SSDs. How to transfer your old OS.

This is a brief overview concerning upgrading to a new SSD. It works with all imaging apps.

Say your desktop computer has a 1000 GB HD containing 200 GB of data (used space) in a single partition and you would like to “upgrade” to a 120 GB SSD. Well there is too much data on the HD so see what can be removed. You note there is 100 GB of games in Program Files so you uninstall these games and then you have 100 GB of data in the partition. You note you have 40 GB of video files so you move these to an external HD. Now you have 60 GB of data in the partition.

The 1000 GB partition needs to be resized so it will fit on the SSD. Use your favourite partitioning app or download GParted (free) and resize the partition to 110 GB. Remember, a 120 GB SSD shows as 111.6 GB in Windows.

Use your favourite imaging app to create an image of the 110 GB partition. Write the image to an external HD.

Remove the 1000 GB HD from the computer and replace it with the SSD. Use your favourite imaging app to restore the image to unallocated space on the SSD. Boot into Windows.

When you are satisfied everything is OK, shutdown and install the 1000 GB HD as a second drive. Boot into Windows. From Disk Management you can delete the 110 GB partition on the old HD and then create a 1000 GB primary partition. Move your video files back to the old HD. Reinstall your games to the old HD (eg. D:\Program Files) and not to C:\Program Files.

Done!

 

How do we use the imaging app when there's no OS in the machine?

 

Most imaging apps have recovery bootup disks

 

So we insert the bootup disk, turn the machine on and the imaging app will show its options on the screen?

 

That's a good summary.

 

Thanks Brian and Cudny.

Just one more scenario:
Let's say I decide to build a new desktop from scratch. Could I use the Windows image on a new disk and a new machine? Or would there be activation key issues?

 

If there is a big difference in hardware between 2 machine then you will probably be prompted to activate windows

 

Thanks again Cudni.

 

If the hardware differences are big you may not be able to boot into Windows. In this case you'll want to use an imaging app that does restore to dissimilar hardware. Macrium Pro is an example.

 

SSD's are not all the same size in Windows. Each manufacturer chooses how much over-provisioning they set aside for future use. Some allow users to increase/decrease. You are likely close but 120GB SSD's won't all be 111.6GB.

 

I was simply doing the GB to GiB conversion that applies to all drives in Windows.