Installing an SSD to a used computer

Vinnbadd58

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Jun 30, 2011
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I am looking for some instructions to install an SSD on my computer with an existing HDD. I'm thinking that I have to go into the bios and change to ACHI, disconnect the HDD and connect the SSD to the mobo, download Windows 7 to the SDD. Now I want to use my existing HDD for storage. At this point I'm not sure what to do, should I just plug the HDD into the mobo, do I need to reformat the HDD? it already has windows 7 on it. Thanks for any help.
 
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There have been a few cases here where an HDD and an SSD would not work together on a given machine, but either one by itself would work. I have absolutely no experience with this and no idea what to do. Sorry.

You access the files on the HDD by addressing them by a path that includes the drive letter, like D:/Movies/Batman. Or, if you are using the Open dialogue, back up to My Computer and select the drive letter for the HDD. But, if I understand correctly, you don't have one.

This thread: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/270102-32-useful-articles-part has two different sets of directions for changing directory locations, from the OP and from das_stig. das_stig's version moves more and has to be done during installation...
Why bother asking; you've got the procedure down cold!

No need to reformat the HDD (which would wipe the data). The only trick is, because both drives are bootable, to ensure that you boot off the SSD. Heck, you've got a spare boot drive in case the SSD fails. What I do is to ensure that the SSD is on the lowest-numbered SATA port. That way, if the BIOS reshuffles boot priority, it takes that one first.

One useful thing is to repoint My Documents, My Music, and My Everything Else to the HDD. If you repoint them to the existing directories, they will have all your old documents.

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That said, there will be one problem if you do it that way, and that is the ownership of files and directories. If your login is "sam", the files will show in your old install as being owned by "sam". But it is really owned by "S-1-5-21-346691086-2920044697-4026809194-4451", and in your new installation that string probably does not correspond to a username. So you would have to change ownership. I've had this issue a couple of times.

If, on the other hand, you backup all your data to an external drive, verify the backup, reformat the drive, and then move your folders and restore the data, this issue will be avoided.
 

Vinnbadd58

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Jun 30, 2011
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18,510
Thanks for the help. I installed the SDD and using it right now as the only drive. I tried using the HDD but had some problems. First was, it didn't show up in the bios, it was in the "device manager", so I tried uninstalling it from there and rebooting but that didn't work. I also noticed that when I clicked on "computer" from the start menu it showed a third drive called reserve drive, should it do that?
I'm really not sure how to change the directories to the HDD, and if I store a movie or game on the HDD how do I access it, I'm really lost with this second drive, I could really use some advice thanks.
 
There have been a few cases here where an HDD and an SSD would not work together on a given machine, but either one by itself would work. I have absolutely no experience with this and no idea what to do. Sorry.

You access the files on the HDD by addressing them by a path that includes the drive letter, like D:/Movies/Batman. Or, if you are using the Open dialogue, back up to My Computer and select the drive letter for the HDD. But, if I understand correctly, you don't have one.

This thread: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/270102-32-useful-articles-part has two different sets of directions for changing directory locations, from the OP and from das_stig. das_stig's version moves more and has to be done during installation. Because it moves user profiles, which I consider to be part of the OS, I would not make that choice myself; I like to keep my entire OS in one partition.

Good luck, and I hope that someone can help you with the disk conflict.
 
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