Moving Windows 7 from one HD to another


  1. Edgeworth
    Posts : 4
    Windows 7 Home Basic x32
       New #1

    Moving Windows 7 from one HD to another


    I recently bought a laptop, it came with Windows 7 Home Premium. I ended up getting another HD on it, and I got my hands on a Windows 7 Ultimate disk. Thing is this second HD is actually a SSD so I want to install 7 on it, and I'll do it with the Ultimate for obvious reasons.

    A friend of mine reported that once he was in a simmila situation, but with Windows XP, and even after he uninstalled the older install he still got the dual boot thing when booting up, even though he couldn't boot the first one anyways, but that'd make him take longer than usual to boot (would miss the whole purpose of installing it on the SSD). I'm guessing they probably have fixed that, but wouldn't hurt to ask. So, would I get the same problem if I did that with 7?

    And on my case, should I:
    1-Install it on the SSD, then uninstall the older 7 on the original HD
    2-First uninstall the older one, then install the new one (that would be a clean install, right?)?
    3-something else?

    I'm not familiar with booting from CD/DVD so I'd rather do 1 than 2, but if it's better I can read up and manage to do 2.

    If you recommend 2, is it faster? Or does it have other benefits from being a clean install? Or is it just because 1 is a bad choice in the first place?

    Thanks in advance!
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  3. NoelDP
    Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       New #2

    Edgeworth said:
    I ended up getting another HD on it, and I got my hands on a Windows 7 Ultimate disk.!
    The way you phrase that makes it sound very much as if it's not a 'kosher' disk and license. If that's the case, then we cannot assist.
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  4. Corazon
    Posts : 1,781
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 32-bit
       New #3

    I have to agree with NoelDP.

    However, you have the option of simply transferring (cloning) your existing Windows 7 system with all apps, data and settings intact. It would actually be easier, and we can help you with that.

    You won't have the advantage of a fresh install, obviously, but if you do have a legitimate key for your Ultimate disc, you can use it to upgrade the Home Premium install to Ultimate without reinstalling.
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  6. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #4

    How do you plan to activate Ultimate?

    Cleanest method is to unplug the HD while installing to the SSD, then afterwards plug back in the HD and boot it when desired using the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key given on first boot screen.

    If this is Upgrade version you'll need to do the quick workaround here after install to activate Upgrade version on a new HD: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

    If you want to wipe the other OS HD, move the data off, open an Elevated Command Prompt to run Clean with Diskpart Command. To simply delete the OS partition use Delete Partition Override
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  7. Edgeworth
    Posts : 4
    Windows 7 Home Basic x32
    Thread Starter
       New #5

    I apologize for my wording, the disk is original yes. Sorry if it sounded otherwise, english is not my mother language. So there are advantages to a clean install? And this upgrading then moving my Windows from one HD to the other seems like the easiest route (both my Home Premium that came with the laptop and the Ultimate are legit, yes).

    The laptop had a little problem so I had to send it back for repairs, and I that's when I had the SSD installed on it. They have some stickers in some places that prevent me from messing with the hardware without breaking warranty just so you guys know.

    Hope that cleared some stuff up.

    Also upgrading+moving Windows 7 to the SSD would mean that I'd have everything as it was before, I believe?
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  8. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #6

    Why would you move Windows from one HD to the other? I thought you want to clean install Ultimate to SSD? Did you even read my post?
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  10. Edgeworth
    Posts : 4
    Windows 7 Home Basic x32
    Thread Starter
       New #7

    "Cleanest method is to unplug the HD while installing to the SSD, then afterwards plug back in the HD and boot it when desired using the one-time BIOS Boot Menu key given on first boot screen."
    I can't unplug the HD as I explained earlier

    "If this is Upgrade version you'll need to do the quick workaround here after install to activate Upgrade version on a new HD: Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version"
    I might have misread that earlier, so the installer can do the upgrade and switch hard drives? (I hope I'm not looking like I'm lost here)

    "If you want to wipe the other OS HD, move the data off, open an Elevated Command Prompt to run Clean with Diskpart Command. To simply delete the OS partition use Delete Partition Override"
    I'll probably do that after I get Ultimate working on the SSD, yes.

    "Why would you move Windows from one HD to the other?"
    I might have been calling the SSD a second HD, I'll call it just SSD from now on

    'I thought you want to clean install Ultimate to SSD?"
    I do, but should I delete the Windows 7 Home Premium I already have installed on my HD before or after installing Ultimate on the SSD? Since I've never done this before there might be advantages to doing one or another that I don't know, so I'd rather ask first.
    Last edited by Edgeworth; 22 Nov 2011 at 10:53. Reason: Avoiding double posting
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  11. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #8

    So you don't want a Dual Boot but want to install Ultimate to the SSD, correct?

    Keep in mind that you own a copy of Premium on that computer for life so if you use the Ultimate license you aren't using the $100-value license which came with the computer. But you can later migrate Ultimate elsewhere and reinstall Premium, so make your Recovery Disks and consider saving a backup image of it before you wipe the HD: Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

    If you install Ultimate to SSD while Premium is still on the HD and it is attached, then Ultimate installer will configure a Dual Boot menu while updating the boot files already on Home Premium. This means that when you delete Premium then Ultimate willl have no boot files of its own. The solution to this is to disable the HD in BIOS during install (if you can't simply unplug it) so the installer places the boot files on Ultimate. Otherwise Ultimate will need repair after you wipe or delete Premium.

    Afterwards when you re-enable the HD you can boot it using the BIOS one-time Boot Menu key, wipe HD or delete Premium to use as a storage drive once you're sure you have everything. Keep the SSD set to boot first in BIOS, after DVD drive.
    Last edited by gregrocker; 22 Nov 2011 at 11:26.
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  12. Edgeworth
    Posts : 4
    Windows 7 Home Basic x32
    Thread Starter
       New #9

    Yes, that's basically it, so I can disable the HD temporarily using the BIOS. Thank you very much greg!
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  13. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #10

    You're welcome. Feel free to ask back any other questions, and keep us posted how it goes.
    Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version
    SSD Alignment - Windows 7 Forums
    SSD Tweaks and Optimizations in Windows 7
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