Help moving windows 10 from hdd to ssd

[ethancolohan]

I just bought a SSD and it has 120 gb.
I want to move windows 10 from my HDD to SSD. I have been looking everywhere for methods on how to simply migrate windows 10 over without reinstalling all my data and files but I think that it would be easier to just to a full clean on everything and just reinstall windows onto my ssd. What I want to know is how do I do that? I have the media creation tool on a 8gb usb stick and I’m not sure where to go from there.

 

[USAFRet]

I just bought a SSD and it has 120 gb.
I want to move windows 10 from my HDD to SSD. I have been looking everywhere for methods on how to simply migrate windows 10 over without reinstalling all my data and files but I think that it would be easier to just to a full clean on everything and just reinstall windows onto my ssd. What I want to know is how do I do that? I have the media creation tool on a 8gb usb stick and I’m not sure where to go from there.

How much total space is consumed on your current drive?
What, exactly, is this space consumed by?

Cloning into a 120GB SD requires that the actual consumed space be below 85GB or so. I'm thinking that is not the case?

We can go into the clean install later.

 

[sunder25]

First of all remove your old hdd from your pc and exchange it for the SSD
Then add the USB Stick.
When starting the computer, enter BIOS or UEFI and set the PC to boot from the USB stick.
Follow the instructions and install windows. -Aftet it reboots, make sure you boot from the SSD

Shut down PC, add your old HDD to the PC.

 

[ethancolohan]

Yeah I have about 500 GB out of a TB used and I have looked a lot into the migrating process and I have come to the conclusion that I should probably just to a clean reinstall of everything on my computer. And yes I tried booting the usb when I plugged out my hdd and I got an error saying that no OS was detected and it told me to restart. Sorry for not being able to reply by the way I am currently on my phone.

 

[USAFRet]

Yeah I have about 500 GB out of a TB used and I have looked a lot into the migrating process and I have come to the conclusion that I should probably just to a clean reinstall of everything on my computer. And yes I tried booting the usb when I plugged out my hdd and I got an error saying that no OS was detected and it told me to restart. Sorry for not being able to reply by the way I am currently on my phone.

Clean install. This, of course, requires a reinstall of all your applications, drivers, utilities.
How to do a CLEAN installation of Windows 10

Have only the SSD connected when you do this install.

 

[ethancolohan]

When I’m finished with the clean install can I reconnect my hdd back and use that normally for other applications?

 

[USAFRet]

When I’m finished with the clean install can I reconnect my hdd back and use that normally for other applications?

Any "applications" on that drive are null and void.
You can't use them.

Other personal files, sure.
Applications, no.

 

[ethancolohan]

What I’m trying to say is, can I use my hdd as normal like I did before and have applications such as steam and discord on it? - Thanks

 

[USAFRet]

What I’m trying to say is, can I use my hdd as normal like I did before and have applications such as steam and discord on it? - Thanks

Can you install new application on it? Yes.
Can you use what is on there now? No.

But...Stuff like the Steam client and Discord are trivally small, and should be on the SSD.
You can have teh Steam client on the SSD, and Steam games live on the HDD no problem.
Just like this:
Steam games location
In the steam client:
Steam
Settings
Downloads
Steam Library Folders
Add library folder

 

[ethancolohan]

Oh ok. I understand. Thanks for the help. So i will just follow the link you gave me on doing a clean install without my hdd plugged in? And how does my OS and my data from my hdd get deleted by this?

 

[sunder25]

Oh ok. I understand. Thanks for the help. So i will just follow the link you gave me on doing a clean install without my hdd plugged in? And how does my OS and my data from my hdd get deleted by this?

You can delete it manually after you reconnect the old HDD in addition to the SSD. you can pretty much delete anything you want from it, including the windows folder, while keeping what you need.

 

[USAFRet]

Oh ok. I understand. Thanks for the help. So i will just follow the link you gave me on doing a clean install without my hdd plugged in? And how does my OS and my data from my hdd get deleted by this?

It does not get deleted from the HDD until you personally do it.
During that install, the HDD is disconnected.

Later...reconnect it, and manage what is on it.

 

[ethancolohan]

Ok, thanks.