Moving Windows 10 to a new hard drive. How to transfer an operating system to another hard drive. Preparing the disk and computer for installation

Quite often, many users have a question related to how to transfer Windows 10 from HDD to SSD, since solid-state drives are much faster. Now we will look at why this is necessary, as well as some basic methods that allow this operation to be carried out without much effort and time.

Why is transfer to SSD necessary, and what benefits does the user receive?

First, let's decide why we should try to do such operations at all. The whole point is that, as mentioned above, SSD-type hard drives have faster data reading speeds compared to regular HDD drives.

This suggests the simplest conclusion: after Windows 10 is transferred to an SSD drive, the system will work much faster, as they say, “fly”. It is supposed to copy only the operating system to the new hard drive, without any third-party garbage. With all this, if you give preference to some specific software products for or intended for transferring a system from HDD to SSD, in some cases you can copy only the system itself, clone Windows with all programs and user files installed in it, even create images with all user settings . Here, as is already clear, the main condition is the choice of the appropriate program depending on what you need to get in the end. But first things first.

General principles of transferring a system to an SSD drive

Let’s make a reservation right away: all those users who believe that a quick transfer of Windows 10 to an SSD can be done by simply copying all files and folders, even hidden ones, are deeply mistaken. Nothing good will come of this, and the system itself simply will not boot. Here you need to use a different technique. In this case, it is possible to use both Windows 10 and third-party software products specifically designed for this. Transferring Windows 10 to an SSD in both the first and second cases is quite simple and does not require much effort or special knowledge.

Let's consider several possible options, especially since none of them should cause difficulties even for the most unprepared or novice user, since in most cases all processes are as automated as possible.

Windows 10 Native Tools

First, let's look at the native capabilities of Windows 10. Transferring the system to an SSD drive is quite possible if you use the backup and recovery section, which can be accessed from the standard Control Panel. This is only due to the fact that in this case, Windows 10 will be transferred to an SSD without third-party programs, which greatly simplifies the task.

Here you will first need to create a system image to transfer it to a prepared drive, and then select the option to create a recovery disk from which to boot when replacing the HDD with an SSD. When the process begins, you will need to provide a link to the system image saved on the new drive. But the old hard drive needs to be disconnected to avoid troubles. If in the future you need to use the old hard drive, you should completely remove boot partitions from it, since otherwise there is a risk of abnormal conflicts and failures. Actually, this is how Windows 10 can be transferred to an SSD on a laptop or on a stationary terminal, provided that the HDD is replaced with an SSD. Another thing is that you will have to open the laptop yourself, as they say, at your own peril and risk. You can, of course, use the services of service centers, but after replacement they will transfer the system to a new hard drive themselves, and this is an extra material cost. In addition, if the laptop is under warranty, opening the seals will only lead to the fact that in the future, if there is any breakdown, no one will accept it for free warranty service. So first think carefully about whether such things are worth doing.

But reviews from users and specialists about this method are ambiguous: some consider it the simplest, others, on the contrary, see it as unnecessary actions and are more inclined to use narrowly targeted utilities.

Most suitable utilities

It is much easier to use specialized programs that are designed specifically for such purposes. With all their diversity, some utilities of this kind are intended exclusively for hard drives of strictly certain manufacturers. So, for example, something like Acronis True Image is perfect for Western Digital drives, for Seagate hard drives the Seagate Disk Wizard utility is used, for Samsung drives the “native” Samsung Data Migration utility is suitable, etc. But the most universal, in terms of automation and security of all operations performed that will be required to carry out the migration, is Paragon Migrate OS.

Migrate Windows 10 to SSD: Paragon Migrate OS to SSD

There are quite a lot of utilities in this area among Paragon products. A special place is occupied by the software packages Paragon Migrate OS to SSD, Paragon Drive Copy 15 Professional, Paragon Disk Manager 15 Professional and “Home Expert 15”. Alas, unfortunately, these are paid utilities. However, you cannot ignore them.

Actually, the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD program itself is a real step-by-step Wizard, which is aimed at maximizing the automation of the system transfer process. Without going into the technical details of the process, we note that you can save space and time if you do not move your own documents or files to the new drive, having first unchecked them in the appropriate window. Well, the Master will almost independently perform all the necessary actions. After copying is complete, you must remember to change the BIOS settings, where the new SSD drive should be specified as the main (first) device.

Migration using Acronis True Image

Migrating Windows 10 to an Acronis True Image SSD is just as easy. But here for Western Digital hard drives it is better to use a special release of the WD Edition modification program. If your computer has a hard drive from this particular manufacturer, the application will become an indispensable assistant.

The whole process boils down to, after installing and launching the application, selecting the recommended (automatic) system transfer mode in the disk cloning section. Of course, this can take quite a lot of time. Everything here will depend on the amount of data being transferred and the speed of the old hard drive. However, the process itself is simple for a user who is not even familiar with such specifics.

Using the Seagate DiscWizard utility for Seagate drives

Here is another program for transferring Windows 10 to SSD drives. As is already clear, it should be used exclusively in cases where the computer or laptop has at least one hard drive from this manufacturer.

If we talk about how Windows 10 is transferred to an SSD, we can say that this application almost completely repeats the previous program and eliminates the user’s participation in the migration process almost one hundred percent. It goes without saying that there is an in-house Master who will carry out the entire process from start to finish.

Samsung Data Migration Program

Samsung hard drives have their own utility that works no worse than those described above.

Here, a special step-by-step Transfer Wizard is used in the same way, but the main advantage of this utility is the use of the selective data transfer mode. This is very important, because, you see, the size of an SSD is still much smaller than that of conventional hard drives. Well, as for the practical side, here, again, the user’s participation in the process comes down only to confirming automated actions. In most cases, you don’t even need to select any specific parameters - the program will do everything on its own.

Free Macrium Reflect app

Finally, you can migrate Windows 10 to an SSD using the free Macrium Reflect package. What is most captivating is that the program does not care at all what manufacturers’ hard drives are used as the initial and target disks.

In addition, the versatility of this software product (as evidenced by reviews of people who have used it) also lies in the fact that the program can not only clone hard drives or their partitions, but also quite simply creates boot disks and images, and also supports transferring data to based on Windows PE. Actually, this particular application can be classified as “all-in-one”.

What else should you pay attention to?

Finally, it remains to add that programs such as AOMEI Backupper Standard were not specifically considered here. Although this utility is distributed free of charge, however, when performing a transfer operation, it requires you to first create a flash drive, and only then, when loading from such media with the priority set in the BIOS, the Clone Wizard starts. However, without talking about the technical side, it can be used equally for Windows and Linux systems.

As for the choice of the means by which a solid-state hard drive will be produced, here, as they say, it is a personal matter. By the way, we did not delve particularly deeply into some aspects related to calling certain functions from the command line, because the average user, in general, does not need this. Extra headache. It’s much easier to launch a specialized utility and wait for the cloning process to complete.

What to prefer?

If you don’t have a suitable utility at hand, you can use your own Windows. Moreover, this applies not only to the “ten”, which in our case was taken as a basis. All these procedures are carried out in the same simple way in both the “seven” and the “eight”. The question here is rather different. The fact is that third-party utilities and applications work much more efficiently; at least, the simplicity of the performed and, in most cases, automated actions is beyond doubt. But as for the cloning speed, you shouldn’t delude yourself - you simply cannot jump higher than the read or write speed of the desired and target hard drives. So, even if you want to finish the processes quickly, you will have to be patient.

Otherwise, even when using the system’s own tools, no one should have any difficulties. But the presence of a Wizard in almost any specialized utility allows you not only to track each step with the action being performed, but also simply not to participate in the already highly automated process. Well, unless you have to press several buttons or select the desired sections or custom folders and programs for cloning.

SSD drives are becoming more and more popular. This is due to the fact that their reliability indicators increase, cost decreases and other parameters improve. They are perfect for installing an operating system. To avoid having to reinstall the system, let's look at how to transfer Windows 10 to an SSD while preserving all data.

If the user decides to use an SSD as a disk to store multimedia files (audio and video files, photos), then this is a rather controversial issue. These devices have a limited rewrite limit. Active use will very quickly damage the drive. This is its main difference from HDD, which can work for more than 10 years and remain in excellent condition. But older hard drives use the SATA II interface for connection, which has a low response time and a small buffer volume. This is why users decide to purchase a solid-state drive in order to transfer Windows 10 to it.

To install the operating system, SSD drives are perfect. They have the following advantages:

Low level of heat generation.
Quiet operation.
High read and write speed.

In addition, Windows is a static type of file that does not require constant rewriting, read-only is used. If you install the operating system on a solid-state drive, this will speed up its operation several times, and the device resource will be used quite slowly.

SSD selection

There are many indicators on which it depends. Let's look at the highest priority ones, on which transferring the system to an ssd will depend:

Manufacturer.
Memory type.
Number of rewrite cycles before failure.

To install Windows 10, you must select a solid-state drive size of only 120 GB or more. There are certain reasons why you should not choose 64 GB drives:

To ensure normal and stable operation of the SSD drive, it should have up to 20% free space of the total volume. If a 64 GB model is used (in fact, the volume will be 58 - 60 GB), then only 40 - 45 GB will be available for active use. Microsoft recommends using 16 GB of free disk space for Windows 10 for a 32-bit system and 20 GB for a 64-bit system. This will be half of the required space.
When a new Windows 10 is installed or an existing one is updated, a copy of the old operating system will remain on the system hard drive, which is used for recovery. This adds another 15 – 20 GB.
Users, in addition to browsers and video players, use various utilities and programs. There will be a lot of space required for their installation. If the user processes video or likes to spend time playing computer games, then he will need even more memory on the system disk.

Let's consider transferring Windows 10 to ssd using the example of a Kingston HyperX Savage 120GB solid-state drive:

Turning off the computer. It must be disconnected from the network by unplugging the plug from the socket. The computer is completely de-energized in 4 seconds; to do this, you need to press and then hold the power button.
You need to open the case and install the solid state drive. The new cases have bays where you can install an SSD in a 2.5-inch form factor. It is not available on older models, so you must have a suitable adapter frame.
Connecting the SATA cable and power to the solid-state drive. Closing the case.
Now you need to turn on the computer and go into the BIOS. It sets the AHCI operating mode for the SSD drive. The changes are saved and you can launch Windows 10.
Right-click on “Start” and select “Disk Management”.
The connected SSD drive will be displayed at the bottom of the table. It will be marked in black and labeled “Not distributed.”
Right-click on the solid-state drive, select “Create simple volume”, click “Next”.
We set the maximum size of a simple volume and click “Next” again.
Select the volume letter and click “Next”.
Now you need to set the switch to the “Format this volume...” section. Leave all values as default, click “Next” and “Finish”.

Now the new drive with the selected letter will be displayed in Explorer.

Transferring Windows 10

If you don’t know how to transfer Windows 10 to an SSD, then first you need to install the Acronis True Image program. This software has a large number of functions. Some SSD drives come with a free activation key for the program. The software itself is paid, so it is not suitable for everyone.

There are other programs (free and paid) that transfer a partition from Windows to other drives:

Paragon Drive Copy is a paid program with the widest functionality.
Macrium Reflect is a free software for the ssd cloning process with an English-language interface.
Samsung Data Migration - used to work with Samsung SSDs.
Seagate DiscWizard – works when installing a Seagate drive.

All programs have an excellent interface, but use the same operating algorithm. They transfer data from one disk to another while maintaining all settings. There is no need to study instructions for their operation; they are made at an intuitive level for users.

We perform the following actions:

Launching Acronis True Image. Then go to the “Tools” menu and select “Clone Disk”.
The cloning mode is selected: manually and automatically. In order not to worry about making mistakes, you can select automatic mode. In this case, the software itself will transfer all information from one disk to another. The SSD drive must have a capacity no less than the volume of files contained on the HDD. To configure the transfer parameters, you must select manual configuration. Let's choose manual settings in our example.
Now the source disk from which data will be cloned is indicated.
Select a drive to transfer files to.
We exclude files that will not be needed during cloning hdd to ssd. To transfer, you will only need files with the operating system, so we select them. The process of calculating information will last a long time from 15 to 20 minutes.
If necessary, we change the disk structure.
We look through all the initial data and click “Proceed”.

When the preliminary operations are completed, the software will ask you to restart the computer. Then, instead of loading the operating system, the Acronis True Image utility window will open, where the process of cloning the hard drive to the ssd will be displayed. You must wait until the operation is completed, after which the personal computer will be turned off.

Selecting the main drive in BIOS

We carry out the following points:

Turn on the computer and enter the BIOS.
You need to set the computer to boot from a solid state drive. This is necessary so that the operating system boots from the cloned disk with Windows 10. Then we save the changes and launch Windows.

Setting up the OS after the migration process

After transferring the system to the ssd, you need to check the following parameters:

Is file indexing disabled?
Is disk defragmentation disabled? It is not required due to the way solid-state drives operate.
Is the TRIM function enabled?

If we consider the hibernation file, many users advise disabling it to reduce the amount of information written to the SSD disk, which will significantly extend its operating time. If you often use this mode, you can leave it on.

When cloning data, in the settings you can specify the creation of the same hard drives that were on the HDD. Let's look at the process of merging them using the Disk Management utility:

Right-click on “Start”, select “Disk Management”, then select “SSD drive”.
Right-click on an empty disk and select “Format.”
RMB on this disk, select the “Delete volume” section, confirm the deletion.
RMB on this disk, click on “Delete partition”, confirms the operation.
Repeat similar steps with the remaining free disks. Unallocated space will appear, which is marked in black.
RMB on the disk where the operating system is located, select “Extend volume”, click “Next”.
We indicate the maximum free space indicator, click “Next” and “Finish”.

We delete Windows 10 files that are located on the HDD by formatting the disk. This will ensure there is no confusion in the future and will also free up space for storing information.

conclusions

The table provides information on certain points before and after transferring Windows 10 to an SSD:

Using the Winaero WEI tool utility, you can calculate the performance of the operating system. After the Windows 10 port, the “Primary Hard Drive” indicator was increased from 5.6 to 7.95.

It turns out that Windows performance has increased. The software started to launch faster, and the time for rebooting and copying files was reduced. Overall, the system's responsiveness has increased significantly.

And then restore them in a clean installation of Windows. However, I'm sure there will be people who will want to move a carefully configured system from one drive to another. Initially, I did not plan this post, but having received another question by mail, I decided to highlight this simple process on the blog.

There are special programs for disk cloning (for example, Acronis or Paragon). In them, the marketing focus is often on transferring the system from HDD to SSD, as in the title of this guide :) However, you can solve this problem using free Microsoft tools, without unpleasant surprises, and my instructions apply to any disk types.

I want to emphasize that this guide describes the process of cloning a system and moving it to another drive within the same PC. Transferring the system to another PC (even with the same hardware configuration) is only supported for images generalized using the sysprep utility. Formally, Microsoft does not support cloning without sysprep at all (even with third-party software). There are several technical limitations that hinder support in my proposed method, but I do not consider them significant for home PCs.

Today on the program

You will need...

First, let's define the terminology. Where you see the phrases “installation disk”, “Windows PE disk”, “recovery disk”, you can equally well use either an optical disk (CD/DVD) or a removable USB disk (flash drive).

So, you need:

Environment in any form. It could be:

Windows installation disk
recovery environment on the recovery disk that matches your operating system (see instructions for Windows 7 or Windows 8 and later)
Windows PE 3.1 or 4.0 disk you created

An external or internal disk with enough free space to save a compressed image of the system partition.

Ability to boot into Windows PE and determine drive letters.

Utility imagex the same bit depth as Windows PE. The utility can be located anywhere except the partition you are cloning.

Why imagex and where to get the utility

With the release of Windows 8, the imagex utility has been deprecated, and Microsoft now recommends using DISM. However, imagex works and is still supported, while DISM requires you to create a bootable Windows PE disk with the .NET Framework and PowerShell, which complicates the process.

If you prefer a GUI, there's Gimagex, but I try not to add extraneous factors to the OS deployment process. The imagex utility can be downloaded as part of the ADK by installing deployment tools only about 50MB (thanks, Semyon Galkin). Once installed, you will find imagex in Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits.

There is an alternative and very interesting way - you can receive a link to the utility by mail from Microsoft by requesting it from the knowledge base article KB2525084.

Capture the system partition into a WIM image

Boot into Windows PE and run all the commands in its console. To reduce image size, page and hibernation files are automatically excluded during capture, as are the Recycle Bin and shadow copies. If you want to exclude some other folders or files, create an imagex configuration file.

Command line option /compress maximum You can slightly reduce the size of the image. I don’t use it because maximum compression delays the process, and I have no problems with free space to save the file.

At the end of the procedure, turn off the PC and connect the SSD in place of the HDD. The hard drive can be connected to a different connector.

Preparing the SSD for applying the image

The task comes down to creating a new partition in Windows PE. For SSDs, proper biasing is important to avoid performance degradation and shortened drive life. The installer automatically sets the offset to 1024KB, which is easy to verify. When creating partitions on a blank disk using the diskpart utility, the same thing happens, but in my commands the offset is specified explicitly to avoid accidents.

Here is a minimum set of partitions that is suitable for all supported Windows operating systems (a Windows RE partition is not created). Run the following commands sequentially in the Windows PE console. They imply that one main partition will be created on the SSD, occupying the entire disk.

Diskpart:: display a list of disks list disk:: select a disk (instead of N, specify the SSD letter) sel disk N:: clear the disk of partitions (erases all data) clean:: convert the disk to MBR convert mbr:: create a primary partition with an offset of 1024KB create partition primary align=1024:: make the partition active (nbh for booting from it) active:: format in NTFS, set the disk label format fs=NTFS label="Windows" quick:: assign a letter to the partition assign letter=W exit

Now you are ready to apply the saved image to the SSD.

Applying an image to an SSD

This operation is performed in Windows PE with one command:

Imagex /apply E:\migrate.wim 1 W:

E:\migrate.wim- path to the saved image
1 – the index of the single image in the WIM file you created
W– SSD drive letter in Windows PE, assigned a little earlier in diskpart

Your letters may be different, of course.

Setting up booting into a cloned system

MBR partitioning

Utility bootrec available in Windows PE when booted from the installation disk, but it may not be included in the built you Windows PE disk.

Bootrec /rebuildbcd

This command looks for installed Windows on all drives (equivalent to the /scanos parameter) and offers to add systems that are not there to the BCD. Pressing Y adds the OS to the boot store, and N rejects the offer.

It also makes sense to immediately run two more commands:

Bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot

GPT partitioning

In the GPT partition, the files necessary to boot the system are copied to the EFI (FAT32) partition with one command:

Bcdboot W:\Windows

Here W is the drive letter to which you transferred the OS.

This completes the transfer process. After restarting your PC, you will see the system that you transferred to the SSD in the boot manager list.

What to do if both drives were connected when creating the image

I warned above that it is better not to do this. In this case, the drive letters in the cloned system are mixed up, although this can be easily corrected in the registry (thanks to reader Artem for the addition). This is the picture observed after loading into the cloned OS. The system is booted from drive D, and profiles and programs are launched from drive C.

To fix this you need rename drive letters in the registry. In fact, you need to swap the letters in the names of the registry parameters corresponding to the problem drives (you don’t need to touch the values).

In this example, you must first change \DosDevices\C: V \DosDevices\K:, after which the name will be freed for renaming drive D.

Actions after cloning

Take a Windows Performance Assessment

This will tell the system that it is installed on an SSD. As a result, Windows will apply the appropriate settings - from sending TRIM commands to disabling SSD defragmentation (a must for Windows 8 owners).

Set up a download manager

I cannot provide all possible multiboot configurations, but in any case, at the end of the process, you will have two systems with the same names (old and new) displayed in your boot manager. I will give some examples of commands that may be useful to you.

The command displays information about the systems displayed on the boot manager screen bcdedit. In its results, the system identifier (ID) is indicated by the parameter identifier. The system you are currently booted into always has an ID (current).

These examples assume that the commands are executed in new system.

Renaming a New System Entry

Bcdedit /set (current) description “My New Windows”

Bcdedit /default (current)

Deleting an old system entry

Bcdedit /delete ID

If you have trouble booting into your cloned system or need help setting up your boot manager, please post here using the thread rules.

Discussion and poll

From previous surveys, I know that most readers have already acquired an SSD. This survey will show you how you approached the issue of installing the system on a brand new drive.

If you transferred the system, write in the comments what software you used for this. I know some of you have already talked about this in other posts. But then it was off-topic, but now this will help other readers looking for information on the topic!

Hello, friends! I often had the opportunity to transfer from a simple HDD hard drive to an SSD. I mainly used the following programs: Paragon Migrate OS to SSD, Paragon Home Expert 12 and AOMEI Partition Assistant Home Edition. The longest, but most interesting, way to transfer Windows 7 from HDD to SSD using the tools built into Windows.

If you are interested in the process of transferring the Paragon Home Expert 12 program, follow the link and read the article.
You will also be interested in our new articles
If you are interested in the article, visit the special section where you can find from one storage device to another.

The easiest and surprisingly fast way transfer Windows 7 from HDD to SSDusing the program Paragon Migrate OS to SSD , with the help of this program I suggest that you today transfer the system to an SSD.

The program is paid, it costs a fortune 390 rubles. If you have Windows 8, then only the latest version of the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD 3.0 program is suitable for migration.

Website http://www.paragon.ru/home/migrate-OS-to-SSD

Important note: If you have Paragon Home Expert 12 installed, then the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD utility is included in the package of this program.

If you want to transfer Windows 7 from HDD to SSD using Paragon Home Expert 12, go to the end of this article, there are short instructions there.

After transferring the operating system from the HDD to the SSD, you need to check the correct alignment of the disk partitions relative to the SSD architecture. Aligned partitions ensure maximum performance, speed and longevity of your SSD, trust me, this is very important. We will check the correctness of partition alignment using the free AS SSD Benchmark utility.

How to migrate Windows 7 from HDD to SSD using Paragon Migrate OS to SSD program

So, pay attention to the Disk Management window of my computer, there is a 250 GB hard drive, divided into two partitions, on one of them - drive (C:) there is a Windows 7 operating system, we will transfer it to a 120 GB SSD solid state drive, representing unallocated space.

Launch the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD program. Next.

The program automatically found my SSD drive and is ready to transfer the operating system. Pay attention to the item “Use all available space for the partition with OS”, be sure to check the box here and all the space on the solid-state drive will be allocated to create one new disk (C:) with the transferred Windows. After all, solid-state drives are used mainly only for installing the operating system.
If you click on “Please select what folders should be copied”, then you can select the folders you need to copy. I need the whole Windows, so I'll leave everything as is.

Click on the Copy button.

A suspiciously short migration process occurs without any reboots.

I couldn’t help but remember the good old Acronis True Image, where you had to create an image of the operating system, then deploy it to an SSD, although Acronis works flawlessly, it takes several times longer.

While we were talking about Acronis, the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD program had already transferred our Windows 7 to an SSD. The final window in which we are offered to boot from the SSD. Let's reboot.

Now you need to enter the BIOS and set it to boot from the SSD. Select Boot Menu (F8).

Using the arrows on the keyboard, select our solid-state drive and press Enter. The computer is booting from the SSD.

Note: What I like about UEFI BIOS is that it has its own bootloader, which accommodates all existing bootloaders and will never get confused in them. The UEFI BIOS remembers the last operating system you loaded and will load it exactly next time. Switching between operating systems (no matter how many of them you have installed) is simple, fast and error-free.

If you have a regular BIOS, then the transfer should also occur without problems. The only thing you need to do is to find in it the parameter responsible for the primacy of Hard Disk Drives (AMI BIOS) or Hard Disk Boot Priority (AWARD BIOS) and set your SSD as the first device. You can find out how to find these parameters in.

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;

SSDs have become popular due to their higher read and write speeds, their reliability, and a number of other reasons. A solid-state drive is perfect for the Windows 10 operating system. To fully use the OS and not have to reinstall it when switching to an SSD, you can use one of the special programs that will help save all the settings.

If you have a laptop, then the solid-state drive can be connected via USB or installed instead of a DVD drive. This is needed to copy the OS. There are special programs that will copy data to a disk in a few clicks, but first you need to prepare an SSD.

Step 1: Prepare the SSD

A new SSD usually has unallocated space, so you'll need to create a simple volume. This can be done using standard Windows 10 tools.

Connect the drive.
Right click on the icon "Start" and select "Disk Management".
The disc will be displayed in black. Call the context menu on it and select the item "Create Simple Volume".

In a new window, click "Further".

Set the maximum size for the new volume and continue.

Assign a letter. It should not match letters already assigned to other drives, otherwise you will encounter drive display problems.

Now select "Format this volume..." and set the system to NTFS. "Cluster size" leave it as default and "Volume Label" you can write your name. Also check the box next to "Quick Format".

Now check the settings, and if everything is correct, click "Ready".

After this procedure, the disk will be displayed in "Explorer" along with other drives.

Step 2: OS Transfer

Now you need to transfer Windows 10 and all the necessary components to the new disk. There are special programs for this. For example, there is Seagate DiscWizard for drives of the same company, Samsung Data Migration for Samsung solid-state drives, a free program with an English interface, etc. They all work the same, the only difference is in the interface and additional features.

Install and open the application.
Go to tools, and then to the section "Clone disk".

You can select clone mode. Check the box you want and click "Further".
- "Auto" will do everything for you. This mode is worth choosing if you are not sure that you will do everything correctly. The program itself will transfer absolutely all files from the selected disk.
- Mode "Manually" allows you to do everything yourself. That is, you can transfer only the OS to the new SSD, and leave the rest of the objects in the old place.
Let's take a closer look at the manual mode.

Select the drive from which you plan to copy data.

Now mark the SSD so that the program can transfer data to it.

Next, mark those drives, folders and files that do not need to be cloned to the new drive.

Afterwards you can change the disk structure. It can be left unchanged.
At the end you will see your settings. If you make a mistake or you are not happy with the result, you can make the necessary changes. When everything is ready, click "Proceed".
The program may request a reboot. Agree with the request.
After restarting, you will see Acronis True Image working.
After the process is completed, everything will be copied and the computer will turn off.

Now the OS is on the desired drive.

Step 3: Select SSD in BIOS

If you left the old HDD, but you no longer need the OS and other files on it, you can format the drive using the tool "Disk Management". This way you will delete all data stored on the HDD.

When replacing a hard drive with a new one, for example, a more capacious or high-speed one, as a rule, there is a need to transfer information from the old drive to it.

If you do it manually - reinstalling the system, programs and copying user files, you can spend the whole day.

It is much more convenient to entrust this to automation - special programs for cloning hard drives. With their help, all files, settings and the system itself will simply “move to a new location” in the form in which they were on the old media.

Hard disk cloning is a procedure for low-level sector-by-sector data transfer from one medium to another. In this case, the clone disk will be an exact copy of the original disk.

Hard drive cloning

Many paid and free programs have been released to create clone disks. Among them there are universal ones, working with any HDD and SSD, and highly specialized ones, designed for drives of a certain brand, for example, only Samsung or only Western Digital.

Let's look at five popular and easiest-to-use programs for cloning hard drives to SSDs or HDDs from any manufacturer.

EASEUS Disk Copy

Farstone RestoreIT Pro is primarily a tool for restoring system and user data after crashes, virus attacks, changes and accidental deletion.

This program does not create disk clones as such, but can create backups of any information on them.

The frequency of backups in RestoreIT Pro can be configured at least hourly. And restoration to a saved copy is done by pressing one button.

RestoreIT Pro features:

the ability to restore the system even after bootloader damage;
2 backup modes - full and cumulative (saving only changed data);
monitoring the entire disk or only selected partitions;
storing the entire history of file changes, not just the last saved version.

The disadvantages of the program are the paid license ($24.95) and the lack of a disk cloning function.

When buying a new computer, the question arises about how to transfer Windows 10 to another computer.

There is only one way to complete such a task - to disconnect the operating system from the hardware, make a backup of it, and then “restore” it on a new PC or laptop. Now let's talk about everything in order.

1. What is meant?

It is important to understand that we are considering the issue of transferring the OS to a new computer, and not just data to a new hard drive. It’s not just the motherboard, in a sense the heart of the computer, that changes, but the entire system unit.

In this case, absolutely everything is transferred - documents, personal data, cache, even various garbage, photos and videos, history, and so on. That is, when you turn on your new computer, everything on it will be exactly the same as on the old one. True, the OS can run faster if the new machine is more powerful.

You can find advice on the Internet on how to transfer the system to a new hard drive, for example, from an HDD to an SSD. But this is absolutely not the question we are considering.

We are talking about a complete transfer of the operating system with all its data, even those that the user will never guess about. Let's begin!

2. How to transfer

Let's take a closer look at the stages we talked about at the very beginning.

To complete the task, you must do the following:

Creating bootable media. Then you will understand that if you immediately disconnect the PC/laptop from the motherboard, the system simply will not boot in the future. Therefore, you will need a boot disk with it.

For reference: A boot disk is a full-fledged image of the operating system, recorded on a removable storage medium, that is, a flash drive or DVD/CD disk. It is useful to have such an image in case the OS crashes. Then you can boot from the disk and work with your files in complete peace.

Detachment from iron. In reality, this means that data about the drivers and hardware components of the PC/laptop is removed from the operating system. Initially, when installing the OS, all this is written to certain files. This is why the system does not crash every time you restart the computer. It is important to note that during all this, the user data we mentioned above remains in place.
Making a backup. In other words, we mean a backup copy. This is an image of the operating system along with all the user data, settings, programs, and so on. It is important to understand that these are not restore points, but full copies of the OS. In a normal situation, they are designed to restore the system and all the data in it will correspond to what it was at the time the copy was created.

For reference: A boot disk and a backup are not the same thing. In our case, the copy that will be on the disk will be linked to the hardware, but the backup will not. That's why we create a backup copy.

Restoring from a backup. Typically, backups are made only on the computer on which they were made. But in this case, we have decoupled the OS from the hardware, so they can easily be installed on any other computer.

Now let's begin to implement this insidious plan.

3. What we need

We will need two things - the Sysprep utility (it is standard and there is no need to download it additionally) and any program that would allow you to create a boot disk and restore the system from backups.

As for Sysprep, it is this utility that performs the second stage of the above list, that is, it untethers the OS from the motherboard.

Here is a list of programs that perform both creating a boot disk and creating an image for system recovery and, accordingly, restoring from them:

Aomei Backupper Standard. A very multifunctional tool that can not only create backups and restore the system from them, but also clone the OS, and also perform many other functions.
Macrium Reflect Free. Easier to use, but also less functional than the previous one. However, it completely allows us to complete the task we are discussing.

You can also perform all these tasks using standard Windows 10 tools, even without any programs, but it is more convenient with programs, so we will use them.

If you use the program, it is important to understand that it will need to be installed both on the computer from which the copy will be created, and on the one on which it will be installed.

4. Create an OS boot disk

In Aomei Backupper Standard, a boot disk is created as follows:

Open the “Utilities” section and select “Create bootable media” there.

Check the box next to “Windows PE...” and click “Next”.

Then click “Next” again.
In the next window you will need to select where the image will be written. If you have a flash drive, insert it into your computer, check the box next to “USB device” and select your storage device from the list. The same can be done when recording to CD/DVD. At the end, click “Next” as usual.

Wait a moment and click "Done".

In Macrium Reflect Free everything is also quite simple:

In the main window, select the “Create an Image of the Partition Recuired to Backup and Restore Windows” section.

In the panel on the right, in the block under “Source”, check the boxes opposite the sections that will be copied. By default, there are checkboxes everywhere, that’s how it should be. In the block under “Destination”, check the box next to “Folder” and select your flash drive or “CD/DVD Burner” to burn the image to disk.
Click "Next" and wait about 10 minutes for the bootable media to be created.

Now we have a backup. You will need to boot from it in the future, but not now. For now, you should untie the OS from the hardware.

5. Use the Sysprep utility

As you understand, this stage will always be present, regardless of which program you choose for working with backup copies.

Working with the utility looks like this:

Press the "Win" and "R" buttons on your keyboard to launch the program execution window. There, enter "Sysprep" and click "OK".
A folder will open in which you will need to run a file called “Sysprep”.

After launching the utility, select “Go to the system welcome window (OOWE)” in the top panel, if this is not done by default. If you have an activated system, do not touch the “Preparing for use” checkbox (and vice versa). In the bottom panel, select “Shut down.” Click OK.

Wait a little while the utility does its job. The computer will turn off.

Now you will need to boot from bootable media. How this is done is described in this article (Step No. 2).

6. Create a backup copy

Just in case, let’s clarify that now we will create a backup of the operating system that is not tied to hardware. To do this, run Aomei Backupper Standard or Macrium Reflect Free.

In the first, a backup is created as follows:

Open the "Backup" section and click "System Backup".

Next, select the system drive (usually “D:”, and Aomei Backupper is designated as “C: Reserved”). Below, indicate where the backup will be stored. You can even write it to the same flash drive. Click "Launch".

Wait a bit. Backup is ready!

In Macrium Reflect Free the process looks like this:

In the main window, select the “Backup” menu at the top and select “Backup Windows” from the drop-down menu.
Then proceed as usual - specify the partitions, select the backup storage location and click “Next”.

Everything is almost the same as when creating a boot disk, but in this case we create a backup using the “Backup” item.

Now all that remains is to restore the system from a backup on a new computer.

7. Copy the OS to a new computer

Now all that remains is to simply do a “restore”, that is, use the previously created backup without being tied to hardware on a new PC/laptop. The system, by the way, will automatically bind to the new hardware.

In Aomei Backupper Standard this is done as follows:

In the main menu, select “Rollback”. Next to “Path”, select the backup file. Click OK.

A message will appear. Click “Yes” on it.
Next, select the required backup at the top and check the box next to “Restore the system to another location.” Click "OK".

Select the system drive on which the OS will be installed. In most cases this will be "Disk 0". Click "OK" again.

If desired, in the next window you can use the “Change partition size” button. This is especially true when the source partition is smaller than the destination partition, that is, there is not enough space on the system disk for the “restored” system. Finally, click “Launch”.

Just wait for the started process to complete.

In Macrium Reflect Free everything is a little simpler. There you need to go to the “Restore” tab in the upper left corner and click on “Restore Image”. After this, you will need to select a backup and indicate the disk where it will be placed.

After restarting the computer, a window will appear for setting up the so-called basic components - keyboard layout, time, account, etc. All this is standard and if you have installed Windows 10 before, you are familiar with this step.

Moving your system to an SSD is an effective way to organize your computer.

Content:

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 to SSD

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 and which you want to leave on (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:

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:

Parameter name:	Minimum value:
OS	· Windows XP (32x only); · Windows Vista (all bits); · Windows 7 (all bits); · Windows 8\8.1 (all bits); · Windows 10 (all bits).
RAM	At least 1GB
Types of drives you carry	GPT or MBR
Copied sections	Standard. Without the ability to transfer RAID arrays

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:

We use the built-in capabilities of Windows

Follow the instructions to transfer the operating system to a flash device:

Open the window "Disk Management". 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 reboot the window "Disk Management";
Now click on the “Wizard” tab and select “OS SSD Transfer” from the list;

Fig.5 - “Master” tab

The standard utility for . Click on the "Next" button to go to the settings;
Click on the item "Unoccupied space" 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 window "Disk Management", 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 for SSD from Samsung

The company 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.

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 success notification. 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 appears in the main utility window "Ready to clone to SSD".

Fig. 15 - successful cleaning of unnecessary files

Acronis True Image utility

Acroins is the most popular utility for transferring an OS to removable media. It recognizes all SSD brands. The application is supported by all versions of Windows, so there will be no compatibility problems.

Remember, you can only use the application if your PC hardware has a disk from the manufacturer Acronis.

If a component is missing, the utility will not start, and the user will be notified that it is impossible to work with the program.

Fig. 16 – main window of the Acroins application

To move the system, connect the removable drive to the computer and click on the tile in the program window "Disk cloning"-"Copying partitions".

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 sections will be copied to . 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

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, 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 ;
Enter the command shown in the figure below, giving the OS copies on the SSD a unique name;

Fig.20 - command for renaming the bootloader component

Now configure the dispatcher so that it always launches the new OS first. You can do this using the following command:

Fig. 21 – automatic launch of the cloned OS

To remove the old system, enter the following command (where ID is the number of the old copy of the OS in the bootloader list):

Fig. 22 - deleting the original copy of Windows

Bottom line

As you can see, to transfer the system to a removable flash drive, you just need to use a universal utility for duplicating components or perform the move yourself.

Don't forget to delete the boot record of a disk that is no longer in use. If this is not done, errors may occur when turning on the OS.

Users who have migrated their system to an SSD note increased computer performance and faster completion of complex tasks and processes.

The loading speed of the operating system increases by 2-3 times.

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