How do i add a SSD to my pc for OS and storage.

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Mateusz1

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Nov 29, 2014
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Hi,
I have a pc with a 500GB HDD and i am thinking of adding a SSD to it for windows and some games. I am on windows 10. Would i have to do a clean install of windows by going to Recovery -> Reset this PC, to have the OS on SSD? I think i would get the Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD. Is it any good, is there anything better for the price? For the installing part of the SSD, i know i need 2 cables. 1 cable is the sata power and the other one for m/b to ssd connection. Surely i have the power cable on my psu but does anybody know if the SSD comes with a sata cable? When i get the SSD can i just put it in, turn on the pc and do the clean install? Do i have to change any settings in BIOS?
 
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USAFRet


No.
'Recovery' will not put this on a whole new drive.

You have 2 options, a clean install of the OS and everything else
or
A clone operation from the old drive to the new drive. THis requires that the actual used space on the old drive be significantly smaller than the size of the new drive.
For instance, with a 250GB SSD, the total used space on the current drive must be below 200GB.
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TJ Hooker

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850 EVO is a very good SSD.

Installation: go to your motherboard's product page on the manufacturer's website and download drivers. Store them on your HDD.
Download the windows 10 media creation tool and create a windows 10 install USB (need a flash drive >= 4GB).
Connect the SSD, disconnect HDD, plug in USB drive and boot. Install windows (select I don't have a key when it asks).
Re-connect HDD. Install drivers.
If you can, copy everything you want to keep from your HDD onto the SSD or external storage, and then reformat the HDD.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Samsung 850 evo is one of the best.
How much of your 500gb is actually used?

Samsung has a nice free ssd migration app that will move your current C drive to one of their ssd's.
You will need a sata data cable(cheap) and a power supply power connection to attach the ssd.
You tell the app to move your C drive to the ssd.
When done, swap the sata cables and boot.

In the event that you do not have sufficient room for all to be moved, you can exclude data folders(not apps) from the move.
After, those data folders will still be available to you.
Download the ssd migration app documentation from Samsung. It is not complicated.

Of course, you could always buy a 500gb ssd. Prices for that are reasonable today.

If you do not care about existing apps, you can of course reinstall windows clean.
A caveat: do not have the old hard drive connected during the process or windows will place a hidden recovery partition on it, complicating the future removal of the hard drive.

 
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Mateusz1

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I have 329GB of used space.
But if i install the SSD and go to the recovery settings and do a clean install. I think i can choose where i want to install windows as i do the recovery clean install. So i will just choose to put it on the SSD. Will this work?
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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If I am not mistaken, recovery just reinstalls windows 10 over your current installation.
If you want to do a clean install, download windows 10 to a usb device.
Disconnect your old hard drive and install the new ssd.
Boot from the usb device and you can do a clean install.
Of course as with any clean install, there is a new registry requiring reinstall of apps that use the registry. That will Be almost all.

A 240gb Samsung 850 evo costs $95. A 500gb version is $150.
 
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Mateusz1

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Sorry for late answer, i have been working nights and sleeping all day. :/
But if i do not want a clean install then can i do it with recovery?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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No.
'Recovery' will not put this on a whole new drive.

You have 2 options, a clean install of the OS and everything else
or
A clone operation from the old drive to the new drive. THis requires that the actual used space on the old drive be significantly smaller than the size of the new drive.
For instance, with a 250GB SSD, the total used space on the current drive must be below 200GB.
 
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Mateusz1

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Thanks for replying.
I think i know everything i wanted to know. I would rather do a clean install. :D

Thanks to everyone on this thread for help. :)
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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I might point out again, that since you will be using a Samsung ssd, you can use their free ssd migration tool.
It is a windows C drive mover, and not a clone app.
In the ssd migration tool app, there are options to exclude large data folders from the move so as to reduce the amount of data needing to be moved.
If you can not identify sufficient data folders, you could uninstall sufficient apps so that the remaining space will fit on your target ssd. Download and read about this tool directly from Samsung. It really is simple, and it works well.
If you can identify sufficient space, you can do the migration without needing th do a clean install and the resulting need to reinstall all of your apps.

 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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If you do decide to do the migration thing, these steps here:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive
Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe as necessary.
Delete the original boot partitions, here:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/4f1b84ac-b193-40e3-943a-f45d52e23685/cant-delete-extra-healthy-recovery-partitions-and-healthy-efi-system-partition?forum=w8itproinstall
-----------------------------
 
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