Transferring OS to new SSD

[dadajack]

Ok, I have searched all over fort this, and I haven't found anything yet. I just need to know if it is possible, and if it is, then how. Can I transfer the OS to the new SSD i installed?

[BrodyBoy]

dadajack wrote:
Ok, I have searched all over fort this, and I haven't found anything yet. I just need to know if it is possible, and if it is, then how. Can I transfer the OS to the new SSD i installed?

Yes, absolutely...you have three options.

• You can literally transfer your existing installation, as is, to the SSD.
  
• You can do a factory restore to the SSD.
  
• You can do a clean Windows installation onto the SSD, activating with your existing Product Key.
  

If you decide which way you want to go, I can give you more specific instructions for that approach.

[dadajack]

I prefer option 1. How simple is that? I am not a noob, I just dont want to bork my brand new multi-hundred dollar laptop. 😄

Thanks again for the fast response. Very impressive.

[BrodyBoy]

dadajack wrote:
I prefer option 1. How simple is that? I am not a noob, I just dont want to bork my brand new multi-hundred dollar laptop. 😄

Thanks again for the fast response. Very impressive.

It's quite easy. You can use Windows' own software, in most cases. Here's the basic workflow:

• Shrink the C: drive (in Disk Management)
  
• Create a system image (using Backup and Restore), and save it onto your 2nd HDD, or onto an external USB hard drive
  
• Create a Windows repair disk
  
• Physically install the SSD
  
• Restore the system image onto the SSD (using the repair disk you made earlier)
  

Using this approach, there are some Windows settings that should be changed for the SSD. Some SSD manufacturers provide software for this putpose. Intel SSD Toolbox, for example, will run a routine to optimize the appropriate parameters.

[Myk_SilentShado]

Option 1 can be pretty simple, as long as you have good software that can do the job. ie Norton Ghost or other software that is able to do whole drive copies.

[BrodyBoy]

One other comment, dadajack:

If the computer is brand new, as you mentioned, you probably don't have much on it yet, right? If that is the case, Option #2 is worth considering. (Even though it's more time consuming.) This is because the factory restore routine will recognize that it's installing Windows to an SSD, and make all the appropriate settings from the start.

[dadajack]

Alright, option two sounds like it will provide the best quality result. And yes, the laptop is very new. Please provide the instructions for the second option. Thanks again.

[BrodyBoy]

dadajack wrote:
Alright, option two sounds like it will provide the best quality result. And yes, the laptop is very new. Please provide the instructions for the second option. Thanks again.

• Run the AI Recovery program to make a set of recovery DVDs. (It requires 4 blank DVDs...be sure to number them as you go)
  
• Remove the OEM system hard drive, and install the SSD.
  
• Use the recovery disks, starting with Disk 1, to restore the OEM installation to your SSD.
  
• You'll be presented with a dialogue page asking how you'd like to partition the SSD. You'll want the second option, "Recover WIndows to entire HD." This will make the recovery partition and use the rest of the disk for Windows. (Most SSDs aren't big enough to accommodate a thrid partition just for data. That's what the 3rd option if for.)
  
  
  
  
• Once the factory restore is proceeding, it takes about 45 minutes. No user input is required, so even though you'll see all kinds of restarts and dialogue boxes and whatnot, don't touch anything.
  
• When it's all done, you'll see the out-of-the-box user setup dialogue. Make sure it's done, then proceed with setup as if it were a brand new computer!
  

[dadajack]

Do i have to remove the HDD, or can I just set the SDD in the BIOS as the primary boot disk then format the HDD after the installation?

[BrodyBoy]

You should remove it, since the recovery program doesn't give you an option of where to install Windows. If it sees the exisitng installation, it assumes that's where it should go.