So i have a 750gb Barracuda with all my games and music and my Windows 7. I want to add a 60gb SSD and put win7 on it but keep my hdd with all my games on it. how do i go about doing this in the simplest way possible? Im fine with re installing windows if needed.
Moving my OS to an ssd but keeping my HDD?
- Thread starter Bandito35
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tambeshakunt
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You will need to reinstall Windows.
Ideal way would be copy all your data to an external hard drive, do a complete format and then fresh install onto your SSD.
Ideal way would be copy all your data to an external hard drive, do a complete format and then fresh install onto your SSD.
tambeshakunt
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Yes you should ideally wipe the drive and do a fresh install.
If you leave your games and the windows files,every time you boot it may ask which drive you want to boot from since they both have a bootable windows on them.
If you leave your games and the windows files,every time you boot it may ask which drive you want to boot from since they both have a bootable windows on them.
1N07
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There are ways to do this without doing a fresh install, but those are messy and I wouldn't recommend them.
So basically safest and best way to do this is to:
1. Backup everything you want to save from your current HDD to where ever you can (USB hard drive, memorystick(s), the cloud)
2. Install a fresh windows to the SDD
3. Format the old HDD
4. Put all the backed up files back to the formatted HDD.
DONE.
If you can't back up your files anywhere and you absolutely can't lose them, it's okay to leave the old drive as it is, but then you need to make sure to change the default boot order from the BIOS so that it boots from the new SSD and not the old HDD. It would be best to format it though.
It would be better to get at least a 120GB SSD. 60GB really isn't a lot... I have a 120GB one and It's barely enough to hold windows, most used programs and a game or two. So a 60GB one would only hold windows and SOME most used programs. Get a 120GB one if you can.
So basically safest and best way to do this is to:
1. Backup everything you want to save from your current HDD to where ever you can (USB hard drive, memorystick(s), the cloud)
2. Install a fresh windows to the SDD
3. Format the old HDD
4. Put all the backed up files back to the formatted HDD.
DONE.
If you can't back up your files anywhere and you absolutely can't lose them, it's okay to leave the old drive as it is, but then you need to make sure to change the default boot order from the BIOS so that it boots from the new SSD and not the old HDD. It would be best to format it though.
It would be better to get at least a 120GB SSD. 60GB really isn't a lot... I have a 120GB one and It's barely enough to hold windows, most used programs and a game or two. So a 60GB one would only hold windows and SOME most used programs. Get a 120GB one if you can.
tambeshakunt
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Because on your old HDD its not just games. Its also Windows files which will get really messy and complicated if you 'pop it in'. A format of that is strongly recommended.
1N07
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Without going into too much detail, there are many reasons why that's not a good thing to do, but for example:
Say a game inside your HDD uses some resources from your windows files. Now since when you installed the game your windows files where in the same drive. Now when you install windows on a NEW drive and try to play the game, it tries to use the resources, but they no longer reside in the same drive, so it can't use them. (That's just an example I just made up, it might not be a problem, but my point is that there are lots of things that could go wrong...)
And that's assuming you have already changed the default boot order from the BIOS. Otherwise it would just boot to the old windows in your HDD.
If you can backup your files somewhere, ABSOLUTELY format the HDD.
If you can't... Well I would recommend formatting anyway, but you MIGHT be fine.
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