Question Lenovo Z575 Laptop - swapping HDD for SSD - Qs.

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Frooby

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Apr 21, 2016
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Hi.

This is an old (2012) laptop on which I'm doing a few jobs for sis-in-law, and I feel a swap to an SSD will help its sluggish performance quite a bit.

The existing HDD is a 500GB Seagate, and the new SSD is a 250GB Samsung 840 EVO. I'll probably use Macrium as I used it successfully before for similar tasks, but I recall a few confusing issues over 'partition sizes', so wish to avoid such things this time around! Also, the SSD will be in a USB-connected cradle during the process - is that ok?

On advice, I tried using Samsung's Magician (since I'm using a Sammie SSD), but didn't get far - it showed the HDD as 'Total capacity 465GB', and 109GB used, before asking me to select the 'clone partition', but nothing I tried would allow this. And also no drive showed in the 'Target Drive' section, even tho' the SSD was plugged in via USB. So, I shelved Magician, and will try Macrium, unless anyone has a better (ie easier) option?

Could folk guide me, please? When I install and run Macrium, how do I marry the 109GB of 'data' on the HDD to the new 250GB SSD? What will I need to do 'partition'-wise to get that 109GB on to the SSD, with the remaining SSD volume being normal storage?

Thanks :)
 
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Frooby said:
Hi.

This is an old (2012) laptop on which I'm doing a few jobs for sis-in-law, and I feel a swap to an SSD will help its sluggish performance quite a bit.

The existing HDD is a 500GB Seagate, and the new SSD is a 250GB Samsung 840 EVO. I'll probably use Macrium as I used it successfully before for similar tasks, but I recall a few confusing issues over 'partition sizes', so wish to avoid such things this time around! Also, the SSD will be in a USB-connected cradle during the process - is that ok?

On advice, I tried using Samsung's Magician (since I'm using a Sammie SSD), but didn't get far - it showed the HDD as 'Total capacity 465GB', and 109GB used, before asking me to select the 'clone partition', but nothing I tried would allow this. And also no drive showed in the 'Target Drive' section, even tho' the SSD was plugged in via USB. So, I shelved Magician, and will try Macrium, unless anyone has a better (ie easier) option?

Could folk guide me, please? When I install and run Macrium, how do I marry the 109GB of 'data' on the HDD to the new 250GB SSD? What will I need to do 'partition'-wise to get that 109GB on to the SSD, with the remaining SSD volume being normal storage?

Thank
Click to expand...
I assume this will a fresh OS installation. Windows 10 dies in August! No more updates or security patches. Time to upgrade hardware. If you plan on cloning, your existing 500GB drive better have < 250GB of data written. You can't fit 500G of data on a drive 1/2 its size.
 
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First of all, the Magician ssd migration app is a C drive mover, not a clone.
It should work.
It copies only the used portion of the C drive. 109gb should be ok.
Have you read the instructions? There are a number of restrictions.
For example, there is a limit to the number of partitions.
The target ssd must be samsung; there is a list of ok models(840 evo should be ok)
If, you happen to have bought a fake samsung drive it will not be detected.

Can you detect the ssd in windows?
If not, find out why or nothing is going to work.
 
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Macrium will do this, in one of two ways.

Direct clone to the 840, or Image to a different drive first.

-----------------------------
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
Both drives must be the same partitioning scheme, either MBR or GPT
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Magician (which includes Data Migration), if a Samsung target SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, you may need to 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

Verify the system boots with ONLY the current "C drive" connected.
If not, we have to fix that first.

Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive

[Ignore this section if using the SDM. 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 specify the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
[/end ignore]

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off

Swap the drives.
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.
-----------------------------
Or.....

1x slot with an Image

Assuming you have another drive (any type of drive) with sufficient free space to hold the entirety of your current HDD 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 SSD.
8. Go, and wait until it finishes.
9. That's all...this should work.
 
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