OS from HDD to SSD! HELP!

[Thuglas]

Hello
I was planning on getting an SSD so i could put my windows 10 OS on it for faster reboot and all that good stuff

I currently have one HDD that is almost full, only like 45GB left (max capacity: 1TB)
So my problem is that I'm not sure how to get my OS from my old HDD to the new SSD, WITHOUT losing all my files and stuff (that are on the HDD). I was thinking about getting the Samsung Evo pro 256 GB! Can someone please help me by giving me like an detailed step-to-step guide? Also; I dont want to move all my files over to the SSD (only the OS)

Thanks!

 

[CountMike]

Is your HDD partitioned ?
If it's not partitioned so OS and other partitions needed for booting are smaller than SSD than your best bet is to do clean install of windows om SSD. You would have to reinstall programs but your files on HDD would be safe.

 

[Thuglas]

Is your HDD partitioned ?
If it's not partitioned so OS and other partitions needed for booting are smaller than SSD than your best bet is to do clean install of windows om SSD. You would have to reinstall programs but your files on HDD would be safe.

What is partiton? :/ sorry im not a good pc- guy :?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Welcome to the TH community, Thuglas!

If you have your Windows installation media or you are to create one, you should consider performing a clean install on the SSD while having the HDD unplugged from the system. This way you'd avoid a potential OS confusion and have a clean install of Windows on the SSD without any redundant files from the previous installation on the HDD. Once the operating system is up and running, you can simply plug the HDD back to the SATA port and access your files.

However, it's still recommended to back them elsewhere beforehand and then reformat the HDD for secondary storage purposes. Once you reformat the HDD and get rid of the old installation of Windows on it, you can simply transfer back all your files and stuff. There are Windows Install & Optimization guides for SSDs & HDDs you can follow with pretty detailed step-by-steps.

If want to stick to migrating/cloning, then consider using a cloning utility that would allow you manually select the data you transfer to the SSD. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be able to migrate the entire HDD to the SSD.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted if you have more questions!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Thuglas]

If you have your Windows installation media or you are to create one, you should consider performing a clean install on the SSD while having the HDD unplugged from the system.

Im sorry, I dont fully understand what you mean by this, could you explain this more? (im sorry im from Norway, so I dont get everything all the time xD ) I have my windows 10 already installed on my old HDD (if this has anything to do with it)

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Im sorry, I dont fully understand what you mean by this, could you explain this more? (im sorry im from Norway, so I dont get everything all the time xD ) I have my windows 10 already installed on my old HDD (if this has anything to do with it)

Hey there again, Thuglas!

Please check the hyperlinks attached to my post in order to fully understand what your options are. You can perform a clean install on the SSD with the same OS version. In order to do this you'd need the original Windows installation CD/USB or you can create one using the MS guidelines in the hyperlink. Since the OS is communicating with the motherboard, changing just the storage doesn't require you to buy a new operating system.

The clean install is recommended because this way you'd avoid cloning all the dump, temp, redundant files from your previous installation on the HDD. Such files could affect the smooth performance of your system and unnecessarily fill the SSD's capacity.

SuperSoph_WD

 

[USAFRet]

Hello
I was planning on getting an SSD so i could put my windows 10 OS on it for faster reboot and all that good stuff

I currently have one HDD that is almost full, only like 45GB left (max capacity: 1TB)
So my problem is that I'm not sure how to get my OS from my old HDD to the new SSD, WITHOUT losing all my files and stuff (that are on the HDD). I was thinking about getting the Samsung Evo pro 256 GB! Can someone please help me by giving me like an detailed step-to-step guide? Also; I dont want to move all my files over to the SSD (only the OS)

Thanks!

Spacewise, you have only one option - clean install of the OS on the new drive.
Currently, you're using about 900GB on that HDD. Obviously, 900 does not fit into 250.

You can't migrate only the OS.

 

[Thuglas]

Im sorry, I dont fully understand what you mean by this, could you explain this more? (im sorry im from Norway, so I dont get everything all the time xD ) I have my windows 10 already installed on my old HDD (if this has anything to do with it)

Hey there again, Thuglas!

Please check the hyperlinks attached to my post in order to fully understand what your options are. You can perform a clean install on the SSD with the same OS version. In order to do this you'd need the original Windows installation CD/USB or you can create one using the MS guidelines in the hyperlink. Since the OS is communicating with the motherboard, changing just the storage doesn't require you to buy a new operating system.

The clean install is recommended because this way you'd avoid cloning all the dump, temp, redundant files from your previous installation on the HDD. Such files could affect the smooth performance of your system and unnecessarily fill the SSD's capacity.

SuperSoph_WD

Ok, so basically I should just get an backup of my current HDD, and then I do a clean installation of Windows on my SSD, when my HDD is disconnected from the PC. And then I follow the instructions on the page you linked first? But how will my PC react when i disconnect my HDD from my pc, and it wants to boot from the SSD, although its brand new?

And also, I dont have the product key for my current windows 10.. It came pre-installed with my current pc...

 

[Thuglas]

Hello
I was planning on getting an SSD so i could put my windows 10 OS on it for faster reboot and all that good stuff

I currently have one HDD that is almost full, only like 45GB left (max capacity: 1TB)
So my problem is that I'm not sure how to get my OS from my old HDD to the new SSD, WITHOUT losing all my files and stuff (that are on the HDD). I was thinking about getting the Samsung Evo pro 256 GB! Can someone please help me by giving me like an detailed step-to-step guide? Also; I dont want to move all my files over to the SSD (only the OS)

Thanks!

Spacewise, you have only one option - clean install of the OS on the new drive.
Currently, you're using about 900GB on that HDD. Obviously, 900 does not fit into 250.

You can't migrate only the OS.

What is clean install? is it like my boot up my pc with only ssd connected, and it will ask me to download windows, and then I just put in the product key and install windows 10?
Then I can connect my HDD and have all my files and programs?

 

[USAFRet]

Ok, so basically I should just get an backup of my current HDD, and then I do a clean installation of Windows on my SSD, when my HDD is disconnected from the PC. And then I follow the instructions on the page you linked first? But how will my PC react when i disconnect my HDD from my pc, and it wants to boot from the SSD, although its brand new?

And also, I dont have the product key for my current windows 10.. It came pre-installed with my current pc...

Obtain your Win 10 install media here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
Disconnect the HDD
Install the SSD
Powerup and boot from your install media
Install the OS on the SSD
Once done, verify it actually works with just the SSD
Now you can reconnect the HDD
What happens with the stuff on the HDD is up to you. Your applications will probably need tob e reinstalled. Steam games may be OK where they are.

 

[Thuglas]

Hey Usafret, I have no last question (hopfully ) I am not downloading the win 10 install media, but I dont get it quite... I downloaded a file and it asked to to download like windows 10 onto a flashdrive.. and Im doing so now, but like when that finishes, what do I do? Do i not boot from the SSD, but the flashdrive i install windows 10 on? Or do I boot from the ssd when HDD is disconnected ? Thanks alot!

 

[USAFRet]

Hey Usafret, I have no last question (hopfully ) I am not downloading the win 10 install media, but I dont get it quite... I downloaded a file and it asked to to download like windows 10 onto a flashdrive.. and Im doing so now, but like when that finishes, what do I do? Do i not boot from the SSD, but the flashdrive i install windows 10 on? Or do I boot from the ssd when HDD is disconnected ? Thanks alot!

Once you have a bootable USB (or DVD):
Connect only the SSD (and your USB)
Boot from your USB
Install the OS on the SSD. (It can't boot from the SSD, because there is nothing on it)
When done, you will hopefully have a fully functioning OS on the SSD.

 

[Thuglas]

Also; I dont think I got a product key from what website.. when i downloaded and it finished it said I had to buy a key.. But I dont have that key cuz it my windows came pre-installed!

 

[USAFRet]

Also; I dont think I got a product key from what website.. when i downloaded and it finished it said I had to buy a key.. But I dont have that key cuz it my windows came pre-installed!

No, that does not give you a license key.

For a preinstalled Win 10, you do not need to enter your license key when installing on a new drive.
When it asks, Skip. When done, try the activation.

 

[Thuglas]

What do you mean by trying the activation? Also; thanks alot! I really appreciate the help i have received from you

 

[USAFRet]

What do you mean by trying the activation? Also; thanks alot! I really appreciate the help i have received from you

After the install...Activate. It should work. Or it might automatically do it.