Moving Windows 8.1 to an SSD

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 16, 2015

Hi everyone,
I just recently bought the New Samsung 850 512gb SSD for my gaming pc and my current plan is to have Windows 8.1 and a few games and programs on it.
I currently have a Western Digital Black WD1002FAEX 1TB Hard Drive, how can I move Windows over from this hard drive, to the SSD, and then boot off of the SSD.
I know there are multiple ways to do this... I can use the migration software on the SSD, I can use other migration software, I can clone the OS, or I can do a complete restart on the PC and do I fresh install.
So my main question is, how can I move Windows 8.1 and ONLY Windows 8.1 from my Current HDD to my new SSD and then completely remove it from my HDD? Is this even possible? I know I am going to have to back everything up just incase something happens.
If there is no way to do what I wish, what is the best option for moving the OS to the SSD so I can avoid a clean install.
Thanks, Jesse.

RCFProd · Jan 16, 2015

Fresh format and install is recommended.

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 16, 2015

RCFProd :

So I should do a fresh install onto the SSD and then clear the HDD?

boju · Jan 16, 2015

Transferring the os to the SSD wont be optimised and will be treated like a platter drive. Poor performance and also run the risk of damaging the SSD too.

As above, fresh install is recommended.

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 16, 2015

boju :

Okay, seems as if this is the best way to do it, thanks

tsnor · Jan 16, 2015

Modern cloning software knows all about SSDs. Samsung has "SSD magician" software that will reset/reoptimize windows settings.

First step is putting the new drive in your pc. This is simple, unplug PC, open case. Steal SATA cable and power cable from your CDROM drive. Plug the cables into your new drive, they fit. Just let the new drive hang there, the power cable grounds it. Plug in and power up.

Since you have a WD drive you can download a free copy of Acronis cloning software from WD then use it to make a bootable clone of your current WD black drive on the samsung 850. When you launch Acronis it will ask source drive, target drive then make a bootable clone.

Once the drive is cloned, power off, remove the old drive and plug in your new drive. Return the cables to the CDROM. Power up. You will boot from the SSD. Then load the Samsung 'magician' software. It will update firmware in your SSD drive. After that do the optimize step. Screenshots are on the samsung site, but you won't need them.

I've done exactly this on my T420 (to intel 320 ssd via USB connector for cloning), to a samsung 830 (in my laptop) and to an intel 730 ssd (in my server) all with good results. I've also use this technique to install msata ssd (plextor) on a pair on laptops used by my kids. Pretty easy.

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 17, 2015

tsnor :

Horse Puck. Modern cloning software knows all about SSDs. Samsung has "SSD magician" software that will reset/reoptimize windows settings.

First step is putting the new drive in your pc. This is simple, unplug PC, open case. Steal SATA cable and power cable from your CDROM drive. Plug the cables into your new drive, they fit. Just let the new drive hang there, the power cable grounds it. Plug in and power up.

Since you have a WD drive you can download a free copy of Acronis cloning software from WD then use it to make a bootable clone of your current WD black drive on the samsung 850. When you launch Acronis it will ask source drive, target drive then make a bootable clone.

Once the drive is cloned, power off, remove the old drive and plug in your new drive. Return the cables to the CDROM. Power up. You will boot from the SSD. Then load the Samsung 'magician' software. It will update firmware in your SSD drive. After that do the optimize step. Screenshots are on the samsung site, but you won't need them.

I've done exactly this on my T420 (to intel 320 ssd via USB connector for cloning), to a samsung 830 (in my laptop) and to an intel 730 ssd (in my server) all with good results. I've also use this technique to install msata ssd (plextor) on a pair on laptops used by my kids. Pretty easy.

So there won't be any problems with optimization of Windows 8.1 on the SSD, and will the SSD be able to perform at its fullest potential still?

tsnor · Jan 17, 2015

"...So there won't be any problems with optimization of Windows 8.1 on the SSD, and will the SSD be able to perform at its fullest potential still?..."

Yes, this is how the great majority of SSDs are deployed. Suggest you verify this by looking at various SSD manufacturers web sites and reading their instructions for an SSD upgrade to an existing system. Manufacturer would not risk a bad customer experience with bad install instructions.

USAFRet · Jan 17, 2015

So my main question is, how can I move Windows 8.1 and ONLY Windows 8.1 from my Current HDD to my new SSD and then completely remove it from my HDD?

The bolded part is the issue.

There is only one application I know of that purports to be able to move the OS and only the OS to a new drive.
Non-free Paragon Migrate. http://www.paragon-software.com/technologies/components/migrate-OS-to-SSD/

If you wish to go down a different cloning route, there are a few things to take into consideration.

-How much used space is on your current drive? If over ~450GB, you cannot clone the whole thing.
-How 'old' is that install? If it's been a while since you last installed Windows, there is probably a lot of junk in there. Why carry that old cruft over to the new drive?

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 17, 2015

USAFRet :

My drive currently has 600gbs so i don't really want to clone. I will look into that software also. Also, if i do a clean install onto the SSD and make the pc boot off of the SSD, all of the programs from the motherboard and drivers from hardware will still be on the initial HDD, i can still use them, correct? I will also have to play around with all of my setting again, correct?

USAFRet · Jan 17, 2015

Jesse Kemmerling :

USAFRet :

My drive currently has 600gbs so i don't really want to clone. I will look into that software also. Also, if i do a clean install onto the SSD and make the pc boot off of the SSD, all of the programs from the motherboard and drivers from hardware will still be on the initial HDD, i can still use them, correct? I will also have to play around with all of my setting again, correct?

Clean install on the SSD
Reinstall all of your applications. The new OS will not know anything about them. You can reinstall on whichever drive you want.
Trying to play with the settings won't work very well.

Steam and Origin games can generally be moved around as needed without an actual reinstall.

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 17, 2015

USAFRet :

Jesse Kemmerling :

Clean install on the SSD
Reinstall all of your applications. The new OS will not know anything about them. You can reinstall on whichever drive you want.
Trying to play with the settings won't work very well.

Steam and Origin games can generally be moved around as needed without an actual reinstall.

So even though all of the applications are already installed on the HDD, the new operating system on the SSD won't notice them? So i should just re download everything, or back them up on a external hard drive, then wipe the initial HDD, and re-install them on the HDD? Will they have to go back into a Programs x86 or programs x64 folder on the HDD? Sorry i'm kind of new to this whole thing.

USAFRet · Jan 17, 2015

Jesse Kemmerling :

USAFRet :

So even though all of the applications are already installed on the HDD, the new operating system on the SSD won't notice them? So i should just re download everything, or back them up on a external hard drive, then wipe the initial HDD, and re-install them on the HDD? Will they have to go back into a Programs x86 or programs x64 folder on the HDD? Sorry i'm kind of new to this whole thing.

Reinstall. They can be reinstalled anywhere. On the new drive, on the old drive...wherever.
Select Custom or Advanced during the install for each, and tell it where to go.

Create a top level folder on the HDD - 'MyPrograms'. Use that as the top level target for installs.

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 17, 2015

USAFRet :

Jesse Kemmerling :

Reinstall. They can be reinstalled anywhere. On the new drive, on the old drive...wherever.
Select Custom or Advanced during the install for each, and tell it where to go.

Create a top level folder on the HDD - 'MyPrograms'. Use that as the top level target for installs.

So with this new install, i don't have to mess with the motherboard's bios again right? It will keep the settings? So all i have to deal with are the windows settings, not the bios? Will i be able to automatically re install the programs that came with the motherboard, like realtek HD Audio and etc?

RCFProd · Jan 17, 2015

All your settings will be reset and the driver software will be gone, so you have to update your drivers and your bios when you format your drives and install Windows on the SSD.

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 17, 2015

RCFProd :

Oh okay thanks, i forget what mine is at so i'm going to have to look at what it is now and adjust. Not a biggie. Is it worth the reinstall?

RCFProd · Jan 17, 2015

Jesse Kemmerling :

Definitely, usually the bios settings are not heavily modified. They have no reason to be. You might have to 'disable' some settings after reinstall such as power application management, integrated graphics etc but even then It's no serious thing.

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 18, 2015

RCFProd :

Okay thanks a lot for the help, think i'm gonna do a fresh install. I won't have to look for the bios's programs i don't think, i'm pretty sure they should just start downloading because it wont recognize anything.

tsnor · Jan 19, 2015

Good:

First take the WD out of the PC and put it somewhere safe. Then if you have a problem with the clean install on the SSD you have the option of removing the SSD and replacing it again with the WD drive. Putting the WD back in gives you a copy of your system at the point you removed it.

The type of things that might make you fallback to the WD drive:
1. Remembering that you installed software, that the KEY for the software is on the old windows and not on the fresh install. So put the WD bck in, get the key from the registry then go back to the SSD.
2. Remembering you did not back up your mail, your address book, etc. HAve your mail client export your setting to a USB drive before you swap out the WD for the SSD. Then import them after the fresh install.
3. wishing you'd saved your browser settings, favorites,
4. etc.

net: all the things that happen for free when you clone a disk instead of doing a fresh install need to be done manually. A fresh install is a good thing, it just takes longer to get things back the way you had them.

Good luck.

Outlander_04 · Jan 19, 2015

Just clone the hard drive you have .
Acronis Migrate easy is the best program available to do that . There is a 15 day free trial so just go download it .
Once you are booting from the SSD then install Samsungs software and optimize the drive and software set up .

Doing this would take a fraction of the time it takes to read the bad advice in this thread

Jesse Kemmerling · Jan 19, 2015

tsnor :

And then how would i be able to use that initial HDD again and boot off of the SSD? Should i do what you said, make sure it works, then wipe the HDD? Or do what you said, back up the stuff on the HDD first on an external hard drive, then wipe the HDD so nothing is in it and then use it again clean? Also, do i have to put the SSD in and format it first or do anything with it before i start this whole thing?

tsnor · Jan 22, 2015

" ..Should i do what you said, make sure it works, then wipe the HDD? Or do what you said, back up the stuff on the HDD first on an external hard drive, then wipe the HDD so nothing is in it and then use it again clean? Also, do i have to put the SSD in and format it first or do anything with it before i start this whole thing?"

Hi, My first advice from Jan 16 above agrees with Outlander. Western Digital, the maker of your current spinning drive, gives you a free downloadable copy of Acronis. Use it.

Given you decided to do a fresh build I said take the WD drive out and store it somewhere safe. Then if something goes bad with the fresh load you still have everything.

YES you should save everything you need before starting the fresh build. NO nobody gets everything. No, missing some things is not the end of the world.

If you needed to fall back to using the old drive you would remove the SSD and install the WD spinning drive. Then boot. You would end up with a system that was exactly the same as the day you removed the WD spinning disk drive. Copy anything you need off to a USB thumbdrive, then reinstall the SSD.

There are many valid choices for how to use your new SSD.

Good luck.

ohiou_grad_2006 · Jan 22, 2015

Op, this will do what you want.

http://www.backup-utility.com/

Also it has the function to align the partitions to an SSD. So you'd just want to make sure you disabled disk defrag, and have Windows 8 do a disk optimization, which should allow it to see it as an SSD. I did this when I went from a 500gb hard drive to a 256gb ssd(was to lazy to reinstall lol). Once you finish and verify everything is there, you can format the 1TB drive and begin installing things there. So on mine I install my steam games etc onto a secondary drive.

Btw this program is similar in function to acronis. I actually purchased an older version of acronis, but I like this pretty well to, it's simple, pretty easy to use. Also hard to beat the price.

tsnor · Jan 28, 2015

ohiou_grad_2006 :

You do not align sectors in a partition for any OS after winXP. Disable defrag is done automatically by win7 and win8 at the same time they detect and start using trim. All of the SSD disk manufacturers have tools that install firmware, check OS setting and display SSD life. Samsungs is called 'magician'. Net: I would recommend against letting any program move my data around at low levels duplicating functions that windows and HW makers ship, much less buying a lesser known utility. As posted above, he can get a free copy of acronis from Western Digitial if he wants one for backup and cloning.

ohiou_grad_2006 · Jan 28, 2015

1. The program can actually be used for free, I believe personal or commercial use. You have to buy it for like servers, etc, unless you want their professional version.
2. It's not like they are completely new. The website says 2009-2015, so I'm assuming they started in 2009. I've been using their software for about a year or so, so can't comment before that, but I've always had good luck when I've used it, including cloning failed hard drives onto ssd's.
3. Windows functionality. HA! Windows 7 had a great utility in their backup and restore software, now in Windows 8 I think you have to do it through powershell(unless the last things I saw were out of date), but in that case, it would be easier to use a 3rd party utility like this or Acronis.
4. Can't speak for Samsung's software as I've not used it.
5. Have you ever tried this program? If not, then give it a try before you bash it. As I said, I like it better than my copy of Acronis that I own.

As far as disabling defrag and trim, never hurts to check it. You are talking about Windows after all.

Moving Windows 8.1 to an SSD

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