Move to SSD - Product key ?

[fergiet]

Hi

I want to get a new ssd drive and do a clean install of win 7 to it.

I already have 7 running on my pc so can I use the same product key on the clean install ?

The drive that curently has win 7 on it will be unplugged for the new install then powered up again and the old win 7 removed.

 

[Bill]

Hi

I want to get a new ssd drive and do a clean install of win 7 to it.

I already have 7 running on my pc so can I use the same product key on the clean install ?

The drive that curently has win 7 on it will be unplugged for the new install then powered up again and the old win 7 removed.

I did the same thing you did. When I entered my key, I had to activate it by phone. Worked with no problem, you'll be fine.

Bill

 

[whs]

As an alternative to a new installation (unless you want to do that for other reasons), you can move your current system from the HDD to the SSD.

There is an easy way that costs $19.95 or a more involved way where you have to do some work that I have described in this PDF file - just download and unzip it.

In both cases the product key question is irrelevant.

 

[GeneO]

Since you have a western digital drive, you can use their free version of true Image Home to clone your current system rive to the SSD drive. You can download it from their support pages. It is easy to do, and you will not have to re-activate I expect.

Gene

 

[whs]

Since you have a western digital drive, you can use their free version of true Image Home to clone your current system rive to the SSD drive. You can download it from their support pages. It is easy to do, and you will not have to re-activate I expect.

Gene

Gene, I have never used that program. Is that copying from an image and how about the SSD alignment?

 

[WiFi Ed]

Since you have a western digital drive, you can use their free version of true Image Home to clone your current system rive to the SSD drive. You can download it from their support pages. It is easy to do, and you will not have to re-activate I expect.

Gene

Gene, I have never used that program. Is that copying from an image and how about the SSD alignment?

Forgive my jumping in here. Acronis True Image Home 2011 will maintain partition alignment, but earlier versions will not. See this: Solid State Drive Support in Acronis Products | Knowledge Base

I have a few of the earlier versions (TI 10 & 11) and they don't maintain partition alignment. I just used version 2011 today to restore my notebook's HDD image to a new SSD and it did maintain partition alignment.

And, as GeneO said, I did not have to re-activate.

 

[GeneO]

Good point. I believe the Western Digital version is based on TIH 10. So that is probably a no-go.
Gene

 

[whs]

WiFi Ed, Hmm, that is not quite clear yet. What you are saying is that it maintains partition alignment. So I guess you copy an image to a predefined partition that has been defined and aligned with e.g. Diskpart. So it is not a real clone - it is just an image we are talking about.

Then how about the 100MB active partition. How do you deal with that?

 

[sygnus21]

As an alternative to a new installation (unless you want to do that for other reasons), you can move your current system from the HDD to the SSD.

There is an easy way that costs $19.95 or a more involved way where you have to do some work that I have described in this PDF file - just download and unzip it.

In both cases the product key question is irrelevant.

Big vote for this program - Paragon Migrate OS to SSD (easy way that costs $19.95). Copies your drive and doesn't require reactivation of Windows 7.

Best 20 bucks I was ever talked into spending - thanks whs

WiFi Ed, Hmm, that is not quite clear yet. What you are saying is that it maintains partition alignment. So I guess you copy an image to a predefined partition that has been defined and aligned with e.g. Diskpart. So it is not a real clone - it is just an image we are talking about.

Then how about the 100MB active partition. How do you deal with that?

I don't have 2011... yet, but I'm quite sure he means the program will copy both partitions and maintain/align partitions according to Acronis - Solid State Drive Support in Acronis Products | Knowledge Base

 

[whs]

Yeah, Sygnus did you see what it reads in the Acronis document - although I am not sure how to read that for their program because they do not say.

In other words when you restore an image to an SSD drive, it will get the default 63 sectors offset instead of 64kb (or a multiple of 64kb) offset recommended for SSD drives even if this offset was in place when the image had been created. This may result in a drop of performance on certain models of SSD drives after the restore;

That's what I was afraid of. There is no proper alignment (they keep the 63 sectors normal for HDDs) and you end up with a BIG performance hit (they say up to 300%).

BTW: I am glad you like the Paragon tool. Did I talk you into it? - LOL. The alternative is for the "experts". Download my tutorial and you will see what I mean.

 

[sygnus21]

BTW: I am glad you like the Paragon tool. Did I talk you into it? - LOL. The alternative is for the "experts". Download my tutorial and you will see what I mean.

Was very good advice

Yeah, Sygnus did you see what it reads in the Acronis document - although I am not sure how to read that for their program because they do not say.

In other words when you restore an image to an SSD drive, it will get the default 63 sectors offset instead of 64kb (or a multiple of 64kb) offset recommended for SSD drives even if this offset was in place when the image had been created. This may result in a drop of performance on certain models of SSD drives after the restore;

That's what I was afraid of. There is no proper alignment (they keep the 63 sectors normal for HDDs) and you end up with a BIG performance hit (they say up to 300%).

Yeah but that's under the heading....

All other Acronis products support Solid State Drives (SSD) with certain limitations:

Which to me means everything other than ATI 2011

As for SSD support the description does say....

The following Acronis products have full Solid State Drive (SSD) support:

• Acronis True Image Home 2011
• Acronis Disk Director 11 Home

However I'm still a little fuzzy on it especially after you go through this thread at the Acronis forums. And if you read a lot of the posts there Acronis seems to be suffering from credibility issues so......

 

[fergiet]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I had thought of doing a fresh clean install but the Paragon Transfer Software looks a nice easy way of doing the move.

Thanks again.

 

[whs]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I had thought of doing a fresh clean install but the Paragon Transfer Software looks a nice easy way of doing the move.

Thanks again.

If you use the Paragon program, you will be done in less than 30 minutes. Just make sure you change the boot order in the BIOS after you transferred the OS to the SSD.
There is no harm done if you leave your "old" win7 on the HDD as long as the HDD is later in the boot order than the SSD. You can even use it if you temporarily change the boot order to HDD.