(Storage)Need help with adding SSD

[teck2104]

Hi guys,

I have a new PC which has a slot for an extra 2.5”256Gb SSD, so I intend to get one and have Windows run from it, the issue is I am not 100% sure on how to do it.

Currently I run Win 8.1 on a 500Gb SATA drive that’s partitioned into two drives. Everything so far has been installed onto one of those drives and total space used is only about 80Gb.

How do I change my current C: drive to the new SSD? I know I need to clone the drive right? After that what?

Everything I read on the internet is about replacing the old HDD with a new SSD, but how to do it if I’m adding a SSD? Windows will still run from the old C: drive even after I clone that drive to new SSD?

I prefer not to reinstall if possible.

Thanks for any help!

 

[muddle]

clone hdd to ssd. Go bios choose boot from ssd. Or if u want to confirm, can unplug the hdd and see if can boot from ssd. If ok can wipe the os partition from hdd.

 

[teck2104]

Thanks muddle,

Bought a Samsung 840EVO 250Gb, installed it and am currently creating a Windows Recovery disk before I proceed further. Waiting for it to finish.

This SSD comes with it's own Samsung Migration Software, should I just use it?

As for removing the old HDD after setting BIOS to boot from SSD after migration to make sure it's done properly, I don't think my machine allows the original HDD to be rmoved. It is the ASUS GR8, at least I cant quite see how to.

 

[Alternative X]

Thanks muddle,

Bought a Samsung 840EVO 250Gb, installed it and am currently creating a Windows Recovery disk before I proceed further. Waiting for it to finish.

This SSD comes with it's own Samsung Migration Software, should I just use it?

As for removing the old HDD after setting BIOS to boot from SSD after migration to make sure it's done properly, I don't think my machine allows the original HDD to be rmoved. It is the ASUS GR8, at least I cant quite see how to.

1) Just use the Migration software provided by Samsung. I do not see why Samsung will intentionally give users of their products bad software to give them a hard time when using their products.

2) I do not see why you can't remove your HDD. Asus should also be using a ordinary 2.5'' HDD and is just a storage medium. Doubt Asus would actually go all their way to create a BIOS whitelist for HDDs (and everything else), it would be troublesome if the HDD fails in the future.

 

[teck2104]

Hmm, I have cloned my entire C:/ to my new SSD somehow designated as G: even though I selected D:.

So I rebooted one time, it's still booting from old HDD. I enter BIOS, and really cannot find an option for Boot sequence, really cannot find.

So I think I will try to remove my old HDD and just leave the SSD in there. I open up my machine, and it really really looks like the only things that can be done are add one 2.5" or upgrade RAM. Everything else looks like it's not allowed to be touched.

My machine is the ASUS RoG GR8, but I cannot post links.

 

[ykbryan]

Hmm, I have cloned my entire C:/ to my new SSD somehow designated as G: even though I selected D:.

So I rebooted one time, it's still booting from old HDD. I enter BIOS, and really cannot find an option for Boot sequence, really cannot find.

So I think I will try to remove my old HDD and just leave the SSD in there. I open up my machine, and it really really looks like the only things that can be done are add one 2.5" or upgrade RAM. Everything else looks like it's not allowed to be touched.

My machine is the ASUS RoG GR8, but I cannot post links.

U should be able to change the boot sequence..

 

[trento]

one last resort can be to use the Win recovery on SSD and boot from it. unplug hdd.

if ok, then put back the hdd. not sure what alphabet drive will come out.

still cannot, then maybe try putting hdd in a usb casing and manually delete the OS Hdd part.

but point is u must get the ssd to boot windows first.

 

[ykbryan]

one last resort can be to use the Win recovery on SSD and boot from it. unplug hdd.

if ok, then put back the hdd. not sure what alphabet drive will come out.

still cannot, then maybe try putting hdd in a usb casing and manually delete the OS Hdd part.

but point is u must get the ssd to boot windows first.

Yea... but I suggest you clone the old hdd / backup first. Use clonezilla. It's good enough after that, you can do whatever you want to get the SSD to work.

 

[teck2104]

I give up, I simply cannot find any option in my BIOS that points to changing of boot order, I have asked in ASUS tech support forum.

 

[hlots123]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rua7s6hUKAA

is it similar...?

 

[teck2104]

Yes, almost exactly but I don't seem to have that UEFI part.

It's the closest thing to a solution so far but still no cigar. Thanks for the link, trying my best to keep up, thought I'd pointed it to boot up using my SSD but it still boots up using old HDD, and I can confirm that under Disk Management.

Must be something I'm missing, will keep trying. Once again, ty.

 

[xtwis7]

Best is to take picture at the main bios screen for people to advise. There has to be a boot option for sure.

 

[teck2104]

I couldn't post links or images because of low post count.

Anyway I brought it to Asus service centre hoping they can help, but as expected was informed by the service staff there that SSD is actually not part of their service.

Still he offered some advice: that the system would detect the best way to boot up, and if it wasn't booting from the SSD, it was either because the cloning was not done properly, or that I should try to connect the SSD via USB and see if it boots form there.

Since I'd have needed to buy an external casing for the SSD which I wouldn't have a use for after that, or worse, I have absolutely no intention of keeping the SSD permanently attached to the PC via external USB, I figure I'd just take it somewhere and pay someone to fix it for me since I'm pretty sick of trying to figure it out myself.

So he looked at the BIOS for a long time, and also couldn't figure out how to do it. So he decided to put SSD where HDD used to be to try booting up.

And it did with no issues at all. So it was a just a case of swapping the drives. Which had been suggested here but I was hesitant to try it out myself on my casing.

After that format HDD and no problem.