Moving OS from HDD to SSD

[1337x]

I have a new SSD (120GB) which has nothing but Windows 10 installed on it. I would like to use that SSD in my computer but my current HDD (1TB) in my computer has Windows 10 as well.

Formatting my HDD is a last resort because it has all my information and software on it already. What are my options? Do I have to format my HDD in order to use it as a 2nd drive or can I just remove windows from my HDD and use the Windows from the SSD instead?

I do have a spare brand new hard drive (1TB) as well so if I had to format my HDD, is there a way to copy everything from my HDD to the new blank HDD? Will this mean I would still need to re-install all my software's or will it work like normal?

 

[gdmaclew]

Please post the capacities of the various drives.

 

[1337x]

Please post the capacities of the various drives.

The HDD (Both) are 1TB and the SSD is a 120gb.

 

[USAFRet]

I have a new SSD (120GB) which has nothing but Windows 10 installed on it. I would like to use that SSD in my computer but my current HDD (1TB) in my computer has Windows 10 as well.

Formatting my HDD is a last resort because it has all my information and software on it already. What are my options? Do I have to format my HDD in order to use it as a 2nd drive or can I just remove windows from my HDD and use the Windows from the SSD instead?

I do have a spare brand new hard drive (1TB) as well so if I had to format my HDD, is there a way to copy everything from my HDD to the new blank HDD? Will this mean I would still need to re-install all my software's or will it work like normal?

OS already on the SSD
Old OS and applications on the HDD

You can't use the applications living in that old drive and OS. Won't work.

Whatever personal files you have on that HDD, copy them to elsewhere.
Then, wipe the HDD completely. All partitions.
Then, move your personal data back.
Install applications where you like. But the location must be chosen when you install something...you can't 'move it' later.

 

[USAFRet]

The OS on the SSD...did you install this OS while it was in this specific PC?
Or was installed from somewhere else?

And did you install it with the HDD still connected?

 

[1337x]

The OS on the SSD...did you install this OS while it was in this specific PC?
Or was installed from somewhere else?

And did you install it with the HDD still connected?

The OS on the SSD was installed in a diferrent PC that had my spare 1TB in it.

Basically, I had 2 computers. 1 had the SSD (with OS on it) and a 1TB (Brand new, blank) HDD.

My 2nd computer has only 1 HDD (with windows and my personal files). I want to take the SSD from computer 1 and use it on computer 2.

 

[1337x]

I have a new SSD (120GB) which has nothing but Windows 10 installed on it. I would like to use that SSD in my computer but my current HDD (1TB) in my computer has Windows 10 as well.

Formatting my HDD is a last resort because it has all my information and software on it already. What are my options? Do I have to format my HDD in order to use it as a 2nd drive or can I just remove windows from my HDD and use the Windows from the SSD instead?

I do have a spare brand new hard drive (1TB) as well so if I had to format my HDD, is there a way to copy everything from my HDD to the new blank HDD? Will this mean I would still need to re-install all my software's or will it work like normal?

OS already on the SSD
Old OS and applications on the HDD

You can't use the applications living in that old drive and OS. Won't work.

Whatever personal files you have on that HDD, copy them to elsewhere.
Then, wipe the HDD completely. All partitions.
Then, move your personal data back.
Install applications where you like. But the location must be chosen when you install something...you can't 'move it' later.

If that is what it comes to, I'm thinking that since my SSD is small in capacity, I will only install windows on it as well as my internet browser. Everything else I will install on the HDD. If there is a few GB's left of the SSD I'll put my Adobe Lightroom there as well but then again I don't want to use more than 75% of the SSD as I have read that SSD's start losing efficiency when they are full.

 

[USAFRet]

The OS on the SSD...did you install this OS while it was in this specific PC?
Or was installed from somewhere else?

And did you install it with the HDD still connected?

The OS on the SSD was installed in a diferrent PC that had my spare 1TB in it.

Basically, I had 2 computers. 1 had the SSD (with OS on it) and a 1TB (Brand new, blank) HDD.

My 2nd computer has only 1 HDD (with windows and my personal files). I want to take the SSD from computer 1 and use it on computer 2.

You'll need to start over, and install the OS on the SSD when it is in the machine where it will live.
Moving a drive like that often fails.

And do this with only the SSD connected. Physically disconnect all other drives.

Assuming Windows 10:
How to do a CLEAN installation of Windows 10

 

[1337x]

The OS on the SSD...did you install this OS while it was in this specific PC?
Or was installed from somewhere else?

And did you install it with the HDD still connected?

The OS on the SSD was installed in a diferrent PC that had my spare 1TB in it.

Basically, I had 2 computers. 1 had the SSD (with OS on it) and a 1TB (Brand new, blank) HDD.

My 2nd computer has only 1 HDD (with windows and my personal files). I want to take the SSD from computer 1 and use it on computer 2.

You'll need to start over, and install the OS on the SSD when it is in the machine where it will live.
Moving a drive like that often fails.

And do this with only the SSD connected. Physically disconnect all other drives.

Assuming Windows 10:
How to do a CLEAN installation of Windows 10

Alternatively, I can just put the SSD and the 1TB that was with it (In computer 1) and then copy my files from my other HDD (the one with my personal files) onto the blank 1TB HDD (that's with the SSD in computer 1).

Won't this also work out since I'm moving both the HDD and SSD? The only reason I wanted to move the HDD was because of my personal files but now since I will have to format it, I might as well just use the SSD with it's new 1TB instead.

 

[USAFRet]

Alternatively, I can just put the SSD and the 1TB that was with it (In computer 1) and then copy my files from my other HDD (the one with my personal files) onto the blank 1TB HDD (that's with the SSD in computer 1).

Won't this also work out since I'm moving both the HDD and SSD? The only reason I wanted to move the HDD was because of my personal files but now since I will have to format it, I might as well just use the SSD with it's new 1TB instead.

Not sure where you're going with this.
But bottom line...the OS needs to be installed on the drive, while that drive is in the system where it will live.
Any other drives are of no consequence.

 

[1337x]

Alternatively, I can just put the SSD and the 1TB that was with it (In computer 1) and then copy my files from my other HDD (the one with my personal files) onto the blank 1TB HDD (that's with the SSD in computer 1).

Won't this also work out since I'm moving both the HDD and SSD? The only reason I wanted to move the HDD was because of my personal files but now since I will have to format it, I might as well just use the SSD with it's new 1TB instead.

Not sure where you're going with this.
But bottom line...the OS needs to be installed on the drive, while that drive is in the system where it will live.
Any other drives are of no consequence.

I followed your advice and everything is working fine.

Just a final question, my SSD is my Local Disk C. Is it possible for me to now get applications to install on my Local Disk D by default? I read up and people say that the user has to manually specify the install path as by default it will be Local Disk C.

 

[USAFRet]

I followed your advice and everything is working fine.

Just a final question, my SSD is my Local Disk C. Is it possible for me to now get applications to install on my Local Disk D by default? I read up and people say that the user has to manually specify the install path as by default it will be Local Disk C.

No, there is no default way to do that. For good reasons.

Some things should be installed on the C drive. Antivirus, for instance.
Some things must be installed on the C drive. Drivers, etc.

And if you find something on the web that talks about Registry edits to force ALL installs to go to the D drive, and you follow those directions...
I await your return here, wondering why the entire OS is now hosed up.
Don't do that.

Most applications apart from games are pretty small. Should fit OK in a 120GB drive.
Games, especially Steam games, are easy to cause to go elsewhere.
Steam games location
In the steam client:
Steam
Settings
Downloads
Steam Library Folders
Add library folder

Other big space suckers are hibernation and the pagefile.
Depending on how much RAM you have, those may suck up 20GB or more.
Turn hibernation OFF, and possibly reduce the pagefile size.

 

[1337x]

I followed your advice and everything is working fine.

Just a final question, my SSD is my Local Disk C. Is it possible for me to now get applications to install on my Local Disk D by default? I read up and people say that the user has to manually specify the install path as by default it will be Local Disk C.

No, there is no default way to do that. For good reasons.

Some things should be installed on the C drive. Antivirus, for instance.
Some things must be installed on the C drive. Drivers, etc.

And if you find something on the web that talks about Registry edits to force ALL installs to go to the D drive, and you follow those directions...
I await your return here, wondering why the entire OS is now hosed up.
Don't do that.

Most applications apart from games are pretty small. Should fit OK in a 120GB drive.
Games, especially Steam games, are easy to cause to go elsewhere.
Steam games location
In the steam client:
Steam
Settings
Downloads
Steam Library Folders
Add library folder

Other big space suckers are hibernation and the pagefile.
Depending on how much RAM you have, those may suck up 20GB or more.
Turn hibernation OFF, and possibly reduce the pagefile size.

Thanks for the response. I'm not going to be messing around with the registry entries and such. I think I'm only going to keep very important files or frequently accessed files on my SSD such as my internet browser, Anti-virus software and drivers.

My HDD I probably will use it to store my Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Although I use them very often, I think they go big in size due to the amount of images I load onto them.

 

[USAFRet]

My HDD I probably will use it to store my Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Although I use them very often, I think they go big in size due to the amount of images I load onto them.

For LR and PS, you can have the application on the C drive, and all your images on other drives.
That's what I do.

My Lightroom 5.7 install only consumes 1.6GB on the C drive. The several LR catalogs take up about 2.2GB total.
All the images live on a whole different 500GB SSD, currently consuming ~170GB.

 

[1337x]

My HDD I probably will use it to store my Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Although I use them very often, I think they go big in size due to the amount of images I load onto them.

For LR and PS, you can have the application on the C drive, and all your images on other drives.
That's what I do.

My Lightroom 5.7 install only consumes 1.6GB on the C drive. The several LR catalogs take up about 2.2GB total.
All the images live on a whole different 500GB SSD, currently consuming ~170GB.

Then that's what I should do. My LR was a bit slow to load when I had it previously on the HDD. This is likely because I have quite a bit of presets loaded onto my lightroom. Maybe the SSD will help with the speed. Thanks for the assistance.