Cannot use my SSD to boot Windows 8.1 nor as storage at all!

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veebee7574

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Feb 19, 2015
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I need some help. I've spent roughly 20 hours trying to install windows 8.1 onto my external ssd (teamgroup).

After finding that I was unable to do a clean install because it was impossible to find any drivers for my ssd during the installation, i decided to use Paragon Migrate OS to SSD 4.0 software.

After using this to successfully clone everything, I tried to boot onto my SSD. It did not work. I was able to choose to boot to the SSD but it failed.

After looking into it more, I found that when I looked on my PC for drives, my SSD was nowhere to be found. I could see it in disk management but it wasnt in my PC. I assigned a letter (Z) to it, and looked again. This time it was there but there was only a 500 MB portion of it there. It's a 120 GB drive so I can only conclude that only one partition was there.

The disk was formatted as FAT32 by the Paragon software according to disk management.

The files that are in the 500mb block are the EFI and en-us Windows files. From this it seems that it is able to ALMOST boot windows to the point where it knows something is screwed up...

What should I do? Are the windows files just not accessible? Did I get duped by the Paragon software? I've been working on this for days straight and just cannot get this SSD to work for me. I know how to boot to it, I believe I have no option but to clone my OS over (which is Windows 8.1), but I'm stuck right there.

Someone please help me, I'm at the end of my rope.
 
Solution
USAFRet


Given a full install on an internal drive, there is one possibility to clone it to an external drive and have it 'work'.
This application can probably do it...
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veebee7574

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I preferred not to take apart my laptop to install an SSD when an external drive was an option. I know it would most likely be slower but I'm not too familiar with messing with motherboards and such so I thought this would be an easier option overall.

Regardless, I'm able to choose the external drive as a boot option.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Windows really, really does not want to get installed on an external drive.
It is not an easy option.
 
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veebee7574

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The Paragon software formats it as FAT32. I know I can format it through disk management as NTFS however this would then erase the entire Windows install that I did....it's seeming more and more like I'm caught in a catch twenty-two...
 
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veebee7574

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Feb 19, 2015
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So what you are saying is that even if I clone it over it won't work?

 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Given a full install on an internal drive, there is one possibility to clone it to an external drive and have it 'work'.
This application can probably do it:
http://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/
(I just learned about this recently, but have not tried it)

However...this really shouldn't be used for everyday ops, but rather only if you are shuffling drives around.
Running Windows off an external drive will be dirt slow.

A clean install on an external? A LOT of work, and will still be dirt slow.
 
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veebee7574

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Feb 19, 2015
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Hmm thanks for your help. If it will run dirt slow that sort of defeats the purpose. Is there any reason to have an external ssd then? I probably won't bother getting another SSD considering I dumped ~$100 on this one. Is it helpful to to run applications or anything at all? Or would using a different OS work well? (such as ubuntu)

 
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veebee7574

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Well if it is going to run slow there is no point to run an OS off of it. So there is no way to make my HDD windows boot faster using my external SSD? Or make any applications boot faster? It's literally just an overpriced storage device?
 
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boosted1g

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Jun 12, 2013
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If your external is not USB 3.0 then your SSD as an external will be SLOWER then the internal drive. At the full capability of USB 2.0 you are stuck at 60 MBPS.

Then there is the fact that as stated above windows does not like to run as an external drive (and FAT32 partition is not going to work)

The best thing for you to do is remove your old hard drive, put the SSD drive in, and install windows 8.1 to it. Before you install windows 8.1 make sure the sata type in your bios is set to AHCI. Then once you have installed windows you can use the external enclosure to put your old hdd in and transfer files.
 
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veebee7574

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Feb 19, 2015
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Ah that's quite disappointing. Well I wish I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have wasted $100 that I could have used towards an internal device. Unfortunately I don't have the budget to totally get another one so I'll have to settle for the slow slow slow slow boot time that is my HDD. Thanks for clearing it all up.
 
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ArtPog

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As USAFRet has inferred it's virtually impossible to clean install the Win 8.1 OS onto a USB external hard drive (USBEHD).

The only practical way to accomplish your objective is to either clean install Win 8.1 to your SSD while it is internally-connected in your laptop or clone the contents of your existing boot drive (HDD?) containing the Win 8.1 OS to the SSD installed in your USB enclosure.

Is there some problem why you can't undertake the disk-cloning process? I assume your current boot drive is undefective & totally functional, yes? This should not be a terribly complicated process.

The Casper disk-cloning program that USAFRet recommended is an excellent program and it's the one I always utilize and recommend, particularly if a user is interested in subsequently using the program as a comprehensive backup program. However, it is a commercial program and costs $49.99.

So you may be more interested in a freebie program like the Macrium Reflex Free program. Based on my (admittedly limited) experience with this program it should do the basic disk-cloning operation without any problems. Give it a try. Download it from...
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/macrium_reflect_free_edition.html

Here's are some basic instructions on using that Macrium program in case you're interested. I was planning to use it as a handout at our local computer club...

Before opening the Macrium Reflex Free program and undertaking the disk-cloning operation remove or uninstall all storage devices, e.g, flash drives, other external USB devices, from the PC other than the source & destination disks that will be involved in the cloning operation. It is unnecessary to uninstall any internally-connected HDD/SSDs.

The destination disk can be installed either as an internally-connected drive or as a USB external HDD/SSD.

1. With both the source & destination disks connected, boot to the source disk & open the Macrium Reflex Free program.

2. The opening window will reflect the two disks. The destination disk will be listed below the source disk. Both disks should be check-marked (default).

3. Click "Clone this disk".

4. On the next window click "Select a disk to clone to...". The destination disk should appear in the window.

5. Click on the graphic of the destination disk, then click Next.

6. The Clone Summary window will appear indicating that the source disk will be copied to the destination disk.

7. Click Finish.

8. The Confirmation Overwrite window will appear requesting confirmation of the disk-cloning process.

9. Click Continue...

So as you can see the process is relatively simple & straightforward.
 
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boosted1g

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You don't need to settle or have it be a waste of money, just remove the old laptop drive, its really really easy on most laptops. On most laptops you remove the bottom access cover, remove a few screws to remove the old hard drive, you may have to unbolt the hard drive from the caddy holding it into the laptop and then install the SSD in reverse. Will take 15 minutes for someone who has never done it before.

If it where any easier it would be like saying you have to use a flashlight for a room because it is too difficult to remove the dome on the light fixture and change the light bulb.
 
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