Solved 7 Pro 64 SP1 OEM System Drive Copied to New SSD on Same Computer...

[Wrend]

...

Windows 7
Build 7601
This copy of Windows is not genuine

I recently got a Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD and used the software that came with it to copy over my Windows 7 system drive to it.

With both drives connected to the MB, I can get it to start booting up and loading Windows from the SSD, but it then switches over to the older HDD. With the HDD disconnected, I get the above background error when logging on and have excessively limited functionality.

Though I am the original builder of this computer, have a genuine Windows disc which I am the original and only user to have used, and have only used it to install Windows on this computer, performing a clean install on the SSD isn't really an option, because I have highly customized and obscure software installed that, in effect, can't be reinstalled.

I have updated system backups of my system drive, in case of an emergency. I don't suppose one of those could be used to do a restored installation on the new SSD?

I am of course perfectly willing to contact Microsoft and even pay for an additional license, if need be (even though the latter isn't a reasonable solution). I'm not sure that Microsoft would be able to do anything for me though to get this to work.

If my only option is to continue using this HDD instead of being able to use my new SSD, then that, unfortunately, is my only real option.

But then, what happens when my HDD fails?!

It seems only reasonable that I would be able to use my new SSD.

Any (legal) way of getting this to work that you guys know of??? (Fingers crossed.)
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[Ztruker]

Use the phone activation process. Takes about 5 minutes and usually works.

As for booting, disconnect the old HDD then boot the SSD. That should work.

Did you clone the entire old HDD to the SSD?

 

[SIW2]

Boot into the o/s on the HD. Under "Fix OS Drive Letter" Select the partition letter of the SSD as seen from where you are and then click FIX.

This was made to run in winpe, but the fix os drive letter module runs fine in windoows too.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vww8izp0i4m30pz/NT6repairx64V.zip

 

[Wrend]

Use the phone activation process. Takes about 5 minutes and usually works.

As for booting, disconnect the old HDD then boot the SSD. That should work.

Did you clone the entire old HDD to the SSD?

It was already previously installed and activated. Yes, I had "cloned" the HDD data to the SSD. Sorry I didn't clarify that better.

 

[Wrend]

Boot into the o/s on the HD. Under "Fix OS Drive Letter" Select the partition letter of the SSD as seen from where you are and then click FIX.

This was made to run in winpe, but the fix os drive letter module runs fine in windoows too.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vww8izp0i4m30pz/NT6repairx64V.zip

View attachment 322521

Worked perfectly.

Thanks a lot! Saved me a lot of trouble and headache.

Just curious (as this seems vaguely familiar) is there a way to do this in Windows, maybe in the command prompt?

 

[SIW2]

You're welcome.

I am posting this from Linux Deepin. Beautiful and a bit quirky.

 

[Wrend]

This post was in response to a post preceding it that now appears to no longer be there. :huh:

...

Hello.

The Windows system drive cloned onto the SSD was already activated on the HDD and is still activated since being cloned to the SSD.

It (the migration/disk cloning software from Samsung that came with the SSD) had the 100MB partition copied over as well.

I had tried booting to it by selecting to boot to it in BIOS. As I mentioned, it would start to boot to it and with the HDD with the OS still intact on it connected, it would finish booting up and loading Windows from the HDD. With the HDD not connected, it would load Windows from the SSD, but with the error mentioned above.

As mentioned in the title, I have the OEM version of Windows 7 Pro 64 bit Service Pack 1.

I am not using the OS on the HDD any more and have since reformatted it.

Thank you for your concern, but everything seems to be working well now.