Question Migrate OS to SSD without cloning.

[Lafong]

I don't have anything particularly creative.........

I see used 1 TB drives on ebay for 10 dollars and less.

New ones for 20 on up.

They might be OK for temporary off-loading of "files".

I don't know if you are willing to spend even one dollar tomorrow or even next month. Maybe not.

Might be some "cloud" storage arrangement where you could upload your files temporarily and then download them to your HDD after you get Windows going on the SSD. I have no idea what that might cost. It might be quite time-consuming and there is always some risk of file loss.

 

[Moonstick2]

The files alone are around 700 gbs. And I have nowhere to store them to do the cloning of the hdd.

700 GB is a massive amount of personal data? What exactly are these files?

Put another way, how much data do you have that is irreplaceable, meaning you have no way of getting it back if it disappeared on you, and you would miss it badly?

e.g. family photos you took of which no other copies exist - irreplaceable.
Photos of a meal you had nine years ago that you don't even remember or care about - inconsequential.
Movie that you ripped that you either have or could buy a physical/digital copy of - replaceable.

You really, really need to get an external backup for your irreplaceable data as soon as possible. If you do, then moving Windows to your SSD suddenly gets a lot easier and your data is protected.

If you don't, then you run the risk of losing your data:
- even before moving Windows to your SSD, since your HDD can fail without warning at any time.
- especially during your attempts to move Windows to your SSD, because what you want to do is tricky and complicated and could mess up or lock away your data.
- after moving Windows to your SSD, because your HDD can still fail without warning at any time.