Solved Adding SSD to existing sytem.

[Gudzilla]

I recently purchased a Samsung 840 Pro SSD, and I have a question or two in regards to setting it up.
I was planning on doing a data migration or cloning the current HDD, but from what I have been reading here and elsewhere, it is probably more efficient in the long run to do a fresh install of Windows 7 on the SSD.
I'm not an expert and a lot of this is unfamiliar to me, so forgive me if my questions are simple.
If I do clean install of operating system, will I have a problem with the authorization or activation ID afterwards? My disc and activation code are legit, but can I reinstall? And do I leave the old HDD in place while installing, or unconnect it for the installation?
I use mostly office and other similar programs, internet, Photoshop elements, file management for scanning in documents. Should I install all these programs on SSD? Then the same question as above. Can I reinstall onto new drive while they are still on other drive? Or is it possible to move some of these with migration software or Acronis? Then there are things I've downloaded that I don’t have disks for. What do I do about those?
Thanks for any help.

 

[TwoCables]

I recently purchased a Samsung 840 Pro SSD, and I have a question or two in regards to setting it up.
I was planning on doing a data migration or cloning the current HDD, but from what I have been reading here and elsewhere, it is probably more efficient in the long run to do a fresh install of Windows 7 on the SSD.
I'm not an expert and a lot of this is unfamiliar to me, so forgive me if my questions are simple.
If I do clean install of operating system, will I have a problem with the authorization or activation ID afterwards? My disc and activation code are legit, but can I reinstall?

Absolutely. The only exception is if if you're replacing the motherboard with an OEM copy of Windows. In a case like that, you would have to buy a new copy of Windows.

So, it'll activate.

And do I leave the old HDD in place while installing, or unconnect it for the installation?

It should be left disconnected through out the entire installation. If it's still connected during the installation, then for some reason Windows 7 will require that hard drive to be connected in order to boot even though you're not installing Windows 7 to it.

So when the installation is done and you're at the desktop, you can shut down and reconnected it. Or, just do that later when you're ready.

I use mostly office and other similar programs, internet, Photoshop elements, file management for scanning in documents. Should I install all these programs on SSD? Then the same question as above. Can I reinstall onto new drive while they are still on other drive? Or is it possible to move some of these with migration software or Acronis? Then there are things I've downloaded that I don’t have disks for. What do I do about those?

Anything that is on the hard drive will be treated as storage data. Although, some of the programs that you installed into that installation of Windows on the hard drive will work, so experiment with each program. The only problem is, they won't actually be installed into your new installation of Windows on the solid state drive - even though you might find that some of them do work without being installed.

So, you can install anything you want onto the solid state drive regardless if it's already 'installed' on the hard drive. There won't be any interference because the new installation of Windows on your solid state drive won't recognize the programs on the hard drive as being installed programs. They'll just be treated like "standalone" programs - which are treated a lot like random files.

Regarding the downloaded items that you don't have disks for: if you have the setup files (.exe's, or installers, etc.) for them, then leave them on the hard drive and they will be safe. If you don't, then you'll need to download them.

Or if you are referring to things like downloaded pictures, then you can just leave them there and they'll be safe - just as long as you don't format the hard drive.

In other words, the contents of the hard drive can be left alone entirely. It'll just become a storage drive.

 

[gregrocker]

Since that's a 256gb SSD you should be able to fit everything on it, just save your file and image backup to the external, maybe any files you want to archive from the User folders.

Otherwise follow the steps to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7

 

[Britton30]

Save all of your software keys that you have. You'll need to re-download programs you got that way. I save all installers for downloaded stuff in a folder for that purpose. You could store them on the soon to be old HDD for use after the SSD is up and running.

If you like afterwards your personal data could be moved back to the HDD. If you don't disturb what is there now, when you move from the SSD, the info will be there for you if you move to the identical folder in the old install.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18629-user-folders-change-default-location.html#post199850, Option two.

 

[Gudzilla]

Great info. Thanks for the help. This leads me to ask a question I have thought of before. For licensing purposes, what constitutes a computer? Is it the motherboard, the processor or the hard drive?
One other thing. After I install the OS and programs onto the SSD, what do I do about the previous installations on the old HDD. Will they need to be removed? Would I use add/remove programs in control panel, or some other way?

 

[Gudzilla]

One more question, when I install Office, how do I get the Outlook info into the new install? Like the contacts, calendar and email history. The version I have been using had an old POP3 account as the primary, but I had switched over to IMAP (gmail). I would like the IMAP to be the primary, but still need some kind of access to the other account, especially email history.

 

[Britton30]

I don't use Outlook, but if you had emails saved on the old HDD the data shuold be there. Move it to the same folder in the new install.

Some software should install fine, if in doubt, UNinstall them before reinstalling on the new system.
Computer, hmm, Windows generally uses the motherboard and a hardware signature to determine that. Software I don't know, I suppose all use a different formula, such as an IP address while registering. Norton for instance reinstalls for me with no key needed, I just log into my Norton account and it activates from there.

 

[TwoCables]

Great info. Thanks for the help. This leads me to ask a question I have thought of before. For licensing purposes, what constitutes a computer? Is it the motherboard, the processor or the hard drive?
One other thing. After I install the OS and programs onto the SSD, what do I do about the previous installations on the old HDD. Will they need to be removed? Would I use add/remove programs in control panel, or some other way?

Everything on the old hard drive will be seen by your new installation of Windows 7 as storage data. Any of your old programs that actually work (the ones that are installed into the old installation on the hard drive) will essentially be acting as "standalone" programs. True "standalone" programs work without being installed. You just download them and begin using them right away. So, any of your old programs that work without being reinstalled will essentially be acting in a very similar way to true standalone programs.

The old installation of Windows 7 on your old hard drive will not interfere with your new installation of Windows 7 on your solid state drive in any way whatsoever. All of the files and folders that constitute the old installation will be seen by your new one as storage data. I recommend leaving your old hard drive alone and just use it as it is. The only reason to delete anything on the old hard drive at this point is to free up space.

No program on the hard drive will show up in your new installation's Programs and Features control panel (Windows 7's version of Add or Remove Programs) because none of them will actually be installed into your new installation of Windows 7. They are only installed in the old installation of Windows 7, so you will only see them in that installation's Programs and Features control panel if you were to go start up that old installation of Windows by booting from the old hard drive (which you can do any time you want). The only way to get those programs to show up in your new installation's Programs and Features control panel is by installing them.

One more question, when I install Office, how do I get the Outlook info into the new install? Like the contacts, calendar and email history. The version I have been using had an old POP3 account as the primary, but I had switched over to IMAP (gmail). I would like the IMAP to be the primary, but still need some kind of access to the other account, especially email history.

I currently use Outlook 2003, but I've been using Outlook since Outlook 95. So, I will show you how it is done in Outlook 2003 just in case it helps.

So, all of the things you want to save are contained in the Outlook.pst file, and this first must be Exported by your old installation of Outlook so that you can Import it with your new installation. This is actually a surprisingly easy thing to accomplish. If you run into any speedbumps along the way, then post about it in this thread and I will try to help.

So for me in Outlook 2003, I usually do this before installing Windows on my new drive because then I don't have to go boot to my old drive later just so I can do this - but that would just be a minor inconvenience.

Ok, so once I am in my old installation of Outlook, I begin by switching my view to Personal Folders because I want to be exporting everything. After making sure you're looking at Personal Folders, go to File > "Import and Export...". When I do this, the "Import and Export Wizard" comes up. At this point, I have to select the option called "Export to a file" and click Next. The next part gives me the following options:

• Comma Separated Values (DOS)
• Comma Separated Values (Windows)
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Excel
• Personal Folder File (.pst)
• Tab Separated Values (DOS)
• Tab Separated Values (Windows)

Choose "Personal Folder File (.pst)". After this, make sure "Personal Folders" is indeed selected. It should be because it will preselect what you were looking at when you started this whole process. Still, I recommend making sure that it's definitely selected! Don't click Next yet.

Before you click Next, enable the option that says "Include subfolders". This is critical because you want to save everything, not just some of it.

Now click Next.

Click the "Browse..." button to find a good place for your Exported .pst file so that you will remember where it is later. When you've chosen a location, click OK. Note: the default name will be "backup.pst", but you can name it anything you want - just as long as it has the .pst extension.

Now click Finish and it will begin the process of Exporting to that file. When it finishes, you will be ready to Import from this file with your new installation of Outlook on your solid state drive.

When you want to Import, you will need to be running from your new installation of Windows 7 in your new installation of Outlook on your solid state drive.

The Importing process is slightly more complicated, but it is just as easy. Here's how it works for me in Outlook 2003:

1. Select Personal Folders (just like last time)
2. Choose "Import and Export..." from the File menu
3. Choose "Import from another program or file"
4. Scroll down in the list of choices and choose "Personal Folder File (.pst)"
5. Click the "Browse..." button to select the .pst file you exported earlier
6. Once selected, click Next
7. As before, make sure Personal Folders is selected.
8. Make sure "Include subfolders" is selected (it should be by default)
9. Select "Import items into the current folder"
10. Click Finish

If you have any Rules and Alerts set up, then these can be Exported and Imported too. Let me know.

This always works beautifully for me. In fact, I trust this process so much that I did it just now in order to make sure I could give you the steps. The way I tested it is I deleted one thing from every folder. After importing, they were all back. I love Outlook!

I hope that this helps!

 

[gregrocker]

Great info. Thanks for the help. This leads me to ask a question I have thought of before. For licensing purposes, what constitutes a computer? Is it the motherboard, the processor or the hard drive?
One other thing. After I install the OS and programs onto the SSD, what do I do about the previous installations on the old HDD. Will they need to be removed? Would I use add/remove programs in control panel, or some other way?

The correct way to uninstall an OS is to move the data off and delete the partition. In addition because the HD has boot code if you can afford to move all of the data off I would run Diskpart Clean Command to clear the boot sector of the bootable code which can interfere. Then repartition in Disk Mgmt: Partition or Volume - Create New

If you can't move all of the data off just shrink the OS partition, move data to a new Data partition you create, then delete the OS partition and recover its space into Data partition or create another partition there: Partition or Volume - Shrink
Partition or Volume - Extend to the right only
Partition Wizard Resize Partition (Video Help) in any direction.

 

[bigmck]

One more question, when I install Office, how do I get the Outlook info into the new install? Like the contacts, calendar and email history. The version I have been using had an old POP3 account as the primary, but I had switched over to IMAP (gmail). I would like the IMAP to be the primary, but still need some kind of access to the other account, especially email history.

There is an easy way to save your Outlook Contacts. In Outlook at the left top you will see FILE. Click on "Import and Export" and follow directions to export a CSV file of your Contacts to your Desktop. I have only had luck using a CSV file. After you get Outlook installed, you can then Import to your new installation. == Do the same with your Internet Explorer or other Browser to save your Favorites.