How do I remove windows 7 from harddrive and questions about SSD

Twisted772 · 15 Apr 2012

@ gregrocker Thank you for your reply

I Have set both the hard drives to inactive I understand the whole library thing but I seriously would like to avoid re-installing 380GB's of games to my hard drive that would take forever even if I did install some on my ssd it would be one hell of a long ride wouldn't it? but if worse comes to worse I will swallow my lazy attitude and get to it however is this seriously an impossible thing to do? I would much rather avoid having to buy new product keys most of these games have been used on 3 of my computers if anyone knows of a way to make it so that windows can be setup on a ssd while keeping all the game data on the hard drive? and am I doing this whole inactive thing right? :

gregrocker · 15 Apr 2012

I don't know of any way you can preserve 380gb of games to run on a 120gb SSD. Even if you imaged only the OS to the SSD, you'd have to figure out a way to redirect the Program Files and registry keys.

You could move your User folders to a HD to later link via Libraries, then uninstall all but 120gb including the OS and preferred Programs on C, image that over to SSD, then reinstall the other programs gradually to HD. It seems like a patchwork mess but you could try it since worst case is you'd have to do a Clean Reinstall which is the preferred path anyway.

It's strange if Win7 isn't yet installed to the SSD why it is marked System Active. It appears to hold the boot files for the HD. How did this happen?

bbearren · 15 Apr 2012

gregrocker said:

Even if you imaged only the OS to the SSD, you'd have to figure out a way to redirect the Program Files and registry keys.

This can indeed be done, but I don't think that the experience level of the OP is up to it (and again, no offense intended). There is a great deal of registry editing involved and Junction Points to create, etc.

Twisted772 · 15 Apr 2012

@gregrocker thanks again that clears up alot, I don't know if it does boot should I configure it to boot first in windows or at my bios?

@bbearren I see the more I dig the more my skills come into question once again non-taken but trust me I can handle any amount of work given to me even if it has to do with modifying my registry and is it right that I have my sata drives in ahci mode (all are configured like this from the gsata to the intel sata ports)? I kind of find it weird now that my main drive can be ejected my indeed before I jump to messing with my registry I need to learn more about these things.

bbearren · 15 Apr 2012

The boot configuration should be done in BIOS.
Yes, AHCI is the correct mode since all drives are SATA.
As for your main drive now being being ejectable, it is in essence an SDRAM drive. SDRAM is used in USB thumb drives and SD memory cards, which Windows sees as removable drives.

whs · 15 Apr 2012

1. Here is my lilttel guide on how to get rid of the double boot: Dual Boot - Delete a OS

2. Another guide on how to transfer your OS to a SSD: SSD - Install and Transfer the Operating System

3. Prerequisite for an SSD transfer is that your data on your current C drive is less than the size of the SSD. That leaves the games out. Those you have to reinstall and direct to a folder on the HDD during installation. No way around that.

bbearren · 16 Apr 2012

whs said:

Prerequisite for an SSD transfer is that your data on your current C drive is less than the size of the SSD. That leaves the games out. Those you have to reinstall and direct to a folder on the HDD during installation. No way around that.

Not quite true; see post #13.

Twisted772 · 16 Apr 2012

@ bbearren thanks for the info on where to boot.

@ gregrocker I was on dual boot this however was definitely from the 1.5tb which as of recently has been formatted and had the settings on msconfig modified I have backed up my system image from the 1.5 tb onto an external harddrive I tried to boot first with the ssd but its just taking me back to my western digital boot so where do we go from here?

@ whs thanks for the tutorials will read the 2nd one later however my second windows was removed and does not dual boot anymore will it tell me if I left something out? cause I disabled booting from that drive there

gregrocker · 16 Apr 2012

The SSD listings show it is empty but yet it holds the System Active boot files for the HD. How did this happen? Did you run Repairs on the HD while SSD was plugged in and marked Active?

Or is Win7 installed to the SSD and the listings showing it empty are incorrect?

bbearren · 16 Apr 2012

Twisted772 said:

I also recieved an SSD (Kingston HyperX 120gb) and am wondering if I can make it so that my windows and the programs and all other system files get transferred along with it just my games should remain on the WDC

The following isn't quite clear to me: have you actually installed Windows 7 on the SSD?