changing SSD OS drive without full re-install ?

wildman

wildman

wildman

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I need to upgrade my SSD, currently running an old corsair 40gb dirve for my OS and its running out of space now. I am eyeing up the Samsung on this week only, but if I am being honest I can't be arsed with having to re-install WIN7 plus all the other apps and schnizel I have on there.

Is there a way I can clone the current corsiar drive lock stock and barrel onto a new Samsung and slot in, chnage boot dirve order in bios and carry on as normal ?
 
Samsungs own migration tool,clone your old ssd to new ssd it will be an exact bootable copy of original drive
 
If you have Sata III ports on your motherboard, make sure your new SSD is plugged into one of them.

Another tip is to make sure that AHCI is enabled in your BIOS before you migrate your OS. If it is not, then it is best to enable it. However, if you enable it without reinstalling Windows, your PC will crash during boot. To avoid having to do a fresh install, there are registry hacks that usually allow you to enable AHCI (you would carry these out after migration).

The chances are that you do have AHCI enabled, as you are already using an SSD, but it's best to check.
 
When I went from a 60GB Crucial C300 to my current 128GB drive I used Macrium Reflect to image my old drive onto the new one. Worked flawlessly.

Also there is a registry change you can make to enable AHCI if you forgot to enable it during your windows installation.
 
DazQ87 said:
Also there is a registry change you can make to enable AHCI if you forgot to enable it during your windows installation.
Click to expand...

My previous post mentioned this.

Modification to the registry is not for everyone, and can be troublesome. I'd recommend creating a disk image before altering the registry (especially when changing "low level" stuff such as this).
 
Why not? it is as simple as changing a 1 to a 0 in the MSAHCI under current control in the registry and rebooting in AHCI mode. There are millions of links to the instructions on the net and even a free patch from Microsoft Fix It. It may be simple to dabble as long as you follow the right instructions.
 
jeffa123 said:
Why not? it is as simple as changing a 1 to a 0 in the MSAHCI under current control in the registry and rebooting in AHCI mode. There are millions of links to the instructions on the net and even a free patch from Microsoft Fix It. It may be simple to dabble as long as you follow the right instructions.
Click to expand...

It should be simple and should work, but not always. I think that's a fair and accurate comment.

To someone with experience, making this registry change should not be a problem. For many PCs, the Microsoft Fix It will probably work (I haven't tried it myself, so to be honest I can't comment on how successful it would be). However, it can depend on your chipset and drivers. I know I have had trouble in the past with AMD based systems when it comes to switching from IDE to AHCI.
 
Perhaps I should have phrased it better. I am not talking about the Microsoft Fixit Uttility. There is a patch for AHCI produced by the Fit It team which works with both Windows Vista and 7 32 bit and 64 bit. Because the drivers that MS uses in the patch are MS standard they are designed to work in Universal mode. These work irrespective of Intel or AMD. I used them to get around the Nvidia 650i chipset drivers I previously had.
As you know Nvidia chipset drivers can be the most awkward to remove or circum-navigate.
 
jeffa123 said:
Perhaps I should have phrased it better. I am not talking about the Microsoft Fixit Uttility. There is a patch for AHCI produced by the Fit It team which works with both Windows Vista and 7 32 bit and 64 bit. Because the drivers that MS uses in the patch are MS standard they are designed to work in Universal mode. These work irrespective of Intel or AMD. I used them to get around the Nvidia 650i chipset drivers I previously had.
As you know Nvidia chipset drivers can be the most awkward to remove or circum-navigate.
Click to expand...

I didn't know about this patch until you mentioned it, thanks for the info. I take it that it effectively uninstalls the manufacturers SATA drivers (if installed) and reverts back to the MS ones. That makes sense, as it should make the process more reliable and trouble free. All that needs to be done is the reinstallation of the "proper" drivers if required.

And yes, Nvidia chipset drives can be a little awkward, although I don't have to deal with them so much these days. In fact, the switch from IDE to AHCI is not a task that comes up very often.
 
I agree it is not something that comes up very often, but for someone whom has changed from one motherboard setup to another means that MSAHCI can be a system saver. No matter how many times you back up data you origianl setup you have struggled so long to work perfectly means that reconfiguration becomes a mentality. You habitually search the internet for ways to avoid reinstallation. No one minds cloning or backing up, but reconfiguration though a chore means that people like myself kick into action and look for the short cuts which don't cut off your nose to spite your face.
I recently reinstalled Windows Vista on my system which meant I had to reinstall it in AHCI mode, without the bother of the hacks. Because I did it straight from EUFI and DVD, this makes it impossible to startup my current Windows Vista 32 bit in IDE mode. For instance, if I were to set my Bios to IDE mode I would get a Blue screen on boot up. Yet the OS I have used the MSAHCI hack on and the MS Fix It module I can boot into Windows 7 in both IDE and AHCI mode. This makes it universally compatible, And as a bonus I am running my current Windows 7 from an SSD with full Trim support. Never underestimate the power of software virtualisation.
 
I know it sounds like I am an antique but Windows Vista has certain advantages to it. I use the 32 bit version mainly for my E-Mail using Windows Mail. I hate Windows Live-Mail and similar clients. and backing it up is a Breese. I can have all my E-Mail appear on the same folder without having to search around for the important stuff. Any junk goes directly to my Junk Folder and I just delete any other rubbish. When you have mail come through your door at home you don't have multiple letter boxes to recieve it. It all comes through the same door and you either read it or dump it in the trash.
The bad side of Vista is that Intel don't support it in their series 3 and 4 processors. I cannot get a graphics driver for the i7 3770K Z77 chipset anywhere. They never even did any beta's. Seems silly really but Intel can be really silly about things.
The 64 bit version of Vista is nothing but trouble and I still have problems installing updates today.
Such is life.
 
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