Windows 10 Upgrade on SSD

[CharlieJ15420]

Hello everyone
I'm really confused about installing windows 10. I'm currently on windows 8.1 which is on my HDD. I have bought a 500gb SSD to hopefully put windows 10 on when it comes out. How on earth do I do this? Will there be an option when I'm upgrading to put it on the SSD or will it install on the HDD by default because that is what windows 8.1 is currently on? If this is the case and it goes on the HDD how do I put it on the SSD? Do I need to do a fresh install or something like that? Also when I bought the PC windows 8.1 was pre installed so I don't know where (of if I have one) the registration key is. I've heard some people say that you will need it. Sorry for the nooby question but I don't want to have wasted the money on the SSD of i can't windows 10 on it. Thank you in advance.

 

[Paul NZ]

From what I've read it'll install on the hdd windows is on. (Once it finishes it'll create an esd file, in a folder.)

You can extract whats in this file to create an ISO. Which you can burn or whatever for future use

 

[USAFRet]

Hello everyone
I'm really confused about installing windows 10. I'm currently on windows 8.1 which is on my HDD. I have bought a 500gb SSD to hopefully put windows 10 on when it comes out. How on earth do I do this? Will there be an option when I'm upgrading to put it on the SSD or will it install on the HDD by default because that is what windows 8.1 is currently on? If this is the case and it goes on the HDD how do I put it on the SSD? Do I need to do a fresh install or something like that? Also when I bought the PC windows 8.1 was pre installed so I don't know where (of if I have one) the registration key is. I've heard some people say that you will need it. Sorry for the nooby question but I don't want to have wasted the money on the SSD of i can't windows 10 on it. Thank you in advance.

Option 1:
Upgrade to 10 on your current drive
When you get the SSD, either migrate from the old drive to the new drive,
or
Do a clean install of Win 10 on the new SSD

Option 2:
Get the SSD
Migrate your existing C to the new SSD
Upgrade to Win 10


In either case, wait a bit for the upgrade to 10. Don't be too eager to do it right away.

 

[CharlieJ15420]

What would you say is the best option?

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

Migrate Windows 8.1 to the new SSD, format the HDD, then upgrade to Windows 10.

 

[USAFRet]

What would you say is the best option?

Well, that depends on how soon you want to start using the SSD.
Also, you have to consider the size of the SSD, and how much used space is on your current C drive.

If the current used space is larger than the SSD, you're probably looking at a clean install (of whichever) on the SSD.

Since your current OS is preinstalled...it will almost certainly be easier to upgrade the current OS on the current drive, and then consider a clean install of Win 10 on the new SSD. This will also require reinstallation of all your applications, etc.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

If you have games and media stored on the HDD, then you can create a custom partition, move that stuff to the new storage partition, migrate the Windows partition to the SSD, format the old Windows HDD partition, then expand the storage partition on the HDD.

 

[spendlove57]

When you do a clean install on the SSD, how to you activate windows?

 

[USAFRet]

When you do a clean install on the SSD, how to you activate windows?

If you have a current valid, activated, Windows 8.1
And you do the Upgrade to Windows 10
And then you clean install.....it will activate itself automatically. I've done exactly this (except Win 7 to 10)

You must do the Upgrade first.