So I just got my new computer and my OS is on the HDD, instead of the installed SSD. Isnt this odd? I am assuming the best place for it would be the SDD, correct?

Any easy way to move it?

Thank you!!

A little more info.

1. Make and model of the computer.
2. Can you see what the boot options are in the BIOS? Legacy and UEFI?

And if you know the make/model of the SDD?


You might be able to use a freeware version of a partition management application and "clone" the partition(s) or the drives (all partitions at once) and then swap the drive order in the boot options to boot from the SDD.

Some SDD interfaces are not the same as hard drives, so without caddy and adapters, moving them to primary boot interface, may not be possible, but most new systems only require the boot device order to be changed, and not physically need to move the drives around.

This can be "iffy" because some systems are made without some of these options for lower manufacturing costs.

I don't want to insult your intelligence or speak over your head, so let me know if this helps.

If it comes to it, I can try and assist on a phone call to help get you going.

quote:

Originally posted by hunter62:
So I just got my new computer and my OS is on the HDD, instead of the installed SSD. Isnt this odd? I am assuming the best place for it would be the SDD, correct?

Any easy way to move it?

Thank you!!

The SSD needs to be blank (unformatted) and then use Acronis or another utility to move the partition, most SSD companies provide this software IE: Intel Migration Tool > Intel SSD, Samsung Magician > Samsung SSD ....etc.
Or a third-party tool some are free and some paid > Acronis, Easeus etc.

SO the computer is brand new, the SDD is blank although it was showing something like 64MB used.

I was googling it and thought EaseUS Parition might work?

Here are the details on my computer from my email confirmation, I am not the most tech savy, so use small words

Alienware R6

MOD,SW,W10,EDITION,HOME
Module,Solid State Drive,256G,P34,80S3,PM961
Module,Hard Drive,1TB,7.2K,#2,512E,OASIS

How do I check boot options in the BIOS? What would you need me to copy?

Also, I downloaded EaseUS, the first thing it wants me to do is convert the SSD from a MBR to a GPT. I must admit I have no idea what that means.

I just copied the parts I thought you might need. Let me know what else. THANK YOU!!

EaseUS Partition should work.

Let me look at the email. brb....

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
EaseUS Partition should work.

Let me look at the email. brb....

Sorry I didn't send an email, I just copied in my post the parts for the HDD, SDD, and OS. I didn't know if you needed more of that stuff.

Also, what BIOS info do you need and how do I get it? Windows 10 is a completely different beast from 7.

OK.

Start the computer and press the F2 as soon as you get power, you might have to press repeatedly every 1/2 second.

Then you should have a menu structure on the left with +- to expand each section.

Should be one for boot devices, boot order, boot options or drives.

The SDD is 1/4 the capacity of the disc drive, so if you have quite a few apps you will be running, you might see an impact on that drive.

If you keep lots of music, images and such, you can use the disc drive for that pretty easily and you should be fine.

What info do you need?

Yes.

I'll need to do a little research on the boot option.

Give me a few minutes.

OK.

Looks like you will need to clone the Hard Drive to the SDD. (and make sure the partition is set to "active".)

Then remove the cables from the Hard Drive and SDD

Then connect the cable that was connected to the HDD, and connect it to the SDD,

This will (should) make the SDD the boot drive.

If Windows boots, allow it to load, place a notepad file on the Desktop so you can see it on the next boot.

Shut down, and then connect the free cable (that originally was on the SDD) to the HDD

Start the PC and if the file is still on the desktop, you are good.

If not, let me know, and we will work through that.


To follow-up, what we are doing is making a copy of the existent/working Windows on the HDD to the SDD, then reversing the cabling, with an intermediate step on only booting with one drive to validate the cloning, then cabling both drives and ensuring it boots to the correct drive.

Let me know if this makes sense, and ask any questions before you start.

subscribed. Looking to do a clone/migration to SSD for the laptop soon.

If it is a new computer it seems it would be easier to simply install the OS on the SSD instead of jumping through all these hoops to get it cloned and working as the boot drive.

I am contemplating for my new computer arriving Friday, either a 500MB SSD or Intel Optane NVMe stick. I figured that the SSD option would be easier, but more costly. The benchmark testing I have seen for the Optane show it is just as fast as, or close to SSD.

The install instructions for the Optane scared me to begin with, now moving the Win10 partition looks almost as scary. Any advice for me?

Here's the original thread with my questions. Please answer there to keep from gunking up hunter's thread.

can you post a screenshot of your disk management utility (before you do anything)? Are you a gamer?

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
If it is a new computer it seems it would be easier to simply install the OS on the SSD instead of jumping through all these hoops to get it cloned and working as the boot drive.

If OP has install media. Sometimes the time it takes to crate media and reinstall is longer than the drive clone thing. (and required drivers)

And OP might learn a bit more hands on than, nuke and pave.

This is one of those deals that are about as much effort either way.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
If it is a new computer it seems it would be easier to simply install the OS on the SSD instead of jumping through all these hoops to get it cloned and working as the boot drive.

If OP has install media. Sometimes the time it takes to crate media and reinstall is longer than the drive clone thing.

And OP might learn a bit more hands on than, nuke and pave.

This is one of those deals that are about as much effort either way.

My new computer doesn't come with recovery disk, so I am not sure nuke and pave is even an option. Been a long, long time since I have bought a new computer.

That was my solution for when my computer got slow in the past. Back up to separate drive, reinstall windows, wipe system, restore backup from back up drive.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
If it is a new computer it seems it would be easier to simply install the OS on the SSD instead of jumping through all these hoops to get it cloned and working as the boot drive.

If OP has install media. Sometimes the time it takes to crate media and reinstall is longer than the drive clone thing.

And OP might learn a bit more hands on than, nuke and pave.

This is one of those deals that are about as much effort either way.

My new computer doesn't come with recovery disk, so I am not sure nuke and pave is even an option. Been a long, long time since I have bought a new computer.

I do corporate stuff, so I have all the various media and what not, but I know there are links you can use to get the media for reinstall.

Sometimes is simple, other-times, drivers can be a sticking point, and even the drivers from the vendor's sight for a specific model may not be the same as the image on the computer due to changes during manufacture.

Windows 10 has a "recovery mode" that uses an external USB drive to store some image information, but I have not used it, so I don't know the specifics.

In the past, I have had some pretty wild system configs with applications/hardware and setups that made backup/restore a nightmare, (very vertical, and very extensive setup and configuration to get working a specific way) but cloning the drive was fast and simple (compared to bare metal restore), and so I used cloning and partition utilities extensively.

Then moved into visualization and "disc-2-virtual" utilities and pretty much moved away from cloning.

Where I have been for the past 7 years, is a much different environment, so I can and do things much more streamlined, scalable, standardized, and a lot of those "methods" I used in the past, I no longer need to mess with.

I use Macrium Reflect to clone my sdd's

If it's a new computer, why don't you just go back to the manufacturer and get their customer support? It should still be under some sort of warranty or technical help period, right?

OP and Skins2881,

I have an HP Omen laptop that came with a 128GB SSD M2 as C: (operating system and programs), and a 1TB HDD as D: (back up and other such uses). I thought the 128 was way to small, they must have been just trying to get rid of them. The 128 had all sorts of partitions on it, I contemplated using Acronis. Anyways, I put W10 on USB thumbdrive and made it bootable (W10 and ISO boot procedures online). Set the laptop legacy boot options. Opened the laptop (PITA), swapped in the 1T SSD, put in the USB and booted from that. In the set up it asked which disk to put W10 on and I picked the new C: drive. It created all the partitons and loaded W10 on the new SSD - all fime. I figured if I had screwed up, I had the original C: that could be put back in to start it all over again. So for you (and Skins2881), create the bootable USB from online Microsoft, just swap out the the HDD to SSD, and boot from USB and load W10.

I did a similar to my desktop, swapped the HDD to an SSD and used a W7 USB. But this was putting the drive back to "new" fresh OS install rather than image, probably needed it anyways.

There are a ton of internet pages and youtubes on how to do this (here are a couple), read several until you feel comfortable on what they are doing.

http://www.redmondpie.com/how-...b-flash-drive-guide/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzuCgm7dIEc