Question Issues after replacing 256GB SSD in new laptop with a 1TB SSD from an old IdeaPad 3 ?

[spraguewrjk]

New laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad 1 15 IAU7

So, I asked BB before buying, they said the 1T drive would work fine in the new one and to replace it, before booting it up on the 256G drive. Step one - Opened case, following instructions and pulled out the 256GB SSD and put in the 1TB SSD from my old, dead for other reasons IdeaPad 3. It booted up fine in Windows 11, I got it running. However, although the keypad worked, the touchpad, touchscreen and WLAN did not.

I used a USB mouse to get things going, but, no wireless etc. I figured the WLAN was the key issue, I needed to get online to work things out. When i looked at hardware/drivers, it said that 'The WLAN was NOT mechanically physically installed'.

I took the 1TB SSD out and put the 256GB one back in. I was able to boot it up as a new laptop and went through all the normal setup steps (i'm having a Windows 11 S issue but hopefully that will become moot).

So i have read solutions about getting into the BIOS and all sorts, but to me the best one i ran across was to put the WLAN driver on a thumbdrive via a third laptop, but not sure what to then do with it on the IdeaPad 1 with the 1TB SSD back in it. Should this be simple once I understand it, or will it lead me in circles trying to fix?
Thanks!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

you do not want to use this old OS installation for a different device on the current IdeaPad 1 15IAU7.
it will only lead to multiple problems now and further down the road, as you've already encountered.

download all required drivers & utilities from the Lenovo product support pages and store in an accessible location,

create a new USB Windows installation package using the MS Media Creation Tool,

install the 1TB drive in the IdeaPad 1,
remove any other installed drives,
reboot and run the new Windows 11 USB install package,
select to format all drives / delete all available partitions before running the installation.

once installed and booted into the new Windows 11 OS
install all drivers & necessary utilities for the IdeaPad 1 15IAU7.

-
you can attempt to bypass the new OS installation, but it almost always leads to some sort of conflict, hardware issue(s), and/or general performance loss when installing on a different motherboard.

 

[USAFRet]

So, I asked BB before buying, they said the 1T drive would work fine in the new one and to replace it, before booting it up on the 256G drive.

Clueless BB person.

This requires a full wipe and reinstall. Nothing less.

 

[geofelt]

Re installing windows on a laptop can be a tricky business.
Drivers and keyboard functions may not be standard and are hard to find.
To keep it simple, clone your C drive to a replacement ssd.

 

[spraguewrjk]

Thank you for the sage advice. I went through the entire process as you suggested, but during the Windows 11 install, it reached a point where it said it needed to connect to the internet. It said to 'install driver'. So, it gave me either the hard drive or the thumb drive I was booting from. The hard drive came back with 'something went wrong Oxe:0000100. If i select the thumb driver, it comes back with 'something went wrong Oxe000022f which apparently has to do with the file having Signature Verification. Since the Lenovo Driver I needed was on a separate thumb drive, i copied it onto the windows boot thumb drive still no luck, I read it needed to be on the boot level of the drive, tried that, no luck. There seems to be some fundamental disconnect of the laptop finding the WLAN with this drive in it. Any further ideas?

 

[spraguewrjk]

Re installing windows on a laptop can be a tricky business.
Drivers and keyboard functions may not be standard and are hard to find.
To keep it simple, clone your C drive to a replacement ssd.

So, looks like trying to clone might be my next step. Problem,1 is only one drive can be in the laptop at a time, can i connect the laptop with the 256G in it, to a third laptop, clone a copy into that one's drive, then put the new drive in the laptop, turn it on and clone the drive from the copy, or do i need something else. My concern is getting at the new drive on the laptop, since it has windows partially installed at the moment. Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

So, looks like trying to clone might be my next step. Problem,1 is only one drive can be in the laptop at a time, can i connect the laptop with the 256G in it, to a third laptop, clone a copy into that one's drive, then put the new drive in the laptop, turn it on and clone the drive from the copy, or do i need something else. My concern is getting at the new drive on the laptop, since it has windows partially installed at the moment. Thanks.

No.

Put the original drive back in the laptop, and verify everything works.
Obtain an external drive with enough free space to hold the entire contents of the original drive.
Then an Image, in Macrium Reflect.

Thusly:
Assuming you have another drive (any type of drive) with sufficient free space to hold the entirety of your current m.2 drive:

1. Download and install Macrium Reflect
2. Run that, and create a Rescue CD or USB (you'll use this later). "Other Tasks". Create this on a small USB flash drive or DVD.
3. In the Macrium client, create an Image to some other drive. External USB HDD, maybe. Select all partitions. This results in a file of xxxx.mrimage
4. When done, power OFF.
5. Swap the 2 drives
6. Boot up from the Rescue USB you created earlier.
7. Restore (on the toolbar), and tell it where the Image is that you created in step 3, and which drive to apply it to...the new m.2
8. Go, and wait until it finishes.
9. That's all...this should work.