Installing OS to SSD from Scratch

Thanks essenbe for bringing that up. The main thing I am trying to save is my email contact list. I guess I will be forced to do a clean install, restore with Macrium, export my email lists and then do a clean install again. I don't know of any other way to save them. == I have a question here. When I do the clean install on the SSD, I will unplug all HDD drives. When I plug back in the HDD and reboot to my SSD, will I need to do anything to make the old OS drive non active or does it do that by itself? I will be very soon be formatting the OS partition of the HDD. Thanks, == PS - If anyone knows of a way to solve the problem of the old motherboard drivers being loaded from Macrium so I don't have to do a Clean Install twice, please point that out.

As far as your emails and contacts, you can back them up to another drive, then import them when you set up your new email program. When you reconnect your hard drive, I assume you are going to want to use it for storage. You can wipe it or just delete the partition and create another. when you create another partition, it will not be active unless you make it that way.

Windows Live Mail - Export and Import Contacts

Windows Live Mail - Export and Import Email Messages

Windows Live Mail - Export and Import Email Accounts

When the new motherboard is in, I can't just plug in the HDD with the OS / Programs and it will run. If that were possible I could just export the email contacts and then do a clean install on the SSD.

It may or may not work. But it does not cost anything to try it.

Thanks for all of your help. Having the MB go out was not in my plans. Even though I made my Macrium Image, in this case it just does not help. Thanks,

If I am not mistaken, you can mount your image and copy files from it. WHS and Kado would be the ones who know, but I believe that is possible.

It won't hurt to try to boot up with your original OS drive. If it will boot, run sysprep following the tutorial, then install all of your new motherboard drivers. The tutorial gives good step by step instructions. It would normally be done as the last thing on the old motherboard, but since that is impossible, try to boot up your old OS and run Sysprep if you can, then shut down and restart. the tutorial will give very good instructions and the process works very well.

Hi Jim, sure you can mount the Macrium image and recover any file from it. Just double click on the image and go thru the prompts. Then go to Computer and double click on the mounted VHD. Take it from there.