What is the correct way to migrate my old SSD to my new build?

[qwikpix]

Hey guys,

I'm back again for a bit of advice. First of all thanks for all your previous help, you give me all the guidance I needed to get my SSD setup and running smoothly in my current desktop.

However, the time has come to undertake some upgrades to bring the rest of the system up to speed with my SSD and as such I have ordered a new motherboard, CPU, RAM and graphics card. The SDD (a OCZ Vertex 2) with my OS already installed on it (Win 7 x64) will be joining these new parts but I would be grateful for some advice on what the best way is to migrate this drive over to the new machine? I've only ever dealt with new blank drives and fresh installs.

Is it at all possible to transfer the SSD over without needing to reinstall the OS - being mindful of trying to limit the amount of writes I make to the SSD. Obviously the first thing that comes to mind is that there might be issues with drivers, configurations, etc. for other components in my existing machine, any way to remove all these and reset the OS to scratch? Or am I best formatting the drive (SSD wipe tool thing?) and reinstalling the OS from scratch? If so should I format the SSD inside my current machine or can I do it afterwards, once installed inside my new machine?

Thank you in advance for any assistance

 

[Geography5560]

well i think since you have a new motherboard alone, the win7 you currently (installed with the current motherboard) wont be working at all... but i'm not really sure..

i tried a drive with win 7 on it for my new setup and it said that i recently changed hardware and hence it could not load up...

maybe someone else knows more about this

 

[pbcopter]

It depends on what hardware you have now and what you are getting.

I upgraded from a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P to a GA-X79-UD5, both Intel boards and the system booted fine to the SSD (vertex 2) from the P45 and proceeded to install most of the required drivers without my intervention.
I needed to install some drivers but only after the system was up and running.

I did need to reactivate Windows however.

 

[event3horizon]

i have just the tool you need to run ... SYSPREP!!

SYSPREP does exactly just that, prepares your windows installation for another computer and transitions it smoothly.

all info is here:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...lation-transfer-new-computer.html#post1161038

 

[karlsnooks]

qwikpix,

Go for the gold!

Simply connect and go for it.

you will probably need to reactivate windows, but have not fear, Microsoft will allow you to reactivate although you may end up having to make a phone call.

Reactivation is all I've ever needed to do, but do have limited experience (only once).

 

[gregrocker]

It's less than likely it will start on the new hardware, but you can try it.

However to be sure you'll need to SysPrep on the old hardware as suggested, or boot and run hard-to-find Paragon Adaptive Restore CD on the new hardware.

 

[qwikpix]

Hi all,

I have to admit with my limited knowledge I was mostly thinking I would have to do a complete reinstall (being certain in my mind that it would either not boot or have many driver errors) but thankfully I asked here first, and sure enough you guys have the answers yet again

I think with my whole hardware setup changing from motherboard to GPU, rather than just plug it in an give it a go it looks like running SysPrep will be the safest option to clear out all the old drivers.

Having read the guide I do have a couple of questions I hope you guys can answer or I can ask in the guide thread if you think that would be better? Basically, as far as I understand it SysPrep keeps programs and user profile but it removes all the drivers, settings, etc that associate the OS with the current hardware (OOBE) - does it though remove all the settings that it has auto-created for my SSD at install and those I subsequently added after install or will I have to add all of the SSD specific settings again? Should I run something after it's installed with the new hardware to get it configured for new CPU, RAM, etc like WEI?

Again, thanks for all your help, without you I would have wasted a load of time wiping and reinstalling my OS

 

[gregrocker]

Watch the activity from System Tray when it starts up as it will be loading a lot of drivers and need several restarts to sort them all out.

Then run Windows Update repeatedly to see if any newer drivers are delivered since it will first load the drivers from the Windows Driver Store which may need updating.

 

[event3horizon]

Also before running sysprep, uninstall any drivers that are uninstallable in the programs and features control panel that are specific to the particular PC you are migrating from.

 

[qwikpix]

OK, will do, thanks for the tips guys I've got a busy week ahead so I will probably have to leave this until next weekend but fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.

 

[whs]

Even with sysprep, you still have to properly prepare the new SSD - at least align the SSD. And activation may still be a problem.

 

[event3horizon]

Even with sysprep, you still have to properly prepare the new SSD - at least align the SSD. And activation may still be a problem.

Thanks for adding this, I've never used an SSD before so I don't the details behind it. As for activation it would be a problem if it is an OEM license since it's attached to a specific computer.

I have a standard license and it works good on two of my PCs.

Maybe he can use the skiprearm feature in sysprep and avoid resetting the activation??

 

[karlsnooks]

With Win 7 you do not need to worry about alignment. Win 7 is not XP.

Win 7 will correctly align.

 

[whs]

With Win 7 you do not need to worry about alignment. Win 7 is not XP.

Win 7 will correctly align.

That is correct for a brand new installation, but not when you migrate an existing system e.g. via an image.

And even for a new installation I always first define a primary, active, aligned partition. That avoids the creation of the 100MB system partition.

 

[karlsnooks]

I do much the same thing. I do not force the alignment. If the alignment is not forced, then Win 7 will correctly align the partition.

Since this topic has come up several times, when I run across the Microsoft article that I bookmarked on this topic, then I'll start including a link to the article. You would think a bookmark would be enough, but since topics and contents and tags often don't match plus sometimes I rely upon RSS articles that I've marked using Google Reader.

One of these days, I've got to get organized.

 

[qwikpix]

Please forgive me if I'm wrong but since I am not imaging the install over to a new drive but retaining the drive and install intact will this not mean the alignment should remain as it was implemented when I first installed to it?

The drive was a fresh drive before I installed Windows 7 to it and as I understood it at the time the Windows 7 installer would take care of the alignment for SSDs correctly and I didn't need to worry about that aspect. Since I am trying to keep the install intact on this SSD but just use sysprep to prepare the OS for other new hardware will the alignment not be ok then?

 

[karlsnooks]

qwikpix,
I'm going to rain on your parade.

Sysprep is not without hazards and pitfalls.

Be sure and make a backup copy of all data dear to your heart.

 

[whs]

If you make a new installation with a Windows 7 installation disk on a SSD, it will automatically align the SSD.

If you transport an existing OS via an image to a new SSD, it is prudent to first align the SSD. Some imaging programs have ways to retain an original alignment, but you really have to know how to use it. Aligning the SSD with cmd or Disk Management beforehand is easier.

 

[magnificent seven]

please click and read.........Paragon Migrate OS to SSD - System migration to Solid State Drives (SSD) - Overview

 

[karlsnooks]

Here is a link regarding how Win 7 works with SSDs. The topic of alignment is also covered.

Support and Q&A for Solid-State Drives - Engineering Windows 7 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs