Replacing Windows drive with SSD

[PhilHibbs]

Does anyone have experience in replacing a Windows boot drive with a SSD?

I used the Crucial System Scanner to recommend upgrades, and it took me to a how-to page on cloning a drive to SSD:

SSD Easy Install

Learn how to quickly and easily install a Crucial® SSD (solid state drive) in a desktop, laptop, notebook, or Mac system.

uk.crucial.com

This involves using a USB-to-SATA connector and the Acronis software to copy the existing drive to the new SSD, then just swapping them over.

Has anyone done this, and can attest to how easy or otherwise it is?

 

[Bastet]

What I did was create an image using Macrium onto an external drive, swapped the old boot drive with the ssd, booted with Macrium’s boot usb & recovered the image to the new drive. I’ve read too many stories of cloned drives not booting.

 

[ubuysa]

The prime objective is always a stable system. The best way to ensure that is to clean install Windows on the new drive.

Cloning the old drive should work fine if you use the right tool but a clean install is always the gold standard. That's definitely what I would do.

 

[PhilHibbs]

I can't face the prospect of reinstalling everything whilst not having a working computer. It's bad enough when I buy a new machine and have to get everything going on the new one whilst still having the old one available!

 

[Martinr36]

can you post the full spec from your orders page, so we can see exactly what we are dealing with

 

[SpyderTracks]

Does anyone have experience in replacing a Windows boot drive with a SSD?

I used the Crucial System Scanner to recommend upgrades, and it took me to a how-to page on cloning a drive to SSD:

SSD Easy Install

Learn how to quickly and easily install a Crucial® SSD (solid state drive) in a desktop, laptop, notebook, or Mac system.

uk.crucial.com

This involves using a USB-to-SATA connector and the Acronis software to copy the existing drive to the new SSD, then just swapping them over.

Has anyone done this, and can attest to how easy or otherwise it is?

I have done this, and personally vouch for acronis, it's a wonderful piece of software, and I've never had an issue.

A clean install would definitely be better, but if you're intent on not doing so, Acronis is definitely the best option.

A reinstall really doesn't take very long, I'm guessing you haven't done it for a while, it's nothing like it used to be, takes no time at all these days.

 

[ubuysa]

I can't face the prospect of reinstalling everything whilst not having a working computer. It's bad enough when I buy a new machine and have to get everything going on the new one whilst still having the old one available!

There are no shortcuts to a stable system.

 

[PhilHibbs]

can you post the full spec from your orders page, so we can see exactly what we are dealing with

My Vortex IV Elite

Just ordered this: Chassis & Display Vortex Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080) Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4800MQ (2.70GHz) 6MB Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB) Graphics Card 2 x NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Chassis & Display
Vortex Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4800MQ (2.70GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2 x NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 780M - 4.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE HYBRID GEN3 SSHD Drive, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE HYBRID GEN3 SSHD Drive, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
6x BLURAY ROM, 8x DVD ±R/±RW & CYBERLINK SOFTWARE
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 5.1 Channel High Definition Audio + SPDIF/MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ 1202 WIRELESS GAMING 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 4.0
Battery
Vortex Elite 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,800 mAh/89.21WH)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence

Huh, when I go to the actual order page I see this:

1st Storage Drive	1TB SEAGATE HYBRID GEN3 SSHD Drive, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
2nd Storage Drive	1TB SEAGATE HYBRID GEN3 SSHD Drive, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive	NONE
2nd M.2 SSD Drive	NONE

Is that just a generic placeholder, or does my machine have M.2 slots? I thought it pre-dated that technology...must take a look inside... surprised the Crucial system scanner didn't show that as an option! I think maybe M.2 was a pretty new (and probably expensive) thing at the time. Not enough capacity.