Upgrade Storage without reinstalling windows

[meisterkreig]

I want to install an SSD to go with my current HDD and boost performance. Is there a way to do this without having to do a full reinstall of windows or not?

 

[USAFRet]

Maybe, maybe not.

With a new SSD, you wan the OS and most/all applications on the SSD.

So, there are two ways to do thie.
1. Clone from the old drive tot he new SSD.
This requires some investigation.
How large is the new SSD?
How large is the used space on the current HDD?
Is the current install working just fine?

For instance, if you have 550GB currently used on your HDD, and are getting a 250GB SSD....that won't work without a lot of prelim work.

or
2. Fresh install on the SSD.
This requires a reinstall of all your applications, as well as the OS.

 

[meisterkreig]

I was going to get a 250gb SSD. The HDD is about a 1TB with 777.4 GB of free space. I should have enough space for all of my data.

 

[alanstiebel]

maybe you can clone system to the SSD, but I have not tried that, because I think system won't boot in that case. To find the correct I'll try cloning Win8 to another hard drive (not SSD) and check whether system can boot this weekend.
I think copy and paste won't work, so I'm going to use partition clone tools like ghost, and I'll update my answer then.
http://www.eassos.com/partitionguru-free.php
actually, I'd rather reinstall OS when I change hard drive.

 

[USAFRet]

I was going to get a 250gb SSD. The HDD is about a 1TB with 777.4 GB of free space. I should have enough space for all of my data.

To potentially clone to a 250GB drive, your current used space must be under 200GB.