Migrate Windows10 from USB stick to 2nd Partition of SSD to Dual Boot with Windows7

[muware]

I have evaluated Windows 10 Enterprise (2015) on my 64GB USB3.0 stick and am ready to migrate it to my laptop.

On my laptop, I’ve been using Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit. Yesterday, I replaced the primary HDD with an SSD (Samsung 850 EVO 500G). The Samsung Migration Tool did the job with no problems, except that it did not have the option of migrating my Window 7 to a designated partition on the SSD. Instead, it wiped out all my created partitions on the SSD in the process, but that was fine as I then went on to re-create those partitions.

I have looked on the internet but have not come across a similar route that I am trying to follow in migrating Windows 10 from a USB stick to a 2nd partition on the SSD to dual boot with the Windows 7 already on there.

Since I have already installed apps and accumulated data on the Windows 10 USB stick, I am trying to avoid installing Windows 10 freshly from scratch next to Windows 7 (dual boot) on the SSD.

Has anyone done a similar migration or know what I can do in a simple and straight-forward manner without getting into a complicated process that might corrupt the dual-booting setup?

 

[giantbucket]

i would TRY the following:

make an appropriate amount of free unpartitioned space on the target SSD
use MiniTool Partition Wizard (free) to COPY the Win10 partition from the USB to the SSD, place after the Win7
boot, and see where you land (probably Win7)
download EasyBCD 2.3 (free) and use it to edit the boot menu, like by getting it to search for and find a Win10 boot partition, and add the entry
i'd also make sure to make the Win7 be the default, just in case


another option:
make space on SSD
install Win10 to force a boot entry and set up dual boot stuff
MiniTool Partition to then DELETE the fresh Win10 partition and copy over the USB's Win10 partition
reboot and see what happens



i've not done these, but that's how i would try it

 

[muware]

i would TRY the following:

make an appropriate amount of free unpartitioned space on the target SSD
use MiniTool Partition Wizard (free) to COPY the Win10 partition from the USB to the SSD, place after the Win7
boot, and see where you land (probably Win7)
download EasyBCD 2.3 (free) and use it to edit the boot menu, like by getting it to search for and find a Win10 boot partition, and add the entry
i'd also make sure to make the Win7 be the default, just in case
another option:
make space on SSD
install Win10 to force a boot entry and set up dual boot stuff
MiniTool Partition to then DELETE the fresh Win10 partition and copy over the USB's Win10 partition
reboot and see what happens

i've not done these, but that's how i would try it

Thanks, for the idea, giantbucket. I think it might work. Hadn't thought of using the EasyBCD route but I think there was something that I forgot to mention, that the Windows 10 installation on the USB stick does not look like the ones that a normal Windows installation look like on a computer. Therefore, this method may not be able to use the Windows files copied over as is.

See the folders of the Windows 10 installation on the USB stick:

Folder: Boot
Folder: User
File: bootmgr (391 KB)
File: BOOTNXT (1KB)
Compressed file: WinToUSB.VHD (28,311,553 KB)

Those, to me do not look like a compatible system for my computer to use.

What do you think?

mu

 

[giantbucket]

VHD sounds like a virtual OS, so are you actually BOOTING into the USB stick from BIOS, or are you using this from within Win7?

 

[muware]

Yes, indeed. I have been booting from the USB stick and not from within Win7. Heehee.

 

[USAFRet]

1. There is no permanent use of Win 10 Enterprise without a Volume License agreement. What you are using is a trial.
2. There is no autoamagic migration of Enterprise from your USB stick to the HDD. You'll probably need to do a clean install

 

[muware]

1. There is no permanent use of Win 10 Enterprise without a Volume License agreement. What you are using is a trial.
2. There is no autoamagic migration of Enterprise from your USB stick to the HDD. You'll probably need to do a clean install

My installation on the USB stick is an activated copy, not trial. Just trying to find a more direct way, rather then clean install and then reinstall all my apps, etc.

 

[USAFRet]

1. There is no permanent use of Win 10 Enterprise without a Volume License agreement. What you are using is a trial.
2. There is no autoamagic migration of Enterprise from your USB stick to the HDD. You'll probably need to do a clean install

My installation on the USB stick is an activated copy, not trial. Just trying to find a more direct way, rather then clean install and then reinstall all my apps, etc.

Activated fully licensed Win 10 Enterprise?
Interesting.