A few questions for setting up my new SSD

Ok so I received my Samsung Evo 250g SSD today & would like to get it installed this weekend but want to ask a few questions before starting.

I understand it's best to do a fresh, clean install of Win7 specifically for an SSD to get the best results out of it, so that's what I will do. But I need a lot of stuff from the HDD.

Do I just install Win7 64 like normal & use my original key code? There won't be any license or useability issue with jumping back & forth from HDD to SSD until the transition is complete? My HDD has 5+ years of stuff on it so it's going to take some time to get everything from it to the SSD.

Is there a program to transfer other programs from HDD to SSD that is free & easy to use?

Do I/should I register this for the warranty or does it just hold the warranty until there is an issue and then you do the warranty info?

What do you guys suggest for a SSD to HDD adapter/cage so that the SSD will fit in the hard drive rack like a normal HDD?

Anyone have a link to the cleanest, stripped down version of Win7 64? The disc I have is probably a couple years old at this point.

Any other suggestions or advice?

Thanks.

see comments in bold

JohnnyScience said:

But I need a lot of stuff from the HDD.

Disconnect your HDD before you install to the SSD.

Do I just install Win7 64 like normal & use my original key code?

Yes. SSDs and HDDs have the same installation process.

There won't be any license or useability issue with jumping back & forth from HDD to SSD until the transition is complete? My HDD has 5+ years of stuff on it so it's going to take some time to get everything from it to the SSD.

Your Windows license has nothing to do with hard drives.

When you reconnect the HDD, it will be drive D, or E, or F or whatever. Drag your data to wherever you need it then.

Is there a program to transfer other programs from HDD to SSD that is free & easy to use?

Not if you are doing a clean install. If you don't want to do a clean install, you could use something like Macrium Reflect Free Edition to either "clone" or "image" your current hard drive C partition to the SSD. But I'd recommend a clean install.



Do I/should I register this for the warranty or does it just hold the warranty until there is an issue and then you do the warranty info?

Up to you. The warranty is good whether you register it or not. If you do register, you might get on an email list for special offers or notifications of some type. I never bother with that stuff. Keep your invoices and proof of purchase. You'll need them if it fails or if you have to return it.

What do you guys suggest for a SSD to HDD adapter/cage so that the SSD will fit in the hard drive rack like a normal HDD?

They don't have any moving parts, so anything that works is fine. Some people use Velcro. I used duct tape for a couple of years. Newegg has adapters for sale if you think you need one.

Anyone have a link to the cleanest, stripped down version of Win7 64? The disc I have is probably a couple years old at this point.



Why would the age of your disc matter? It's legit or it isn't.

If you have a valid Product Key, you could get a downloadable ISO from Digital River and burn it to a disk. Make sure you download the version that exactly matches your key. Home Premium 64-bit English or whatever the key is for.

Any other suggestions or advice?

Disconnect all hard drives and all external devices other than mouse and keyboard and monitor before the install. After install, get Windows fully updated and activated. Then do a benchmark test on the SSD to confirm it is operating up to specs and is aligned properly. Confirm defrag is turned off for the SSD. You might consider turning off hibernation if you don't use it. That saves some space on the drive. Don't worry about excessive writing to it. Other than that, treat the system just like you would with an HDD.

"Magician" purposely interferes with sleep and can cause BSODs. For more, see:

Samsung Magician and TRIM message

For some reason I can't find the Win7 64 download any where, I guess I'll just use my original install CD dated 2009. Unless there are benefits to using the most recent updated version? For the life of me I can't find it on digital river and windows only seems to have 8.1 stuff right now, maybe I'm blind but I searched google.

So I don't know what to do about this Magician software? It sounds beneficial in what it can do, but if it crashes & causes BSOD I don't want to do it. Is it just a one time thing to set/adjust settings or a constant program the runs in the background?

I want to do a clean install because I was told doing a copy from HDD to SSD isn't proper because the Windows adjust some settings for the SSD that it doesn't for an HDD - is this true?

But if I do a clean install, isn't there a way to transfer programs/files over if my old HDD will become a slave once I plug it back in after getting the new SSD installed & running?

So even though I will disconnect all other drive, the SSD won't set itself up as C drive?

I can still change this later on in disk format if it doesn't correct?

Also I would like to add a partition for quick & easy disc restore, any suggestions on how to do that when setting up the SSD? Or should I just not partition it & keep the CD? (i have a book of CDs for the computer anyways)

JohnnyScience said:

For some reason I can't find the Win7 64 download any where, I guess I'll just use my original install CD dated 2009. Unless there are benefits to using the most recent updated version? For the life of me I can't find it on digital river and windows only seems to have 8.1 stuff right now, maybe I'm blind but I searched google.

Here you go, scroll down to the English versions, SP1 U versions are the most recent.

Windows 7 Direct Download Links, Official Disk Images from Digital River

Thank you, downloading now.