How do I change where windows 8.1 boots without reinstalling windows/cloning

Accolades · Sep 10, 2014

Installed a new m.2 ssd in my Lenovo y410p and initialized it and everything. Appears in devices and I can access it. How do I set it as my boot drive though? I went into legacy bios and legacy boot mode and put the ssd at the top of the list but its capacity is still completely empty so my boot drive can't be there.

Edit: To be more clear, I would like to boot from the SSD (without having to clone it over/reinstalling it).

i7Baby · Sep 10, 2014

Did you install Windows on it?

Accolades · Sep 10, 2014

Well it came with a 1tb hard drive and a 24gb ssd cache. I never moved the Windows from the hard drive, just replaced the ssd.

Accolades · Sep 10, 2014

i7Baby :

^above message

i7Baby · Sep 10, 2014

? 'everything'?

Accolades · Sep 10, 2014

i7Baby :

Not sure what you mean. I personally did not install windows on it. Whereever the laptop was manufactured installed it for me and I just purchased the laptop.

Accolades · Sep 10, 2014

Accolades · Sep 11, 2014

Accolades · Sep 14, 2014

USAFRet · Sep 14, 2014

First off, no bumping please. Thanks.

To use that new m.2 drive as your boot drive, you must install the actual OS on it. Otherwise, the system will boot from wherever the OS exists currently.

Accolades · Sep 16, 2014

USAFRet :

Correct me if I'm wrong but can't you just change the way it boots from bios/eufi, you don't have to re-install the entire OS again. I'm having trouble with that part

Paperdoc · Sep 16, 2014

You are not understanding the term"boot drive". That term means the storage device that HAS your OS ON IT so you can boot from that device. It will then be known as the C: drive. So obviously you MUST INSTALL the OS on that new SSD in order to allow you to boot from it.

MAYBE what you want is NOT to have the SSD be your "boot drive". What is it you really expected to achieve?

Accolades · Sep 16, 2014

Paperdoc :

Oh, I maybe am talking about boot order. But wouldn't changing the boot order switch the OS over to the other drive?

USAFRet · Sep 16, 2014

Accolades :

It does not work like that.
Changing the boot order in the BIOS does not automagically move the OS to a different drive.
It merely tells the system which drive to try first, second, third.....

If it does not find a bootable OS on drive 1, it then looks to the second. Repeat as necessary.

Accolades · Sep 16, 2014

USAFRet :

Accolades :

It does not work like that.
Changing the boot order in the BIOS does not automagically move the OS to a different drive.
It merely tells the system which drive to try first, second, third.....

If it does not find a bootable OS on drive 1, it then looks to the second. Repeat as necessary.

Oh okay thanks. So if I purchased the laptop with windows preinstalled, how do i move it over?

USAFRet · Sep 17, 2014

Accolades :

From your original statement:
"Edit: To be more clear, I would like to boot from the SSD (without having to clone it over/reinstalling it). "

You must do one or the other.

Accolades · Sep 17, 2014

USAFRet :

If i purchased the laptop with windows preinstalled, what would be the steps needed for either of those options?

USAFRet · Sep 17, 2014

Accolades :

USAFRet :

If i purchased the laptop with windows preinstalled, what would be the steps needed for either of those options?

Clone from the old drive to the new SSD.

Accolades · Sep 18, 2014

USAFRet :

Accolades :

Clone from the old drive to the new SSD.

http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows
I'll try using this, thanks

How do I change where windows 8.1 boots without reinstalling windows/cloning

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