Good afternoon.
When purchasing a new hard drive or SSD (solid-state drive), the question always arises of what to do: either install Windows on the disk from scratch, or transfer an already working Windows OS to it, making a copy (clone) of it from the old hard drive.
In this article I want to look at a quick and easy way to transfer Windows (relevant for Windows: 7, 8 and 10) from an old laptop drive to a new SSD (in my example I will transfer the system from HDD to SSD, but the transfer principle will be the same and for HDD -> HDD). And so, let's start to figure it out in order.
1. What you need to transfer Windows (preparation)
1) AOMEI Backupper Standard program.
Why her? Firstly, it is free to use. Secondly, it has all the necessary functions to transfer Windows from one drive to another. Thirdly, it works very quickly and, by the way, very well (I don’t remember encountering any errors or failures during operation).
The only drawback is the interface is in English. But nevertheless, even for those who do not speak English well, everything will be quite intuitive.
2) Flash drive or CD/DVD disk.
A flash drive will be needed to write a copy of the program onto it, so that you can boot from it after replacing the disk with a new one. Because in this case, the new disk will be clean, but the old one will no longer be in the system - there is nothing to boot from...
By the way, if you have a large flash drive (32-64 GB), then perhaps you can also write a copy of Windows onto it. In this case, you will not need an external hard drive.
3) External hard drive.
It will be needed to record a copy of the Windows system on it. In principle, it can also be bootable (instead of a flash drive), but it is true that in this case you will first need to format it, make it bootable, and then write a copy of Windows onto it. In most cases, an external hard drive is already filled with data, which means formatting it is problematic (since external hard drives are quite spacious, and transferring 1-2 TB of information somewhere is time-consuming!).
2. Creating a bootable USB flash drive/disk
After installation (the installation, by the way, is standard, without any “troubles”) and launching the program, open the Utilites section (system utilities). Next, open the “Create Bootable Media” section (create bootable media, see Fig. 2).
Rice. 2. Creating a bootable USB flash drive
Rice. 3. Choosing between Linux and Windows PE
Actually, the last step is choosing the media type. Here you need to specify either a CD/DVD disk or a USB flash drive (or external drive).
Please note that in the process of creating such a flash drive, all information on it will be deleted!
Rice. 4. Select boot device
3. Creating a copy (clone) of Windows with all programs and settings
The first step is to open the Backup section. Then you need to select the System Backup function (see Fig. 5).
In Step2 - specify the disk to which a copy of the system will be copied. Here, it is best to indicate a flash drive or external hard drive (see Fig. 6).
After the settings have been entered, click the start button - Start Backup.
Rice. 6. Selecting disks: what to copy and where to copy
The process of copying a system depends on several parameters: the volume of data being copied; speed of the USB port to which the flash drive or external hard drive is connected, etc.
For example: my system drive “C:\”, 30 GB in size, was completely copied to a portable hard drive in ~30 minutes. (by the way, during the copying process, your copy will be somewhat compressed).
4. Replacing the old HDD with a new one (for example, an SSD)
The process of removing the old hard drive and connecting a new one is not a complicated and fairly quick procedure. Sit with a screwdriver for 5-10 minutes (this applies to both laptops and PCs). Below I will look at replacing a disk in a laptop.
In general, it all comes down to this:
- First turn off the laptop. Disconnect all wires: power, USB mouse, headphones, etc. Also disconnect the battery;
- Next, open the cover and unscrew the screws securing the hard drive;
- Then install a new disk instead of the old one and secure it with screws;
- Next, you need to install the protective cover, connect the battery and turn on the laptop (see Fig. 7).
More details on how to install an SSD drive in a laptop:
Rice. 7. Replacing a disk in a laptop (the back cover protecting the hard drive and RAM of the device is removed)
5. Setting up the BIOS to boot from a flash drive
Supporting article:
Entering BIOS (+ entry keys) -
After installing the disk, when you turn on the laptop for the first time, I recommend immediately going to the BIOS settings and seeing if the disk is detected (see Fig. 8).
Rice. 8. Has the new SSD been detected?
Next, in the BOOT section, you need to change the boot priority: put USB drives first (as in Fig. 9 and 10). By the way, please note that the settings for this section are identical for different laptop models!
Rice. 9. Dell laptop. Search for boot records first on USB drives, secondly - search on hard drives.
Rice. 10. ACER Aspire laptop. BOOT section in BIOS: boot from USB.
After setting all the settings in the BIOS, exit it and save the settings - EXIT AND SAVE (most often the F10 key).
6. Transfer a copy of Windows to an SSD drive (recovery)
Actually, if you booted from bootable media created in the AOMEI Backupper standart program, you will see a window like in Fig. eleven.
You need to select the restore section, and then specify the path to the Windows backup (which we created in advance in section 3 of this article). To search for a copy of the system, there is a Path button (see Fig. 11).
Rice. 11. Specifying the path to the location of the copy of Windows
In the next step, the program will ask you again whether you really want to restore the systems from this backup. We just agree.
Rice. 12. Are we really restoring the system?!
Rice. 13. Selecting a copy (relevant if 2-3 or more)
In the next step (see Figure 14), you need to specify the disk to which you want to deploy your copy of Windows (note that the disk size must be no less than the copy with Windows!).
Rice. 14. Selecting a recovery drive
The last step is to check and confirm the entered data.
Rice. 15. Confirmation of entered data
Rice. 16. The process of transferring Windows to a new SSD drive.
After the transfer, the laptop will reboot - I recommend immediately going into the BIOS and changing the boot queue (set to boot from the hard drive/SSD drive).
Rice. 17. Restoring BIOS settings
Actually, this article is completed. After transferring the “old” Windows system from the HDD to the new SSD drive, by the way, you need to configure Windows correctly (but this is a separate topic).
Happy transfer :)
Good day, readers of my blog.
SSD drives are becoming more and more popular every year among ordinary computer users. This was achieved thanks to a significant reduction in price and an increase in basic characteristics. This type of equipment is in great demand as a device on which the operating system is installed. But in order not to waste time restoring all functionality again, you can simply transfer Windows 10 to an SSD. This procedure will restore system functionality in the shortest possible time. At the same time, all functionality will be fully preserved. But unlike working with a HDD, the system speed will increase noticeably.
It’s worth saying right away that transferring photos, video files or music from HDD to SSD is not entirely correct use. The fact is that the latter have a limited rewrite limit. And obviously active frequent rewriting can damage it. But the same cannot be said about standard hard drives, because they last a long time and remain in excellent condition. At the same time, regular hard drives have a relatively small clipboard - this significantly increases the response time of programs. That’s why many people purchase new drives to transfer the operating system to them.
Windows 10 on an SSD is a great combination as it has many advantages, including:
High speed of information processing.
Low heat generation.
At the same time, the operating system consists of files that do not require constant updating - they are only read. Therefore, after installing Win on a solid-state drive, the work will speed up significantly and the device’s resource will be consumed slowly.
How to choose?( )
When choosing an SSD, it is important to pay attention to several basic parameters:
possible number of rewrite times;
memory type;
company manufacturer.
It must be said right away that if you are going to install the tenth version of the OS from Microsoft on an SSD on a laptop or PC, it is better to choose models from 120 GB. There are devices from 64 GB, but it is better not to consider them as the main device. And this is confirmed by several reasons:
That is why the solid state drive for the operating system should not be less than 120 GB.
Connection and setup( )
So, let's proceed directly to the process itself:
Turn off the computer. In addition, you need to completely de-energize it. To do this, remove the plug from the socket, and also press and hold the power button for about five seconds.
We open the case and install the new device in the 2.5-inch device compartment. If it is not provided, you need to additionally purchase a special frame that acts as an adapter.
We connect all the necessary cables to the drive and close the case.
Turn on the PC and go into the BIOS. To do this, when the first characters appear on the screen, you need to press “ Esc», « Del», « F2» or another button. A hint can be seen on the monitor.
Go to the SATA mode setup menu and select “ AHCI».
We save and exit. The equipment will restart.
Load " Desktop" On the menu " Start"Call the context menu and select ".
A new window will open. Mark the solid-state drive, right-click and select “”.
Set the maximum partition size.
Select the letter we want to use.
Let's reboot.
After that, in the section " Computer"You will be able to see the new device under the letter we specified.
OS transfer( )
There are a lot of programs for completely moving the operating system from one disk to another. They are both free and offered for money. Generally speaking, the software differs only in appearance. At the same time, the operating algorithm is almost identical. Each of them simply clones the existing system onto another storage device. Therefore, there is no need to study the operating instructions for all of them - just get acquainted with one of them. At the same time, the interface is intuitive throughout, which allows almost any user to do everything that is necessary.
Software that is suitable for cloning:
The most popular program for transferring an OS to an SSD is Acronis True Image. Designed for any solid state drive. Convenient and works relatively quickly.
Macrium Reflect is free software that can clone an entire hard drive or parts of it. Despite the English-language interface, it is easy to understand.
Seagate DiscWizard - intended only for interaction with drives from Seagate.
Another good program for transferring Win to SSD is Paragon Drive Copy. Convenient and quick to use.
And of course, if we talk about cloning to SSD – AOMEI Partition Assistant. Intuitive software that will help you quickly complete the task.
Well, as you can see, there are a lot of programs that allow you to transfer information from one device to another. It is worth noting that the OS itself does not provide for cloning to an SSD using Windows. Therefore, you need to use third-party applications.
Transfer process( )
In order not to talk about each software separately, I will introduce you to the system from Acronis. First you need to find a program. It is worth immediately noting that a special key must come with it. Without it, functionality will be limited. To download this application, use my course called
So, to make a clone of your existing drive, you need to do a few steps:
-
We set the final disk where the information is moved.
Let's launch the software.
Go to the menu " Tools" Select "".
Choose automatic or manual mode.
Important! In order not to worry about your actions once again, it is better to indicate the first option. In this case, the transfer program will do everything on its own. But you need to remember that the SSD must be larger than the amount of information copied from the HDD.
.
Regular hard drives ( HDD) is the slowest component of a modern computer. Solid State Drives ( SSD) significantly exceed them in read-write speed, and after cheaper translation of the operating system ( OS) on an SSD is not that expensive.
To do this, an interface is required on the motherboard SATA(on almost all boards no older than 4 years), better than older versions SATA II or SATA III. The transition makes sense if you have Windows 7 or, in extreme cases, XP.
To begin with, let me remind you once again a sacred rule for every computer owner: data must be stored separately from the operating system, on another physical or virtual disk. Except multiple increases in data security You will save on the capacity of the required SSD drive and get the ability to quickly backup the OS drive.
From the current offers - summer 2012 - pay attention to the new, inexpensive and high-speed model OCZ Vertex 4. Its speed characteristics will not be fully revealed, if you do not have SATA III, and you are not planning to replace the motherboard, you can save money by purchasing OCZ Agility 4.
What need to do? Sixteen simple steps.
I hope I have convinced you that the increase in system boot speed and subtle increase speed of general daily work not worth such effort.
It remains to advise you to take a closer look at what is written in order to configure the system specifically for the program that you want to speed up. For me it was Adobe Photoshop CS5, in the settings of which I specified the paths to the temporary files of the RAW converter and Scratch disks for storing temporary files. For some reason, the Internet connection speed did not increase (smile).
Upd: In addition, I would like to recommend the SSD Mini Tweaker program for x32 and x64 versions, but I would not recommend thoughtlessly using all possible checkboxes, for example, disabling defragmentation of all disks. Above I described how to do this only for SSD. I found it later and used it for convenient control of the work done, which does not underestimate its usefulness.
Good luck always!
This is the transfer of all data from the old drive ("donor") to the new one ("recipient"). Everything is copied without exception: the operating system with drivers, installed programs, photos, music, and so on. After cloning and replacing the disk, there is no need to remember passwords, all files will be in their usual places.
Why clone your hard drive?
This operation is carried out for the following purposes:
- To use a new and faster drive. A typical case is replacing a slow HDD with a modern SSD. This will significantly speed up the responsiveness of Windows, and due to cloning, upgrading your computer will be as comfortable as possible for the user. All shortcuts and settings will remain unchanged, but the system will become faster.
- To avoid reinstalling the operating system. For example, after buying a new computer, you want everything to be the same as on the old one and without reinstallations. This will happen when transferring information from the “donor” to the “recipient”, and the procedure itself will require relatively little action and attention on the part of the user.
- To synchronize work on different computers. Remote work is becoming more common. Cloning a hard drive will allow you to deploy a full-fledged workstation where it is convenient and there can be as many such places as you like.
- To backup your data. You can lose information on a storage device at any time - nothing lasts forever. Thanks to cloning in a few clicks, you can be protected in case of force majeure and have a fully working “cast” of all data.
It is important that the “donor” is free of viruses - clone the drive only after a thorough scan for malware.
Utilities and programs for cloning
There are many cloning apps available. Some are specially designed to perform such an operation - suitable for inexperienced users who value the simplicity of the process. Other programs have broader functionality. In them, creating a disk clone is just one of many available options.
Before using any application, connect the new drive to your computer. To do this, it is convenient to use the external hard drive pocket
Renee Becca
A simple utility that everyone can understand. With its help, you can clone a storage medium in a few clicks. The algorithm of actions consists of the following steps:
- download, install and launch the application;
- select the item in the left panel "Clone". Using "Renee Becca" you can also clone only certain local disks or transfer only the operating system to a new drive. The corresponding items are located below in the initial window of the program;
- indicate “donor” and “recipient”. To get a full copy of the “donor”, check the box “Make the target disk bootable...” at the bottom of the window. On the left, expand the “More” list and check the box next to “Clone all sectors...”. Then start the operation by clicking on “Clone”;
A functional program that costs a lot, but the demo version is also suitable for cloning. To download it, follow the link and enter your e-mail. After launching the application, do the following:
- select "donor". It is important to specify not just a local drive, but the entire drive. To do this, right-click on the line with this drive and click on “Clone basic disk”;
- indicate the "recipient". When choosing this disk, remember that the data on it will be overwritten, and its volume cannot be less than the size of the occupied information on the “donor”;
- so that the “recipient” is exactly the same as the “donor”, check the box next to the “One to One” line in the next window;
- in Acronis Disc Director, any manipulations with drives must always be confirmed separately. To do this, at the top of the window, click on “Apply pending operations” - only after this the cloning will begin;
If you do not use the program for commercial purposes, then you do not need to pay for it. You just need to go to the developer’s website, click on “Home Use”, specify your e-mail and confirm it - you will receive a corresponding letter. After downloading, installing and launching Macrium Reflect, follow these steps:
- on the start screen, click on “Clone this disk”;
- on the next window, check the box for all local disks on the “donor”;
- at the bottom, click on “Select a disk to clone ...” - a selection window will appear where you specify “donor”;
- at the end of the operation, click on “Finish”;
Paragon Drive Backup Personal
A free utility with enough capabilities for cloning. It is available for download on this page, and after downloading, installing and launching, do the following:
- create your own account in the application. This is done in a few clicks - you only need to specify your e-mail and personal information. After that, on the left, click on “My new backup”. On the right, indicate the “donor” in the “Backup source” field and the “recipient” in the “Destination” field;
- start cloning by clicking on “Back up now”;
Simple and free application. To download, go to the developer’s website and select the version with Russian localization.
After installation and launch, follow these steps sequentially:
- indicate "donor". If you need to clone not the entire drive, but only one of the local drives, then check the “Show partitions” line and select the required local drives. Then click on “Next”;
- Specify the “recipient” and click “Next” again.
- The settings window will appear. You don’t have to change anything and click “Next”;
- A window for setting the sizes of the “donor” and “recipient” will appear. Just check the box “Resize partitions proportionally” and click on “Next”;
- in the last window, confirm the start of the operation by clicking on “Start copying”.
A good utility that has a demo version, the capabilities of which are enough for one-time disk cloning. After downloading, installing and launching the application, follow these steps:
- in the top panel, click on “Clone” - unfortunately, the program does not have a translation into Russian;
Moving your system to an SSD is an effective way to organize your computer. In addition, after purchasing a flash drive, you will not need to install the OS on it from scratch and configure all the drivers. Moving an existing system to disk will save time and free up your PC disk to store other files.
Along with the transfer of Windows, absolutely all programs, games, settings and drivers that are already installed on the PC will be moved to the SSD. You can solve the problem in one of two ways:
- Using built-in OS functions;
- Using third party utilities.
Please note that depending on the version of Windows and the parameters of the purchased flash drive, transfer methods may vary.
What data can be transferred toSSD
Storing the operating system on an SSD not only speeds up its operation, but also improves the response of other programs and files that are stored on the disk. The user can transfer the following types of data to a flash drive:
- Operating system . It is added to the SSD with all ready-made drivers and settings. In essence, a duplicate of it is created, which was previously stored on the HDD;
- Programs – choose yourself which applications you want to add to the SSD and which you want to leave on the computer’s hard drive (HDD). We advise you to leave extensive programs for video editing and software development/testing on your computer - this way they will work many times faster;
- User files . This can be any of your documents, photos, music, videos and other types of data.
Components to move
To add used Windows to the SSD, the following objects are required:
- Installed transfer utility;
- The SSD itself;
- Computer or laptop;
- An adapter of the SATA-USB type, with which an external drive is connected to a PC.
If you only work with OS resources, you won't need to install a third-party utility to transfer.
Computer requirements
Before you perform any OS migration steps, make sure that your device meets all the minimum requirements that allow the utility to interact with the SSD and transfer large amounts of data. The minimum requirements are shown in the following table:
You can compare your computer's settings with the specifications listed above using the About window. It displays correct data about the main hardware and software components of the device:
Fig. 2 – window for viewing Windows and computer parameters
We use the built-in capabilities of Windows
Follow the instructions to transfer the operating system to a flash device:
- Open the Disk Management window. To do this, enter the command diskmgmt.msc in the Run window and confirm the action;
Fig.3 - launching disk management tool
- Now you need to reduce the size of the OS on the disk. You can perform this action using the “Shrink Volume” function. All data will remain in the same state, only the space occupied on the HDD will decrease. Right-click on the “System” section and then on “Shrink Volume”;
Fig.4 - Volume compression
- After successfully reducing the size of the OS, a free partition will appear in the disk layout. This means that everything was done correctly;
- Connect the drive to your computer and restart the Disk Management window;
- Now click on the “Wizard” tab and select “OS SSD Transfer” from the list;
Fig.5 - “Master” tab
- A standard utility for cloning the operating system will open. Click on the “Next” button to go to the settings;
- Click on the “Unallocated space” item and go to the next window;
Fig.6 – disk space selection
- Now you can independently change the size of the future disk or leave all parameters unchanged;
Fig.7 - changing the disk partition size
- After clicking the “Next” button, the wizard will begin moving the system. After completing the action, you can turn off the computer and the next time you boot, select the OS that is located on the SSD.
Windows will also remain on the hard drive. You can delete it or use it as a backup copy when you need to restore the system.
Fig. 8 - the result of a successful Windows move
Don't forget to click on the "Apply" button in the upper left part of the "Disk Management" window, otherwise all changes made will not be saved. If you encounter error windows or freezes during the transfer, you should reset the settings, restart your PC, and try the transfer again.
Fig.9 - applying changes
Instructions forSSD fromSamsung
Samsung has released an official utility that allows you to quickly move the OS from your hard drive to a purchased flash drive. The utility is called Samsung Data Migration. You can download it for free from the company’s official website (section “Memory” - “SSD”) or using the disk that comes with the device.
The initial program window looks like this:
Fig. 10 – Samsung Data Migration utility window
Immediately after launching the utility, connect the SSD to your computer using the appropriate adapter. Click on the “Start” button. Next, the application will automatically scan the HDD in use and display information about the remaining free space and disk partitions.
Fig. 11 – analysis of a disk with an installed copy of Windows
After analysis, the program will automatically detect the SSD connected to the computer and display it on the screen:
Fig. 12 – reconciliation of the source and destination disk
If the space occupied by Windows on the HDD does not exceed the available space on the SSD, you can immediately begin the transfer by clicking on the “Start” button. The automatic movement of all components will begin. The procedure can take from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the version of Windows used.
Fig. 13 - successful system transfer
As a result, you will receive a notification that the operating system has been successfully cloned to the flash drive. Close the window and delete all Windows data from the HDD.
The advantage of using Samsung Data Migration is its simple interface. The program will do all the work for you and minimize the likelihood of errors or bugs appearing after transferring the OS.
What to do if during the analysis stage you find that there is not enough space for the OS on the SSD? In this case, you need to clean Windows of unused data and applications. You can do this directly in the Samsung Data Migration utility window.
Fig. 14 - Error. Not enough SSD space
After the error text appears (highlighted in red), click on the “Next” button and in a new window, delete all library files that are cluttering the system. Clean the OS until the text “Ready to clone to SSD” appears in the main utility window.
Fig. 15 - successful cleaning of unnecessary files
Acronis True Image utility
Fig. 16 – main window of the Acroins application
To move the system, connect the removable drive to the computer and in the program window, click on the “Disk cloning” - “Copy partitions” tile. In the window that opens, select automatic movement mode. It is suitable for all tasks and copies data quickly.
Fig.17 - selection of cloning mode
All partitions will be copied to the flash drive. All data that was on the SSD before cloning will be deleted. The disk itself will become bootable and can only be used to run operating systems installed on it.
Fig. 18 – copying process
Seagate DiscWizard utility
The utility completely replicates the Acronis interface. It must be used if your PC has at least one hard drive from the manufacturer Seagate. To clone, you should follow the same steps as described in the previous paragraph of the article.
Fig. 19 – Seagate Disc Wizard main window
Changing bootloader configuration
After cloning the system, a copy of the OS will remain on the computer, and every time you boot, a window will appear with a boot selection. After the transfer, we recommend that you perform a number of actions:
- Without deleting the original copy from the HDD, test the operation of Windows on the HDD. There are times when the system starts to slow down and performance deteriorates. This happens extremely rarely and depends solely on the selected SSD. As long as the first copy is not deleted, you will always have the opportunity to return to using it and remove the OS from the SSD;
- Change your system bootloader settings.
The boot manager is a built-in component that helps your computer determine which installed operating system to run. You can also configure the startup order of hardware components.
Immediately after cloning, the manager will show two systems with identical names - the original and the copied one. If Windows runs normally on an SSD, you need to remove the version that remains on the computer’s hard drive. Follow the instructions:
- Restart your PC and run the version that was moved to the flash drive;
- Open Windows Command Prompt;
- Enter the command shown in the figure below, giving the OS copies on the SSD a unique name;