what to what?

(more questions to follow)

 

[Giannis Savvopoulos]

Please give us some details.

Is this the OS drive?
Which OS?
Change from what to what?

(more questions to follow)

You are definetely right, excuse me is my first time writting on this forum! First of all, the OS are installed in the HDD I wanna change. It ran out of storage and I wanna upgrade it cause its kinda old. I also use Windows 10.

 

[USAFRet]

You are definetely right, excuse me is my first time writting on this forum! First of all, the OS are installed in the HDD I wanna change. It ran out of storage and I wanna upgrade it cause its kinda old. I also use Windows 10.

How much space is consumed on your current C drive?
What is the new drive you're considering? An SSD is highly recommended.
What is the budget for the new drive?
What motherboard is this on? Desktop or laptop?

 

[Giannis Savvopoulos]

How much space is consumed on your current C drive?
What is the new drive you're considering? An SSD is highly recommended.
What is the budget for the new drive?
What motherboard is this on? Desktop or laptop?

My current HDD is an 256GB Drive.
I was thinking about a Western Digital Blue 1TB (HDD) or a Samsung 860 Evo 500GB.
The budget is around 50-60 EUR.
I have a Desktop with Gigabyte H100M-S2H (rev 1.0) motherboard.

 

[USAFRet]

My current HDD is an 256GB Drive.
I was thinking about a Western Digital Blue 1TB (HDD) or a Samsung 860 Evo 500GB.
The budget is around 50-60 EUR.
I have a Desktop with Gigabyte H100M-S2H (rev 1.0) motherboard.

The 860 EVO is a top choice.

The procedure is relatively easy.
With a Samsung drive, use the Samsung Data Migration tool. (linked below)


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Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
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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)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
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

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If using the Samsung tool, ignore this section. It does this automatically.
If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specifiy the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
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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 This is not optional.
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.
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