Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Solved

Reinstalling Windows 7 after replacing HDD?

Tags:
  • Windows 7
  • Hard Drives
  • External Hard Drive
Last response: in Windows 7
Share
October 11, 2014 4:09:38 PM

I'm in the middle of replacing my HDD before it breaks down (soon) but I've been hearing things such as having to reinstall Windows 7. What if I can't find my Windows 7 disc? I have ALL that I need in my external HDD already as I don't have my new HDD yet. What should I do now?

More about : reinstalling windows replacing hdd

Best solution

a b $ Windows 7
October 11, 2014 4:23:58 PM

At a minimum, you will need the Windows 7 Product Key for re-activation. As long as you have that, you can download the ISO from Seven Forums (using an identical version to what was previously installed). If you don't have the product key, you will have to purchase a new Windows license.

-Wolf sends
Share
October 11, 2014 4:31:19 PM

You can simply clone your hard drive onto the new hard drive.

I use Macrium reflect. It's free. There are videos on how to do it but it's pretty simple.
m
0
l
Related resources
a b $ Windows 7
October 11, 2014 4:39:02 PM

If your current hard drive is currently, fully operational, then a clone, as jjs0891 suggests may be the easiest way to save your system. Personally, I've used EaseUS Todo Backup to transfer my OS and programs from my 80GB hard drive to a 750GB hard drive. The system has been running perfectly (the same as before) ever since.

-Wolf sends
m
0
l
October 11, 2014 4:42:33 PM

Where do I find my OS?
m
0
l
a b $ Windows 7
October 11, 2014 4:45:28 PM

Sorry. When I said "my OS and programs", I did mean my entire 80GB drive.

-Wolf sends
m
0
l
October 11, 2014 4:50:05 PM

Wolfshadw said:
Sorry. When I said "my OS and programs", I did mean my entire 80GB drive.

-Wolf sends


So I just clone the entire thing and I don't need to install anything? Thing's just like before? Also what if I have a partition hard drive? Least that's what I think it is. It's called FACTORY IMAGE (D:) 
m
0
l
a b $ Windows 7
October 11, 2014 5:03:51 PM

Quote:
So I just clone the entire thing and I don't need to install anything? Thing's just like before?

Yes. Everything is just like it was before and you don't need to install anything.

Quote:
Also what if I have a partition hard drive? Least that's what I think it is. It's called FACTORY IMAGE

This may be a bit trickier. I don't know if the software I linked provides an option to create partitions (I would think it does, but I don't know). If it does, then you would probably run the drive cloning process twice. The first time, you create a partition on the drive that leave enough space for the second clone partition. The second time, you simply clone the second partition to the second partition on the new drive.

If this is possible, what you would need to do is know the sizes of the two partitions on your current hard drive. Let's say, for example, you have a 320GB hard drive. Your OS Partition is 310GB and your "Factory Image" partition is 10GB. Let's also say that your new hard drive is 1TB. If the cloning software allows this, then what I would recommend is for the first clone process, you create a partition on the new hard drive of 10GB and transfer the
"Factory Image" partition to that drive (name it Drive D if you can). Then create a partition using the remaining available space on the new hard drive for your C: clone.

This process may or may not work. You may need to create a boot partition first in which case, you need to create a partition that leaves enough room for your "Factory Image" partition (probably about 15GB).

-Wolf sends
m
0
l
October 11, 2014 5:14:49 PM

Wolfshadw said:
Quote:
So I just clone the entire thing and I don't need to install anything? Thing's just like before?

Yes. Everything is just like it was before and you don't need to install anything.

Quote:
Also what if I have a partition hard drive? Least that's what I think it is. It's called FACTORY IMAGE

This may be a bit trickier. I don't know if the software I linked provides an option to create partitions (I would think it does, but I don't know). If it does, then you would probably run the drive cloning process twice. The first time, you create a partition on the drive that leave enough space for the second clone partition. The second time, you simply clone the second partition to the second partition on the new drive.

If this is possible, what you would need to do is know the sizes of the two partitions on your current hard drive. Let's say, for example, you have a 320GB hard drive. Your OS Partition is 310GB and your "Factory Image" partition is 10GB. Let's also say that your new hard drive is 1TB. If the cloning software allows this, then what I would recommend is for the first clone process, you create a partition on the new hard drive of 10GB and transfer the
"Factory Image" partition to that drive (name it Drive D if you can). Then create a partition using the remaining available space on the new hard drive for your C: clone.

This process may or may not work. You may need to create a boot partition first in which case, you need to create a partition that leaves enough room for your "Factory Image" partition (probably about 15GB).

-Wolf sends


Is it absolutely necessary to even care about this factory image hdd? Both old hdd and new one I'm getting is 1tb but I have plenty of space
m
0
l
a b $ Windows 7
October 11, 2014 5:23:04 PM

Nice to have on the off chance your current OS fails and a full install from an OEM disk also fails. Since it's not taking up too much disk space, I'd keep it.

-Wolf sends
m
0
l
October 11, 2014 6:43:36 PM

I got my new hard drive just now and I'm ready to clone

Do I back the stuff from my old hard drive to an external hard drive then to my new internal hard drive? Or from the old one directly to the new one? Also how do I even go about doing that? (cloning from old to new at once, can my desktop fit 2 hard drives at once?)
m
0
l
a b $ Windows 7
October 11, 2014 6:59:31 PM

Quote:
can my desktop fit 2 hard drives at once?)

Entirely up to your desktop. For the short term, you do not need to physically install the hard drive into the case. As long as it has a power connection to the power supply and a data connection to a SATA port on the motherboard, it can hang loose.

Quote:
Do I back the stuff from my old hard drive to an external hard drive then to my new internal hard drive? Or from the old one directly to the new one?

You should not need to make a back up of anything. Once the cloning software is installed on your current hard drive*, You should be able to physically install the new hard drive into your system, power on the system, and then run the cloning software to clone your current hard drive to your new hard drive. The cloning software program should provide you with step by step instructions on what you need to do

* - Depending on what cloning software you use, you may be required to create a boot disc to boot your system from and that boot disc would automatically start the cloning software. Again, I'm not totally literate with this software. I've only done it once with EaseUS ToDo BackUp and it ran from the installation on my original hard drive.

-Wolf sends
m
0
l
October 12, 2014 12:45:00 AM

Thanks! I've successfully cloned/replaced my HDD and even got a good chance to clean out the interior - something my brother apparently never touched in the 6 years he's had with it. You can already tell how filthy it was, yuck!

Also no need to shell out some 150 something bucks for Windows 7 yayx2
m
0
l
!