Computer SSD Upgrade Question (1 Viewer)

[Polish Hammer]

We have an old laptop that we don't use anymore.  A while ago I had put a 180GB Intel SSD into it.  I'd like to now take that and install it as a hard drive in my desktop computer.  My hope/goal is to move all the general Windows 10 bootup software to that drive, and use the standard platter drive in the desktop to store all the other media (movies, photos, etc).  My assumption is that this should speed up boot time dramatically, as well as speed to launch all programs.

Can someone direct me on some easy steps on how to do this?  When I look online most of the advice is about cloning a drive, but the problem is the current HDD has well over the 180GB of info already on it, so I can't just clone and go.  

 

[LoadLetterPaper]

Don't forget the flux capacitor

 

[Sullie]

EaseUS has been doing cloning software for a long time.  I would look at their products.  It is possible to clone from a larger drive down to a smaller drive but I'm sure you'll have to move some files around to do it.  I don't work for that company but I've been using their software for years.

 

[The Tick]

We have an old laptop that we don't use anymore.  A while ago I had put a 180GB Intel SSD into it.  I'd like to now take that and install it as a hard drive in my desktop computer.  My hope/goal is to move all the general Windows 10 bootup software to that drive, and use the standard platter drive in the desktop to store all the other media (movies, photos, etc).  My assumption is that this should speed up boot time dramatically, as well as speed to launch all programs.

Can someone direct me on some easy steps on how to do this?  When I look online most of the advice is about cloning a drive, but the problem is the current HDD has well over the 180GB of info already on it, so I can't just clone and go.  

Do you have a windows 10 installer or is the original PC from a big box company that doesn't provide those anymore?

I think the best method would be to get a USB backup and backup all your media on to there (you need to do this anyways because it's only a matter of time before HDD's fail).  Then remove the driver from the PC.  Put the SSD in the PC and do a fresh OS install on the SSD, and add the second drive back in and format it.  Finally copy your media back onto your formatted drive.

 

[dal_boys_phan]

Nothing to add to the topic other than more of the same issues

 

[Thorpe]

Probably won't work.   Windows installs drivers based on the hardware it is installed on.  Windows 10 may be "smarter" than previous versions, but I wouldn't try it.  

Assuming you have a Windows 10 Installation DVD, the best way is to:

1)  Add the SSD to the desktop, then copy all the files you want from it to the platter drive.

2)  Remove the platter disk from the desktop

3)  Install Windows from the DVD, choosing the option to format the SSD.  Re-install all your programs

4)  Add the platter drive to the desktop.  

5)  Boot the computer, (make sure it booted from the SSD - if not you have to go into the BIOS)

6)  Delete the Windows and Program files folders from the platter drive.

 

[Joe Summer]

If you transfer a drive directly from a laptop to a desktop, then there's a very good chance that it won't even boot up. I've tried it with various laptops and what I've found is that the two computers have to be very close to each other in terms of brand and model # for it to work.

My suggestion:

1. copy the personal files from the laptop to a USB stick or to the desktop. (You can use a USB cable like this one to copy files directly from drive to drive.)

2. format the SSD, put it into the desktop, and install Windows 10 on it. If your laptop didn't come with a Windows installation disk, then you might be able to download an install disk and then use your existing windows key to register it.

3. before trying #2, you can try putting the SSD into the desktop and selecting Repair Windows when it boots up (assuming that the drive was created with a repair partition).

 

[Van Dyman]

If you MOVE the media you want to save off of the HDD and onto USB, and if that gets the HDD under 180 GB then you could just clone it and make sure the desktop will boot with ONLY the SSD in there. If it does, put the HDD back in and format it, then copy (not move) your media from USB. Now you've got a copy of your media (which you needed anyway), a perfectly cloned SSD, and a freshly formatted HDD that contains nothing but your current media.

 

[Polish Hammer]

Probably should have included some extra info in the original post.  I currently have a backup Seagate HDD (5TB) attached to the computer backing up all essential media - just not programs I've put on the computer.  It sounds like a suggestion might be something like:

1. Remove the backed-up media from the internal HDD.
   
2. Format the SSD and then clone the HDD onto the SSD.
   
3. Remove HDD and restart computer with SSD to ensure that is working properly.
   
4. Reinstall HDD as non-bootable drive and then copy files back from the external HDD onto the internal HDD.  
   

Does that sound right?

Also, no I don't have Windows 10 installation DVDs.  I got the computer from Dell and it was pre-installed.  Is there a way for me to make discs from within Windows 10 that anyone knows about?

 

[abbottjamesr]

Probably should have included some extra info in the original post.  I currently have a backup Seagate HDD (5TB) attached to the computer backing up all essential media - just not programs I've put on the computer.  It sounds like a suggestion might be something like:

1. Remove the backed-up media from the internal HDD.
   
2. Format the SSD and then clone the HDD onto the SSD.
   
3. Remove HDD and restart computer with SSD to ensure that is working properly.
   
4. Reinstall HDD as non-bootable drive and then copy files back from the external HDD onto the internal HDD.  
   

Does that sound right?

Also, no I don't have Windows 10 installation DVDs.  I got the computer from Dell and it was pre-installed.  Is there a way for me to make discs from within Windows 10 that anyone knows about?

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

put it on a usb drive of at least 4bg.  Makes install much faster.

 

[Big League Chew]

make a small partition on the HD and call it C. put windows on it

have the bulk of your space on D:\ so its seperate from c