Migrating Just My OS to a New SSD

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B3NDY

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At the moment I have a 1tb WD blue hdd and it has got windows 8 with everything on it, all my games, files and os settings. Now I just bought a Samsung 120Gb 840 Evo ssd and all i want to do is transfer my OS with all the settings I have on to my ssd. The problem is I have 230Gb of storage already on my hdd and only 120Gb ssd so I dont know if i can just select what I want to migrate or not.

Im trying to use samsung's migration software but when i set it to search all folders for things I don't want to transfer across it only finds a few files and im still miles off getting down to 100Gb. I have just backed up my local disk onto a external 1Tb hdd and its got everything on it but a couple of files couldnt transfer across because they were running. I dont know whether this matters but its there if i need it.

I have my windows 8 CD still with the code so if I need that its all here but I dont know what im doing with it.

I really dont know what im doing at the moment so try keep it simple enough for me to understand, all I want is to get windows and a few games to load up faster.

Also will I need to do this whole process again if I ever want to transfer a game across or will I be able to just drag and drop?
 
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To migrate just your OS, the only method that I have ever heard of is a program called "Paragon Migrate OS to SSD": http://www.paragon-software.com/technologies/components/migrate-OS-to-SSD/

It costs $19.95 but if you look around you may be able to find a $5.00 discount coupon on the 'net.

Since you have the Windows installation DVD, that may be the best way to go. Just be sure to disconnect your HDD before you reinstall Windows and reconnect it after you have finished the installation and updating process.

As far as games are concerned, it depends on how they were installed. If installed as a part of Steam or Origin, you do not need to reinstall the games. Just reinstall Steam/Origin on the new SSD and then point the Library...
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spooky2th

spooky2th

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There is expensive software to do what you want. You're gonna have to delete stuff first and then clone the drive or delete after you clone.

A clean install of windows is probably the best way to go. Boot with your windows install disk and the ssd installed in the same port that the hdd was booting from and to be safe with no other disk installed, and load windows. It is pretty simple. After you've done it once or twice it will be second nature. Follow the on-screen instructions.

After windows is installed, load all the MB drivers. get the latest drivers from the MB web site.

Then plug the hdd into another sata port and you should have access to it too.
 
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Y0GI

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To migrate just your OS, the only method that I have ever heard of is a program called "Paragon Migrate OS to SSD": http://www.paragon-software.com/technologies/components/migrate-OS-to-SSD/

It costs $19.95 but if you look around you may be able to find a $5.00 discount coupon on the 'net.

Since you have the Windows installation DVD, that may be the best way to go. Just be sure to disconnect your HDD before you reinstall Windows and reconnect it after you have finished the installation and updating process.

As far as games are concerned, it depends on how they were installed. If installed as a part of Steam or Origin, you do not need to reinstall the games. Just reinstall Steam/Origin on the new SSD and then point the Library Setting to your games folder on the old HDD. For more details just Google move Steam or move Origin.

If the games were installed as stand-alone installations on your old HDD, you will need to reinstall them from the original installation media.

Yogi
 
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B3NDY

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I've done what you said and installed windows onto the ssd now, its booted into it and I have set it as my boot drive too. Now I have plugged in my hdd again and its in a new port so that's all right and when I go to file explorer I can access everything on the hdd but I can't seem to run any of the programmes. For example steam is on my hdd and when I go into the files it will not run. Also a game like minecraft says I need to install Java even though it is already on my hdd but just not on my ssd.

Also will I need to install drivers again if they are still on mu hdd and if I move a game onto my desktop will that transfer it from my hdd to my ssd or just create a shortcut to the file on my hdd?

Do I just need to wipe my old hdd and grab all my games with the saves on from my backup and reinstall everything again?

 
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spooky2th

spooky2th

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You need to install steam, java, adobe flash player and anything else now. Did you install the MB drivers?

You can access the data on the hdd but the programs and games you used will have to installed on the ssd now. Go to steampowered.com and install steam for your steam games.

Any other programs that you used will have to be installed on the ssd.
 
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B3NDY

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I will go and install the drivers now then. Will I be able to just install steam onto my ssd and then leave all the games on the hdd? I only have 120Gb so I won't be able to fit all my games onto my ssd if I have to do that. I can install some programmes but is it not possible to leave them on the hdd and still have them function as though they were on the main drive?

 
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spooky2th

spooky2th

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Redirect the downloads & storage to the HDD. You might want to do a quick format on the hdd and download your steam games and what ever else.

When downloading when the option to change folder comes up (sometimes select advanced,) select a created folder on the HDD or just change to the HDD.

You can also change your documents, music, pictures and etc to the HDD.
 
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B3NDY

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So I have a the mb drivers and installed programmes like java onto my ssd now and any large applications I have set a shortcut on the desktop to the programme itself which is on the hdd such as skype or chrome. I'm guessing this mean the actual application isn't on the ssd so it will not take up as much room at all, if this isn't right please tell me though.

Now I am just having trouble with steam games, i have set it so i have another folder on my hdd for when they are downloading which is great but most of my games are already on my hdd in the old steam games folder so I'm wondering if there is a way to copy the games into the new games folder because although I can download them again into the new folder I do have a 3Mb/s download which is shocking so I would rather not have to wait literally weeks to download everything again when I actually already have it right there on my hdd. I also have the games and their saves on my external hdd so if need be I can use those ones.

Just out of interest, if I delete a steam game and then re-download it on either the same pc or another will my progress through the game be saved and re-downloaded too?

 
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B3NDY

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So I know its been a while but I have a fresh install of Windows 8 on my SSD with drivers, programmes and applications that I commonly use such as GeForce Experience and Chrome as well as things like Java but there are a lot of programmes still on my hdd. I was wandering if any of the programmes on the hdd actually do anything or whether I should just delete them all because they arn't doing anything.

I was also wandering if I could now delete all the windows files off the hdd to free up some space but I don't know whether this will mess up all the folders.

The problem I have is that at the moment I have all my games stored on my hdd but to redirect steam to the folder I made a new one in My Documents on my old user so it take a long time to get through all the files and would it be possible to take everything out of my documents and put it near the front of the drive if that makes sense so as soon as I look in the drive I can go straight into Documents and find anything I want without having to go through all the user folders.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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You can move your Steamapps folder to wherever you want. And whichever drive.
 
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Y0GI

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No! Don't delete your games!

Just reinstall the Steam client on the new SSD and change your Steam "Library" setting to point to the games folder on the old HDD: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

Yogi

 
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B3NDY

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Well iv got the whole steam directory thing sorted so that all my games are on my hdd and accessed from steam which is on my ssd but what i'm more bothered about is whether I can delete the whole Windows file and the Programme file because these are where a lot of the data is and I don't use the windows any more because it is on my ssd and I don't use a lot of the programmes because they need to be on my ssd to work.

I also have all my steam games from my old user in the programme file but my ssd steam is set to look in a custom folder in My Documents so does that mean I can delete all the games from the old programme files version because at the moment I have two copies of every game which takes up a lot of space.
 
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