New SSD, Suggestions for best transition

[lations]

Hi, I want my new SSD to have a fresh windows 7 install and then use the Raid 0 that is my current main drive as a data drive (with my existing 2TB data drive). I have never switched which drive would be my boot drive, so I'm a little confused about the best strategy.

MY GOAL: Get fresh windows 7 and be able to easily put the programs I need to keep on it from the old windows 7. Then delete the old OS from what will now just be a data drive. I would rather not clone the entire OS, it's getting cluttered and slow after 5 years.

Would I install the new SSD into tower, tell BIOS to make it the boot drive, then try to install windows on it?

Will I be able to have a fresh Windows 7 on the SDD and still have the cluttered/slow windows 7 on my Raid 0 drive so that I can transfer the most important things over to the fresh install without doing a full clone?

Thanks

 

[ronintexas]

The best way to install, would be to remove all hard drives from the system, and install Windows 7 on it. After the installation and updates are complete, add your hard drive back into the mix. You will need to go to your library and change the location from C:\USERS\(USER NAME)\ to D:\USERS\(USER NAME) - just switch the C to a D (assuming that C:\ is your SSD and D:\ is your hard drive).

You will have to reinstall all programs this way, but you will have the most reliable install.

I have done it this way quite a few times for friends. If you want to image the drive - this is great software to do it - it works very well also:

http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/features.html

 

[RetiredChief]

For windows 7, newer INTEL cpu MBs
Disconnect the pair of HDDs, connect SSD, leave bios set to raid.
May need to first down load Intels F6 driver (go to Intel support, or google Intel f6 drivers).
Install windows, may need to do custom and check the box on have driver.
Complet installation, when down power off and reconnect raid0 HDDs.
When booting, go to bios and select SSD as first boot device.

If you hit the Hot key for your MB that brings up a boot menu during Post (ie F12 on Gigabyte and F11 on ASrock MBs) you can still boot to teh raid0 untill you delete it.

PS ALL programs and drivers will need to be re-installed, you CAN NOT move from "old" win 7 OS.

 

[lations]

Thanks guys!

So basically, i have to reinstall my programs no matter what. To be clear, right now I have the Raid 0 as C, and a data drive as D. Could I just move every file I want to keep to the D drive now, then wipe the Raid 0 drive, then install the fresh OS on SSD? When you say remove all my HDDs, do you just mean unplug them, then plug in the SSD and put in a windows 7 disk?

Another problem I have is that the only windows 7 disk I have was an upgrade disk from Vista. Does this allow a fresh install to the blank SSD?

Finally, do you think doing a fresh install of windows can help lagging issues with the system? It's been about 5 years, but if the system being cluttered and such isn't causing lag issues I would probably just clone it.

 

[craigster586]

Install Windows and any load bearing software such as games, video editing, CAD, etc on your SSD. Use your HDD/'s as data storage - Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, etc... Also, heres a link to a guide that will show you how to tweak Windows for the best SSD performance. Such as enabling TRIM support, Turning off indexing service and page filing. Theres alot of heavy write tasks that can and should be shut off. These services are not needed for SSD's. And yes you should notice quite a bit of difference in your systems performance even on an older system with the new SSD. Go through this list and tweak your system accordingly.


http://www.auslogics.com/en/articles/ssd-tweaks-to-increase-ssd-performance/

 

[RetiredChief]

"Another problem I have is that the only windows 7 disk I have was an upgrade disk from Vista. Does this allow a fresh install to the blank SSD? "

Yes you can do a clean install.
Check this out:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_use_your_windows_7_upgrade_disk_fresh_pc?page=0,1