[SOLVED] Transferring storage from an old Dell to a new custom build

works_arc

Commendable
Apr 7, 2021
82
6
1,535
Howdy, I am interested in learning the best way to transfer information from an SSD on a 6 year old Dell over to a new custom build.
I have a new WIndows 10 key for the new machine and rather than paying our third party IT firm to install Windows and transfer over all of the data (it costs and it takes them forever) I was interested in giving it a go. The hardware in the custom build is right out of the box and totally different than what is in the crappy Dell. Any tips or tricks of the trade?
 
Solution
Well, yeah, that is a great point. What trips me up is that we have another user that has an undersized SSD and their solution/recommendation for that problem was that I clone that 500 GB SSD onto a 2TB SSD (our standard for each machine). I appreciate all of your help and comments, probably best to let IT handle this and just wait out the 2 months that it takes for them to get around to it.
Cloning within the same system from smaller drive to larger is no problem.
Easily done. Take you about an hour, start to finish. I can provide specific procedure for that.

Transferring to a whole new system...that needs a lot of planning for a work system.

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Howdy, I am interested in learning the best way to transfer information from an SSD on a 6 year old Dell over to a new custom build.
I have a new WIndows 10 key for the new machine and rather than paying our third party IT firm to install Windows and transfer over all of the data (it costs and it takes them forever) I was interested in giving it a go. The hardware in the custom build is right out of the box and totally different than what is in the crappy Dell. Any tips or tricks of the trade?
What "information" are you looking to transfer?

Personal files...things YOU created, generally no problem. Save that data to some other drive before you start on this.

Windows will have to be reinstalled, along with the hardware drivers, and then you applications.
 

works_arc

Commendable
Apr 7, 2021
82
6
1,535
UASFret - I want to transfer as much as I possibly can, with as minimal of a reinstall as possible. This is a work computer and its architecture so we have modeling and rendering software, not to mention all of the users (not me) info, plus company server access, remote desktop access, some proprietary info/web defense stuff from the IT firm, and probably a ton of stuff that I am unaware of at the moment.
Questions:
is it best install windows on the new machine first or will I be prompted to enter a key once the info is transferred and I login?
is there a preferred software/webased interface/ hardware/usb option that I should be aware of that I can't easily find via google?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
UASFret - I want to transfer as much as I possibly can, with as minimal of a reinstall as possible. This is a work computer and its architecture so we have modeling and rendering software, not to mention all of the users (not me) info, plus company server access, remote desktop access, some proprietary info/web defense stuff from the IT firm, and probably a ton of stuff that I am unaware of at the moment.
Questions:
is it best install windows on the new machine first or will I be prompted to enter a key once the info is transferred and I login?
is there a preferred software/webased interface/ hardware/usb option that I should be aware of that I can't easily find via google?
The new system gets a new OS install.
That ALSO means a fresh install of everything else. You can't transfer applications and all that other stuff from the old system and its OS.

Since this is a work system, with multiple critical applications, settings, access permissions, etc, etc...AND you're not entirely sure of all that...then your IT dept IS the entity to do this.
 

works_arc

Commendable
Apr 7, 2021
82
6
1,535
Well, to be honest, with few exceptions, we handle most of our IT in house. Most IT groups, even the teams at Autodesk are very little help when problems occur in Revit for example. I typically handle of our software installs and updates, including any driver updates for GPU. Furthermore, through my admin login, I can see all of the folders that our IT team installs, and they all have system wide install prompts and exe. files.

We build our own machines, and we a pretty good handle on their management and maintenance.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Well, to be honest, with few exceptions, we handle most of our IT in house. Most IT groups, even the teams at Autodesk are very little help when problems occur in Revit for example. I typically handle of our software installs and updates, including any driver updates for GPU. Furthermore, through my admin login, I can see all of the folders that our IT team installs, and they all have system wide install prompts and exe. files.

We build our own machines, and we a pretty good handle on their management and maintenance.
"and probably a ton of stuff that I am unaware of at the moment. "

This is what is going to bite you in the butt.
 

works_arc

Commendable
Apr 7, 2021
82
6
1,535
Well, yeah, that is a great point. What trips me up is that we have another user that has an undersized SSD and their solution/recommendation for that problem was that I clone that 500 GB SSD onto a 2TB SSD (our standard for each machine). I appreciate all of your help and comments, probably best to let IT handle this and just wait out the 2 months that it takes for them to get around to it.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Well, yeah, that is a great point. What trips me up is that we have another user that has an undersized SSD and their solution/recommendation for that problem was that I clone that 500 GB SSD onto a 2TB SSD (our standard for each machine). I appreciate all of your help and comments, probably best to let IT handle this and just wait out the 2 months that it takes for them to get around to it.
Cloning within the same system from smaller drive to larger is no problem.
Easily done. Take you about an hour, start to finish. I can provide specific procedure for that.

Transferring to a whole new system...that needs a lot of planning for a work system.
 
Solution

works_arc

Commendable
Apr 7, 2021
82
6
1,535
Got it - while I was aware of the differences I was unaware of the magnitude of their impacts. If it's cool with you, I'd like to hear about the same system procedure that you mention.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
NVMe it is, and there are two of those bad boys. I was looking to replace that with a Samsung EVo pro 970
OK then...

For a Samsung target drive, the preferred tool is the Samsung Data Migration.

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Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
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Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive

(ignore this section if using the SDM. It does this automagically)
If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specifiy the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
(end ignore)

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD. This is not optional.
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD.
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------
 

works_arc

Commendable
Apr 7, 2021
82
6
1,535
Got it - I don't want to say that this looks easy but I can certainly handle the procedure. Thanks for hooking me up, I'll try not to bother you much going forward.