Old to New PC - HDD to SSD - Is this process good?

itdept · Jul 11, 2015

Hi Pros,

I have an older XPS dell desktop with an HDD -
I have a new "Uninstalled - Still in box" XPS -
I ordered a 1tb SSD which I wish to be my C: drive on the NEW PC -

Is this below process the BEST method to have the best results;

1) Pull the HDD from the NEW PC
2) Put both SSD (blank) and HDD from NEW PC (with install intact) into an older PC
3) Copy / Mirror using Acronis or something the NEW HDD with the Dell install to the SSD
4) Install the SSD into the NEW PC as the C: drive and boot up, install windows based on the standard Dell new pc install

* I do not have any Windows install media so I assumed this was the best way

Of course I need to re-install everything again but its fresh clean install in my opinion.

Qn 1 - Will this work? If not why

Qn 2 - Is there a better way ?

Thanks for your time reading and replying to this - Common question but no one seemed to say this is how they solved it.

Thanks

kanewolf · Jul 11, 2015

Your method should work.

USAFRet · Jul 11, 2015

Couple of flys in the ointment here:

1. Where is the OS from? The 'older XPS'?

Why are you going from the old HDD (with Windows) to the new HDD, and then on to the new SSD?

Licensing - The original OS from the older XPS is almost certainly an OEM license. As such, licensed to that original motherboard.
2. Operation. Unless the new system and the older XPS are identical, it may not even boot when you put the drive int he new system. It might, then again it might not.

The BEST way ahead is to install the OS on the SSD, in the system where it will actually live.

4) Install the SSD into the NEW PC as the C: drive and boot up, install windows based on the standard Dell new pc install

* I do not have any Windows install media so I assumed this was the best way

I'm not getting this part. Either you have the install media or you don't.

Let's back up a few steps.
What do you have?
2 PC's, one old and one new?
What OS's do you have, and where is it?

geofelt · Jul 11, 2015

You will have issues transferring an os from one pc to another.

What brand ssd is it?
Intel and Samsung have free migration tools.

You put your new ssd in the new pc , boot from the hard drive and clone the hard drive to the ssd.

If you need to do a clean install, first make certain you have the new os activation code.
Remove the hard drive from the new XPS and install the ssd. do a clean install to the ssd(if the old hard drive were connected, windows puts a hidden recovery partition on it, complicating later removal)
If you do not have install media, download and burn an iso or USB install stick.
Your new XPS activation code should work.
You will need to download any XPS specific drivers.

kanewolf · Jul 11, 2015

Unless I misread something, I believe he is just trying to move the contents of a NEVER POWERED UP Dell system from a HD to an SSD using an existing system. The new Dell would them boot for the first time on the SSD. The OS license would be with the Dell it was purchased with, just on an SSD.

USAFRet · Jul 11, 2015

kanewolf :

Possibly.
This line threw me:
"4) Install the SSD into the NEW PC as the C: drive and boot up, install windows based on the standard Dell new pc install"

The OS is (hopefully) already installed on whatever drive it comes with.
Now...if the outcome is to have it boot for the first time from the new SSD, then that series of steps may probably work.
Using the old PC simply to transfer data between the two new drives.

itdept · Jul 12, 2015

USAFRet :

kanewolf :

Exactly the goal:

2 NEW HDD's

One of them is the DELL Factory Image (Never started) which needs to go onto the NEW SSD
The old XPS would simply be my computer which I cloned the drive's

So with that cleared up - I read that its easier to "Backup" the New HDD and restore it to the SSD - and not use a Clone function of Acronis or other imaging apps?

So the actual question is should I backup -> restore OR use a clone drive function from A to B?

USAFRet · Jul 12, 2015

itdept :

USAFRet :

kanewolf :

Exactly the goal:

2 NEW HDD's

One of them is the DELL Factory Image (Never started) which needs to go onto the NEW SSD
The old XPS would simply be my computer which I cloned the drive's

So with that cleared up - I read that its easier to "Backup" the New HDD and restore it to the SSD - and not use a Clone function of Acronis or other imaging apps?

So the actual question is should I backup -> restore OR use a clone drive function from A to B?

Any of the current cloning/migration applications will do this easily.
Acronis Trueimage, Casper, Easus Todo, Macrium Reflect.

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