I want to transfer from a hdd to a ssd

[trab303]

I am running Windows 7 ultimate.
Currently I am running 2 500gb hdds in a raid 1 configuration.
Yesterday on bootup one of my drives showed as failed by the raid controller. I tried to repir it using the intel raid manager, but the process freezes at 35%. This leads me to believe that my second drive is damaged. (Both drives are 6 or 7 years old)

I would like to copy over my operating system and program files onto a new ssd. I have several external hard drives at my disposal. What would be the easiest way to go about transfering my OS and programs over?

TIA, Don

 

[WyomingKnott]

You got a 500 GB SSD?

Use any utility that will do a full image copy of one disk to another. EASEUS will give you one for free. I still boot to DOS and run Norton Ghost 8. Unplug raid drive, and system should boot off SSD.

WARNINGS: I've done many image copies and booted from the target disk, but never from a spinner to an SSD. Don't know if you will have issues there.
Also, unless the drive controller is set to AHCI in the BIOS (every time I've typed that word today I typed BIOUS and had to delete the U), the TRIM command won't get through to the SSD and it will slow down. And if the drive controller isn't set to AHCI now, then your OS won't work once you change it to AHCI.

So try it and see what happens, while treating the removed original drive like it was an Old Master painting until you are sure that it was successfully replaced.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

The simple $20 solution

http://www.paragon-software.com/technologies/components/migrate-OS-to-SSD/

Many recommend a fresh install because of "alignment issues". I do fresh installs but since every build I have ever done has the OS on it's own partition this is very easy. With C:\ as the OS drive and D:\ as the Programs drive for example, all the programs till gonna work. In addition if the SSD dies, I can remove it and still boot of the HD.