Transferring from HDD to SSD?

[ringmany]

Hi everybody,

I've recently received the 'Samsung 840 EVO 250GB" SSD card and I'm wondering how I would go about installing it.

I currently have a 1.5TB HDD which currents uses 600GB. I want to use my SSD card for the OS and documents, keeping my HDD for videos and mass storage.

Sources say I unplug my HDD, install the SSD with the windows CD and use a certain setting. I don't own the disk for my Windows OS. Another source claims I make a backup copy on my files then transfer them onto the SSD and delete what I don't need. I can't transfer 600GB onto a 250GB SSD. Lastly I've heard about a program which transfers the OS over but it costs £15 which I don't want to pay.

So I'm wondering, how would I go about installing my new SSD and putting my OS onto it whilst keeping my HDD as a storage device?

Thank you.

 

[ringmany]

Have you tried connecting the SSD in another SATA port as a secondary drive?

I connected my SSD to the Sata cable and for some reason this time it worked. Maybe the last 5 times the cable was lose. However, the CD I burned windows onto isn't work, so I'l buy a recovery CD instead.

Will this restore my windows 7, then I just input my own activation key?
http://goo.gl/LZaEl0 (Link to Ebay)

If you have the license key, and are going to reinstall, there is no need to 'buy' anything.
Download the official Windows 7 ISO here:
http://www.w7forums.com/threads/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads.12325/

I downloaded the .iso, however, apparently I need to download some software so that I can view the .iso file to change a setting so that I can use the microsoft Windows 7 USB tool.

 

[USAFRet]

Have you tried connecting the SSD in another SATA port as a secondary drive?

I connected my SSD to the Sata cable and for some reason this time it worked. Maybe the last 5 times the cable was lose. However, the CD I burned windows onto isn't work, so I'l buy a recovery CD instead.

Will this restore my windows 7, then I just input my own activation key?
http://goo.gl/LZaEl0 (Link to Ebay)

If you have the license key, and are going to reinstall, there is no need to 'buy' anything.
Download the official Windows 7 ISO here:
http://www.w7forums.com/threads/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads.12325/

I downloaded the .iso, however, apparently I need to download some software so that I can view the .iso file to change a setting so that I can use the microsoft Windows 7 USB tool.

No, there is no other s/w you need, apart from the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool
.

 

[ringmany]

"We were unable to copy your files. Please check your USB device and the selected ISO file and try again"

Hmm. I'm using a 3.0 USB stick with 7GB of space, the file is 2GB. Nothing is on the USB?

 

[USAFRet]

"We were unable to copy your files. Please check your USB device and the selected ISO file and try again"

Hmm. I'm using a 3.0 USB stick with 7GB of space, the file is 2GB. Nothing is on the USB?

The Win 7 Home Premium x64 ISO is 3.1GB. You have either a corrupt or incomplete file.

 

[ringmany]

"We were unable to copy your files. Please check your USB device and the selected ISO file and try again"

Hmm. I'm using a 3.0 USB stick with 7GB of space, the file is 2GB. Nothing is on the USB?

The Win 7 Home Premium x64 ISO is 3.1GB. You have either a corrupt or incomplete file.

I'm using the Win 7 Professional x64 ISO which is 3.09GB

 

[USAFRet]

"We were unable to copy your files. Please check your USB device and the selected ISO file and try again"

Hmm. I'm using a 3.0 USB stick with 7GB of space, the file is 2GB. Nothing is on the USB?

The Win 7 Home Premium x64 ISO is 3.1GB. You have either a corrupt or incomplete file.

I'm using the Win 7 Professional x64 ISO which is 3.09GB

And you said above, 2GB.
Which is it?

 

[ringmany]

"We were unable to copy your files. Please check your USB device and the selected ISO file and try again"

Hmm. I'm using a 3.0 USB stick with 7GB of space, the file is 2GB. Nothing is on the USB?

The Win 7 Home Premium x64 ISO is 3.1GB. You have either a corrupt or incomplete file.

I'm using the Win 7 Professional x64 ISO which is 3.09GB

And you said above, 2GB.
Which is it?

Sorry, I meant one of the others I tried downloading which was 2GB. I used this guide to make the USB work:
http://www.intowindows.com/fix-we-were-unable-to-copy-your-files-please-check-your-usb-device-and-the-selected-iso-file-error-in-windows-7-usbdvd-download-tool/

I'm copying Windows 7 onto a USB. I'l try booting the SSD with the USB stick on the correct settings. Here we go!

Then if it works, I reconnect my HDD and boot my PC like normal and select the HDD as storage? (Also, what happens to the OS on my HDD?)

 

[USAFRet]

"We were unable to copy your files. Please check your USB device and the selected ISO file and try again"

Hmm. I'm using a 3.0 USB stick with 7GB of space, the file is 2GB. Nothing is on the USB?

The Win 7 Home Premium x64 ISO is 3.1GB. You have either a corrupt or incomplete file.

I'm using the Win 7 Professional x64 ISO which is 3.09GB

And you said above, 2GB.
Which is it?

Sorry, I meant one of the others I tried downloading which was 2GB. I used this guide to make the USB work:
http://www.intowindows.com/fix-we-were-unable-to-copy-your-files-please-check-your-usb-device-and-the-selected-iso-file-error-in-windows-7-usbdvd-download-tool/

I'm copying Windows 7 onto a USB. I'l try booting the SSD with the USB stick on the correct settings. Here we go!

Then if it works, I reconnect my HDD and boot my PC like normal and select the HDD as storage? (Also, what happens to the OS on my HDD?)

Create the bootable USB with the above mentioned tool
Disconnect ALL drives except the SSD
Boot from the USB
Install the OS
Once it is actually installed and running, change your boot order to SSD first
Then consider reconnecting the HDD

 

[ringmany]

This still isn't working. When I boot up the SSD and it gets to the installation it asks to insert the disk, but I'm booting from my USB which I cannot locate.

Here are my BIOS setting and the resulting screen from the start up.

 

[Brunostako]

Comment: Why is S.M.A.R.T. disabled?

 

[ringmany]

Comment: Why is S.M.A.R.T. disabled?

I don't know what S.M.A.R.T is/does.

 

[USAFRet]

Why do you have the SSD first in the boot priority? You have no OS there yet.

 

[ringmany]

Why do you have the SSD first in the boot priority? You have no OS there yet.

I was watching a Linus Tech video for upgrading to SSD. In his BIOS settings his setting was the SSD not the CD.
So do I just need to change the boot priority to USB instead of SSD and that will automatically install it onto the SSD?

 

[USAFRet]

Why do you have the SSD first in the boot priority? You have no OS there yet.

I was watching a Linus Tech video for upgrading to SSD. In his BIOS settings his setting was the SSD not the CD.
So do I just need to change the boot priority to USB instead of SSD and that will automatically install it onto the SSD?

Probably yes. Try it and see what happens.
(not 'automatically'...you still have to follow all the install prompts)

 

[ringmany]

Why do you have the SSD first in the boot priority? You have no OS there yet.

I was watching a Linus Tech video for upgrading to SSD. In his BIOS settings his setting was the SSD not the CD.
So do I just need to change the boot priority to USB instead of SSD and that will automatically install it onto the SSD?

Probably yes. Try it and see what happens.
(not 'automatically'...you still have to follow all the install prompts)

Still no luck, it just keeps saying a driver is missing and I need to boot from a CD/USB but when I select my USB it doesn't work. Maybe I should try using a CD instead of a USB because I'm all out of ideas at this point.

 

[ringmany]

Why do you have the SSD first in the boot priority? You have no OS there yet.

I was watching a Linus Tech video for upgrading to SSD. In his BIOS settings his setting was the SSD not the CD.
So do I just need to change the boot priority to USB instead of SSD and that will automatically install it onto the SSD?

Probably yes. Try it and see what happens.
(not 'automatically'...you still have to follow all the install prompts)

I've finally installed the SSD! It's got windows on it now and my HDD is the storage disk.
For some reason, I can't activate Windows 7, there isn't an option to call microsoft and activate via phone.

Also, now all my programs are gone, do I have to reinstall everything? What about all the programs on my HDD? Does everything, such as JAVA, AVG, Daemontools, etc have to all be reinstalled again on the SSD? What about my photoshop, sony vegas pro, can I just transfer them onto the SSD from my HDD? What happens to all my Steam games which have already been installed onto my HDD?