Moving Windows 7 to a different storage device.

Michael Hurtle · Dec 2, 2015

So i have a question about moving your OS to a different drive. As for example I ask this because a friend of mine is upgrading is whole PC but windows 7 is on his 1TB Drive instead of the SSD he is purchasing. Would I be able to use the install disc to be re-download windows to the new SSD? or is there a simpler way to transfer windows to the SSD? Would i have to buy a new copy of windows if i wanted to re-install because the previous key would have already been used on the HDD?

a39232 · Dec 2, 2015

i would use cloning software it allows you to make an exact copy of the information.

http://www.backup-utility.com/free-backup-software.html

if your going to upgrade it to an ssd i would strongly recommend getting this, this is what i use to clone drives it makes it very easy. ONLY IF IT IS A SSD it does not have any supplementary power that a hd would need to operate externally.

AmeedMv · Dec 2, 2015

Use Macrium Reflect or Acronis True Image, both of them are easy to use and highly recommended. Especially Acronis True Image is easier to use.

Here are the links:

1. Acronis True Image; http://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/
2. Macrium Reflect; http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

Hope it helps!

Boogieman_WD · Dec 2, 2015

Hey there, Michael.

Basically you could either go for a fresh install of Windows (which is recommended) or with a clone as @a39232 has suggested. Both options are viable, although for different reasons some users prefer one over the other.
If you have a retail copy of Windows, you don't need to get a new one and you should be able to use the same key to activate it. Just remember to have all drives disconnected from the motherboard (except for the SSD) during the installation process.
Others prefer to migrate their OS to the new drive, so that they don't have to reinstall and reconfigure everything from scratch, or simply because they don't have a retail copy of Windows. For that you could try @a39232's suggestion or take a look at this tutorial as well: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows. Note that in this case in order to be able to migrate your OS partition, it should not be larger than the overall capacity of the new drive.

edit: Looks like you've been given 2 more options while I was typing, so you'd have a choice at least.

Hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Boogieman_WD

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