Windows 7 installation to SDD drive - help needed

raigo · 30 Dec 2011

Hi all, I'm having problems with the installation of win7 to my desktop' SDD drive.
Hopefully this is posted to the right place.

Problem started when I added SDD drive to my desktop and started the installation,
having one windows already installed to my HDD in desktp.

First, I formatted the SDD and then HDD.

After finishing installation of Windows 7 Pro. x64 to my desktop, it seems to run
from HDD after all. I think that because HDD has a separated 100MB partion, what
I cannot delete nor format.

Disk0 is SDD drive and Disk1 would be HDD drive

When from BIOS changed the boot order and marked the SDD drive as first boot
drive - it wont boot, until I changed it back to HDD.

I have done this from yesterday morning and gone trough many forums - seems
this was the moment to start own forum topic!

So, my question would be - how could I make installation so, that the win7 would
be fully installed to SDD (and when from BIOS selected, also boots the OS from SDD)
Cause that was the main goal, to make windows faster to load and other things to do.

*I even made HDD as dynamic - dont know if that changes anything

Hopefully You guys/girls, can can show me the way :)

Thank You!

**cluberti** · 30 Dec 2011

HDD shouldn't be dynamic unless you need to add other disks to the system in the future and extend partitions across disks. As to your conundrum, the problem is the way the drives were seen from the BIOS during the initial install - the 100MB partition (containing boot code) must go on the first disk in order, which is why the HDD has it (and when you switch the order, you can't boot). If you can, change and reinstall would be the easiest way to fix it (there are other ways that involve recovery media, but if you can do it the easy way I would recommend doing it that way). Note that the HDD only contains the bootstrap code, and Windows is still running off of the SSD.

raigo · 30 Dec 2011

So I need to change the boot order in BIOS, that SDD would be first - then install the windows again?

Cause currently my desktop is basically empty - having only clean Windows 7 installation on it,
no problems to make another re-installation.

Is it thinkable, that this works also, when I change the boot order in BIOS so, that first in line
would be the USB, cause the installation would run from USB - doesnt this mix up things?

Sorry for possible grammar errors and thank You for quick response!

**cluberti** · 30 Dec 2011

The Windows installation will see the first non-removable hard disk presented to it as the first disk, and will place the boot partition on there.

raigo · 30 Dec 2011

Okey, I will try this out immediately!
Will reply later, how it went then.

Thank You cluberti for Your quick response!

ignatzatsonic · 30 Dec 2011

If you disconnect the HDD and then do another clean install, Windows will have no choice other than to put EVERYTHING--including the boot code--on the SSD.

raigo · 30 Dec 2011

I will try that also - Thank You!

gregrocker · 30 Dec 2011

Unplug the HD, set SSD first HD to boot in BIOS setup (after DVD drive).

Boot the Win7 DVD System Recovery Options to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots to write the System boot files to SSD.

After SSD starts on its own, plug back in the HD to wipe it using Diskpart Clean Command.

raigo · 30 Dec 2011

Thank You guys - combination of solutions from You all, managed to achieve desired results.

So what I did:
- disconnected HDD
- changed in BIOS my SDD as first boot device after USB (as my windows installation was on USB)
- run the installation
- did diskclean for my HDD and reformatted it
- done! // SDD as main drive, with all windows files only on it and HDD as a one partion only.

Thank You all again for giving so quick easy solutions for me what seemed to be impossible first!