[SOLVED] Windows 10 Fresh

[Mista Krank]

I am buying an 1tb SSD so I can install windows 10 on it. I have a hdd that have windows on it currently. I have a prebuilt and it is really good and its from HP. Do I need my product key or is it stored in the Motherboard like people on reddit said. Also before I Install windows on the ssd do I have to log out of my microsoft account before I start the installation? Do I have to allocate anything before starting?

 

[USAFRet]

1. You don't need the license key
2. You boot from the Win 10 USB you'll create, so there is logging in
3. You don't have to do anything special to the new drive before.

You do this install with ONLY the new drive connected. The existing HDD is physically disconnected, SATA data and power cables.

Read through this:

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[USAFRet]

Or, you can consider a clone operation from the old drive to the new.
Everything exactly as it is now, just on the new faster drive.

We can go into detail on that if you wish.

 

[Mista Krank]

1. You don't need the license key
2. You boot from the Win 10 USB you'll create, so there is logging in
3. You don't have to do anything special to the new drive before.

You do this install with ONLY the new drive connected. The existing HDD is physically disconnected, SATA data and power cables.

Read through this:

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

I watched a video and the person in the video had all his drives still connected.

 

[Mista Krank]

Or, you can consider a clone operation from the old drive to the new.
Everything exactly as it is now, just on the new faster drive.

We can go into detail on that if you wish.

I know about cloning already. But I saw that people was experiencing problems with booting into windows 10 after the clone

 

[USAFRet]

I know about cloning already. But I saw that people was experiencing problems with booting into windows 10 after the clone

Done correctly, its great.
There are many ways to screw it up, though.
I've done it many many times.

It's worth a try.
If it fails, you can always then do the fresh install on the new drive.

What is the make/model/size of the new SSD?

 

[Mista Krank]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089DNM8LR/ref=twister_B087DY7KVS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

That is the drive I am getting and it is compatible with my motherboard. I have a HP prebuilt and the mobo is the Erica 8643

 

[USAFRet]

I watched a video and the person in the video had all his drives still connected.

And he did it wrong. A video and person to be ignored in the future.

What happens is...if you leave the old drive (or any second drive) connected, the boot partition ends up on that drive. Not something you choose or can influence.
Even worse if the old drive already has an OS on it.

Then, you'll end up with a dualboot thing. The install on the new drive will simply merge its info into the existing boot partition on the original drive.
Bad and annoying.

 

[USAFRet]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089DNM8LR/ref=twister_B087DY7KVS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

That is the drive I am getting and it is compatible with my motherboard. I have a HP prebuilt and the mobo is the Erica 8643

How much space is consumed on your current HDD?

 

[Mista Krank]

Done correctly, its great.
There are many ways to screw it up, though.
I've done it many many times.

It's worth a try.
If it fails, you can always then do the fresh install on the new drive.

What is the make/model/size of the new SSD?

should I download the windows installation media first then try cloning , and if anything goes wrong I can just plug in the flash drive

 

[USAFRet]

should I download the windows installation media first then try cloning , and if anything goes wrong I can just plug in the flash drive

Yes.

 

[USAFRet]

-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
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

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

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
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.
-----------------------------

 

[Mista Krank]

How much space is consumed on your current HDD?

I did an factory reset on my pc a couple says ago and on my HDD only 67gb is being used including windows. I have all my games on an external ssd.

 

[M3rKn]

For future reference this is how you obtain your product key


Press Windows key + X.

Click Command Prompt (Admin) or type comand prompt into search

At the command prompt, type: wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey.

This will reveal the product key. Volume License Product Key Activation.

XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

edit: FYI I have cloned several times and it always works flawlessly

 

[Mista Krank]

-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
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

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

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
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.
-----------------------------

Since I am getting an crucial SSD should I use the software that they used in their video.

View: https://youtu.be/pQw4E8ecL5c

 

[USAFRet]

Since I am getting an crucial SSD should I use the software that they used in their video.

View: https://youtu.be/pQw4E8ecL5c

You can. I've never used it, so that is why it is not mentioned in my steps above.

But the steps above are the same.
At the end of the process, you MUST power off and disconnect the old drive.

 

[Mista Krank]

1. You don't need the license key
2. You boot from the Win 10 USB you'll create, so there is logging in
3. You don't have to do anything special to the new drive before.

You do this install with ONLY the new drive connected. The existing HDD is physically disconnected, SATA data and power cables.

Read through this:

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

I am reading it and it says
"Obviously, if your system has only one internally attached drive, then the need to do that does not apply to you."
What does that mean?

 

[Mista Krank]

You can. I've never used it, so that is why it is not mentioned in my steps above.

But the steps above are the same.
At the end of the process, you MUST power off and disconnect the old drive.

So when the cloning process is complete turn my pc off and disconnect the old HDD from power and mobo , then go into bios and change the boot order, then see if it works, then after that reconnect the HDD and use it for what ever? DO I have to allocate the SSD before I start cloning? I apologize for asking so many questions. Its just the fact that I never done nothing like this so I am trying to be safe as possible and actually understand. BTW I am not buying a Sata ssd I am getting a PCIe Nvme M.2

 

[USAFRet]

I am reading it and it says
"Obviously, if your system has only one internally attached drive, then the need to do that does not apply to you."
What does that mean?

Not sure.
In what context is that? A fresh install or a clone?

 

[USAFRet]

So when the cloning process is complete turn my pc off and disconnect the old HDD from power and mobo , then go into bios and change the boot order, then see if it works, then after that reconnect the HDD and use it for what ever? DO I have to allocate the SSD before I start cloning? I apologize for asking so many questions. Its just the fact that I never done nothing like this so I am trying to be safe as possible and actually understand. BTW I am not buying a Sata ssd I am getting a PCIe Nvme M.2

No, you don't have to do anything with the new drive beforehand.

And yes, physically disconnect the old drive before you power up the first time after the clone process.

 

[Mista Krank]

Not sure.
In what context is that? A fresh install or a clone?

sorry its in the fresh install article you sent in the beginning of the thread

 

[USAFRet]

sorry its in the fresh install article you sent in the beginning of the thread

Right.
If there is only one drive installed, there is no reason to disconnect other drives, because they do not exist.
That portion simply does not apply.

 

[Mista Krank]

No, you don't have to do anything with the new drive beforehand.

And yes, physically disconnect the old drive before you power up the first time after the clone process.

Ok, It might seem like I am basically repeating myself. So when the ssd arrive at my house, your saying all I have to do is Install it into the motherboard and start cloning, so your saying I don't have to allocate the disk in the create format thing in windows?

 

[Mista Krank]

No, you don't have to do anything with the new drive beforehand.

And yes, physically disconnect the old drive before you power up the first time after the clone process.

Last question. When I clone windows on the ssd will windows still be on the hdd or will it be gone and will I have the windows icon over the ssd instead of the hdd in file explorer under the "This PC" section?

 

[USAFRet]

Ok, It might seem like I am basically repeating myself. So when the ssd arrive at my house, your saying all I have to do is Install it into the motherboard and start cloning, so your saying I don't have to allocate the disk in the create format thing in windows?

Correct.

Remember...if this clone thing goes wrong, then you can fall back to the fresh install you were going to do originally.