Windows 10 Replacing HDD with new SSD drive on windows 10

[alexteslin]

Hi All, I have purchased a new laptop with Windows 10 already factory installed by manufacturer. It came with HDD drive which I would like to replace with SSD to run apps faster. I came to several sites where they explain how to do that with several steps. I am thinking of creating a bootable USB drive and then clean install from that. But again, I found more than one method and I like some confirmation the method I am going to take:

1. Create a bootable USB drive (using Media Creation Tool found on my Windows 10) - I also found doing this with Rufus application, can anyone suggest which one to use?

2. Clean install Windows 10 from that USB drive. Should I use partition on new SSD, will I be prompted for that?

Thank you

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Hi alex and welcome to the forum:

I did this upgrade a few months ago on my Sony Vaio laptop (7 yrs.old). It worked great. I used the Kingston SSDNOW 300V upgrade kit which includes a 120GB Kingston SSD drive and the Acronis TrueImage software that allows you to move your Windows/programs/data over seamlessly from your old mechanical HDD to the SSD drive. I paid about $70 online for mine. Works great! [also both Samsung and Intel are highly recommended by my colleagues here on the forum; avoid off-brand or non-branded drives].

Notes: Bootable USB drives do NOT currently work with any version of Win10 I've tried. Some of the Mods and volunteers here claim to have gotten it to work; and that's quite probable. But, with 44 years of computer experience and I can't get it to work neither will you. Go with a DVD bootable disc; cheaper and more reliable. I've created them using the Microsoft media creation tool you mentioned; the tool just fails no matter which usb burn software you use; I've tried them all including the ones you mention and several more.

If your laptop or table doesn't have a built-in DVD writer drive as many newer laptops/notebooks/tablets do not, you can buy one here: Link Removed

If you don't have Internet access or Amazon won't deliver to your location if outside the U.S, you can always take in your laptop to a local repair shop where there are professionally licensed computer techs (A+) and pay them to do the W10 reinstall for you for a fee.

Best of luck,
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>

 

[zirkoni]

Notes: Bootable USB drives do NOT currently work with any version of Win10 I've tried.

Yes they do. I've installed Win10 on 4 different machines from a bootable USB flash drive.

 

[kemical]

Yes they do. I've installed Win10 on 4 different machines from a bootable USB flash drive.

He's right Bigbear.. You can even buy Windows 10 on USB:
Link Removed

 

[Sonny]

I have only used USB Flash Drives for windows 10. Never had a problem.

Rufus is also what I used to create an iso with.

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Ok, ok, guys--I believe you. Guess I'm just doing something wrong, but I had this same problem 2 years ago trying to get a bootoable Win7 flash drive to work. Until I found WiNToBOOTIC utility. This one has worked consistently, however, it does not work with either version of Win10 ISO files available on Microsoft's Media Creation Tool page. Good to know about Rufus--that doesn't work as I said, on any of about 5 different machines; including both Desktop PCs and laptops; nor does Microsoft tool. I had this same problem with Win7 & Win7 Pro like I said until I finally got it to work. So, I just have to keep working on it. (yet another project!!).

It's just interesting that the majority of my Clients and forum users have this same problem--that's why I mentioned it in my post to the OP. I've probably had 50 users across all the forums I volunteer on tell me that they can't get the Win10 boot flash drive to work either. So, it's not just me . I've had the discussion with them, and listed all the tools mentioned above, including some other ones not mentioned--and most just give up cause it doesn't work the majority of the time. I'll refrain from mentioning the problem unless the OP specifically tells us he cannot create the USB boot drive for Win10 after we instruct them to do so.

<<<BBJ>>>

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Yes they do. I've installed Win10 on 4 different machines from a bootable USB flash drive.

>>>Hi zirkoni; I also received this post from you via the forum E-mail:

Yes they do. AFAIK, the operating system installed on the machine has nothing to do with how bootable media works, it all depends on the motherboard. It loads the OS from the bootable media before the OS that is installed on a HDD/SSD kicks in.

****end of your post***

>>>I understand this, however, as I stated in my post from today above, it doesn't work on multiple machines I have, and it's a very similar problem that Win7 ISO files had when I first started messing with them back in 2011. The main difference in how boot priorities are handled in modern computers is whether or not they have UEFI BIOSes or not. Most of my machines do not have UEFI Mothterboards; but I've had customer machines in here which do; and the Win10 bootable flash drives do not work on them either. What I originally found that solved my Win7 problem was that Microsoft was removing Win7 images that weren't licensed from the Internet; and it became harder and harder to find legit ISO file images. With the help of some of the forum guys, I finally got ISO files from 2 websites to actually work, as I mentioned with my post; but only with 1 tool: WiNToBOOTIC. All other tools failed. I guess what I'm saying to you is that I know what I'm doing, and there ARE definitely problems creating Win10 bootable flash drives. To placate y'all, as I said above, I will refrain from posting the Caution about it, unless an OP runs into a problem trying to make or use one. Then, I will direct them to attempt the DVD bootable media instead, as that works every time in my tests.<<<

Best,
<<<BBJ>>>

P.S. Not sure why your above quoted post didn't show up in the public thread; I only re-quoted it so you would know which comment of yours I was talking about. <sorry!>

 

[chrunos]

I would prefer the first method from the two. If I were in your position, I would probably use the third.
I would clone Windows 10 to ssd with a free backup and restore software , such as AOMEI Backupper, as long as your ssd have enough space for the data on the hdd. If your ssd does not have that much space, you can slim your HDD by removing data to another storage device or use system clone to only migrate your operating system(OS) to the SSD instead.