Move OS to SSD

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Wills981

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Sep 11, 2013
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I am planning on buying a SSD in the near future and I wanted to install my OS and possibly a few frequently used programs onto it. If I re-install windows onto an SSD will I still have access to all of my files and games that are on my HDD, or do i need to re-install all of those? If I do need to re-install all of those programs then is there another way I could go about this so that I don't have to (software or something)?

-Just in case this matters I currently have a 1tb hdd and I am planning on buying a 120gb SSD (http://tinyurl.com/kmxq3n6)
 
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envy14tpe
Great choice on SSD. Also, if you can, get the Samsung 840 Evo.

I was in your situation. I added a SSD later. I wish I didn't have to reinstall everything but it is the best move. You will have many issues if you don't do a fresh install.

You could clone the HDD and if you have issues you could simply boot from OS on HDD instead of SSD.

When you install SSD, the HDD must be unplugged and setup from there. Once it is running then you can reboot with HDD connected.
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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Mar 3, 2012
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Great choice on SSD. Also, if you can, get the Samsung 840 Evo.

I was in your situation. I added a SSD later. I wish I didn't have to reinstall everything but it is the best move. You will have many issues if you don't do a fresh install.

You could clone the HDD and if you have issues you could simply boot from OS on HDD instead of SSD.

When you install SSD, the HDD must be unplugged and setup from there. Once it is running then you can reboot with HDD connected.
 
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shopperen

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Apr 12, 2013
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What you are asking, is if you can migrate all of your C: partition data from your HDD to your new SSD.

The answer is yes, you can migrate all data, but it will require a complete backup of the entire C: partition. And after the migration is complete, you will properly have to reinstall most of your drivers. Even after all of that, there might be stability issues in regards to the IDE/SATA/RAID controller.

So the practical answer is, that yes, you will have to reinstall Windows and that means all of your desired programs as well. As for your games, many games today save their progress and settings to your user profile which is also stored on the C: partition (C:\Users\"Username"\Documents) or (C:\Users\"Username"\AppData).
 
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Y0GI

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Jul 22, 2013
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I recently installed a Samsung 840 Pro SSD on my system. I used Samsung's "Data Migration" software to clone my C: drive and all installed programs from my existing HDD to the new SSD. At first it would not work and then the software prompted me for an update. After updating, the program worked like a charm! Very smooth and trouble free! Highly recommended!

Yogi
 
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Wills981

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Sep 11, 2013
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Thanks for all of the fast responses that really helps! If I backup my current HDD onto an external HDD then erase all the programs and files from my original HDD would I be able to reinstall them back to my HDD once I have installed my OS onto the SSD?
 
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shopperen

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No, it will not work like that. Every single program on your computer has system and configuration files stored in Windows as well as your local user profile. Most programs will not work after the reinstallation of Windows. You have to perform a complete system backup, it is not enough to copy/paste the folders and files from your HDD to your SSD.
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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Mar 3, 2012
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Agreed with shopperen. It sucks but you gotta just reinstall it again. I made a list of programs I wanted and found the installation copy then proceeded to reinstall knowing what I needed to add to it later.

There is a way to move games. So, if you are worried about losing game progress you could search for that. I forget the program name though.
 
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