Transferring Windows to my SSD

Bacon?

Bacon?

Bacon?

Soldato
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Just got my new 60GB SSD :)

A few quick questions since I've never had an SSD before

  1. How easy is it to image over the existing windows on the HDD to the SS
  2. If I do a fresh install how do I got about using all the stuff on the HDD

For example when I re-did my HDD setup last year I had to reinstall all my games because windows was located on a different drive to my steam area (program files x86). Basically is it possible to direct windows from the new files on the SSD regarding programs to the old files on the HDD.

Cheers guys.
 
Which version of Windows are you using?

I recently moved my Windows Partition to a new SSD by making a windows backup and restoring from the image. It was easy enough but there are a few things I encountered that had to be rectified..

1. Had to move the boot records onto the windows drive to make sure it was the only partition backed up.
2. The image restore process on the windows installation cd would not restore to my new drive until I installed it to sata 0 so that it was auto-assigned to drive c on boot.
3. I kept my old disk in the PC and wanted to use it as an additional partition. After the recovery to my new drive , windows detected both had the same signature and auto-disabled my old disk. It was easily fixed by enabling it in the Computer Management app which assigned a new ID to the old drive.

These are pretty specific issues though and depend if you currently have more than one drive/partition.

But otherwise the process should be plain sailing!
 
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Yes I only have 1 hardrive currently along with the SSD and its 1tb, got about 450GB space remaining on the hard drive. Im using windows 7. Maybe its just me but I read that site and it confused me :p
 
Bacon? said:
Yes I only have 1 hardrive currently along with the SSD and its 1tb, got about 450GB space remaining on the hard drive. Im using windows 7. Maybe its just me but I read that site and it confused me :p
Click to expand...

Is the 1TB partitioned as a single drive?
 
I don't remember, but I believe so. In My Computer only have the single HDD showing, its not split or anything.
 
You will need to partition your hdd. Once you have done that, start moving as much as you can to the partiton(s), as you need to reduce the size of your C drive to fit the ssd. Delete the file and folders from C drive once you have copied them to the new partition. Ideally, you want to get your C drive down to about 40GBs. Then just use EaseUS Todo Backup Free to clone your drive to the ssd.
 
could use the ssd and cache the hdd? im doing that on my z68

if not then the quickest easiest way is to clean install windows on the 60gb ssd then save all important data off the hdd using spare hdd or dvd's ect and format it then re install

any games and drag/drop any movies/music/pictures ect
 
If you can remove/backup/uninstall software on the 1tb drive and get that down to a size that will fit on the 60gb ssd then macrium reflect free will do the mirroring and resize the partition at the same time.

However I think you will be better off installing Windows and programs onto the ssd from scratch and use the 1tb drive as your data drive
 
you can back up your steam games (click steam top left of steam window), install windows, install steam restore backup, (you can specify the restore back to your 'big' hdd), easy
 
Let me see if I got this right.

De-fragment all my files first to reduce the size of it
Backup all of that to a second partition?
Delete any items I dont need on the first partition to reduce it to 60GB
Image over the first partition to an SSD
Delete the first partition on the HDD after reboot leaving all my data in the second partition

wazza300 I dont mind doing that but how do I direct Windows to look for my files on the HDD rather than the SSD, since it won't recognise any programs on the HDD.
 
you can go in the program files on the hdd and create a new shortcut for the exe

most will work and some will need re installing
 
Hmmm I hadnt thought of that, I considered replacing the program files folder on the SSD with a shortcut to the folder on the HDD
 
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