Replacing my C drive with a SSD in windows 7

[whs]

Here is the absolutely easy way that does the whole transfer in 3 clicks - but it costs $19.95.

Paragon Migrate OS to SSD - System migration to Solid State Drives (SSD) - Overview

Works great. I have used it many times. I've got it for free once.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

This is getting more complicated all the time,I'm getting my doubts about this project.Maybe I should catch the next plane out to you,And on the other hand it might dissapear.
I'll think very hard about this method that you have just said.
Thanks Very sunny here over the last few days.
David.Not to simple as one thought.

David:

It's not really complicated. Don't let it intimidate you.

The 2 steps WHS mentioned in post 19 are optional if you find them intimidating.

Rather than transfering the boot manager to C with Easy BCD, you can instead image your system reserved partition to the SSD, along with the C partition.

Alignment is important for best performance, but as far as I know it can be corrected (if improperly aligned) AFTER the SSD is up and running with Windows. The PC would still operate with improper alignment---you just wouldn't be getting the maximum performance from the SSD. But it's correctable.

 

[trendy]

Thanks for the reply,Could you please explain a little further on your posting Please.
I'm not very pc clever.

Alignment is important for best performance, but as far as I know it can be corrected (if improperly aligned) AFTER the SSD is up and running with Windows. The PC would still operate with improper alignment---you just wouldn't be getting the maximum performance from the SSD. But it's correctable.

Thanks once again.

A pal of mine just dent me this info from another forum,Does it make sense to you?

I use Macrium Reflect free edition to make images of my computer hard drive.

If he does create an image make sure it includes ALL the partitions on his hard disk needed to reinstall Windows. On my various computers that is either 2 or 3 partitions. One of the options in Macrium is something like "backup all partitions needed to reinstall Windows" or words to that effect.

Assuming he has made an image and stored it on his external hard drive you do as follows:

Remove the old hard drive and put the new one in the computer.

UNPLUG the external hard drive and only plug it in AFTER Macrium has displayed.

Boot from the Macrium Reflect CD/DVD and wait for the Macrium Reflect program to display.

Plug in the External Hard Drive and wait a moment or two for the disk to spin up and for Macium to find it.

Navigate to the external hard drive and find the image and select on it. Note the drive letters may not be as normal so make sure you do select the external hard drive.

Tell Macrium to copy this image (all partitions) to the new drive. You may need to increase the size of a partition to make it fit the whole disk.

This will start and run for a while (depending on how large his original disk was and how much data was on it). For me it usually takes between 10 and 20 minutes but I only have Windows and a few programs on my disk.

When the restore has finished take out the CD/DVD and reboot the computer and Windows should start from the "new" image on his "new" hard disk.

 

[whs]

True, you can fix misalignment later but it is a pain. Programs like AOMEI and Partition Wizard can do that or you can do it the manual way following my tutorial. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/205905-ssd-fix-misalignment.html

 

[trendy]

wolfgang,looking at tutorials there are a lot of info about partitions on the ssd.Well if I do go ahead with this plan as you know by my posting the only items that are on my C drive is the operating software ''windows7''And program files.All my data is on another drive,so when I decide to attack this project the only items going on to the SSD will be OS and program files No data.
Does that make things a little simpler as there will be no need for any partitions on the new SSD.
Many thanks. I'm getting more confused.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

David:

I think the path of least confusion for you is to first make an image of BOTH your C drive and your "system reserved" partition. Probably in a single image file, although you could make a separate image file for each.

Get that done. Presumably you would store that image (or images) on an external hard drive.

If you do that, then you don't have to worry about using Easy BCD that WHS mentioned in post 19, numeral 1 "transfer the boot manager to C". You DON'T have to do that IF you include your "system reserved" partition in your image.

Do that first. I assume you've already confirmed that our boot disk works and will get you into Macrium.

THEN and ONLY THEN consider the alignment issue.

I'm sure we can walk you through WHS's instructions about alignment using Diskpart.

Worst case scenario if you can't figure out Diskpart: you restore the image and are not aligned correctly. It's correctable, but worry about it then, not now.

Get the image file made. With system reserved and C, in the same image file.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

wolfgang,looking at tutorials there are a lot of info about partitions on the ssd.Well if I do go ahead with this plan as you know by my posting the only items that are on my C drive is the operating software ''windows7''And program files.All my data is on another drive,so when I decide to attack this project the only items going on to the SSD will be OS and program files No data.
Does that make things a little simpler as there will be no need for any partitions on the new SSD.
Many thanks. I'm getting more confused.

Time to confirm some things.

How many partitions do you have on the hard drive that contains Windows?

Name them.

C and what else?

You probably have a very small one named system or system reserved.

Correct???

Are you familiar with Windows Disk Management?

 

[trendy]

Time to confirm some things.

How many partitions do you have on the hard drive that contains Windows?

Name them.

C and what else?

You probably have a very small one named system or system reserved.

Correct???

Are you familiar with Windows Disk Management?

On C drive Only Operating system and all program files Nothing else,All my data is on a seperate internal hdd.
I have made a backup of the C drive on an external hdd.
Yes I have done a bit with Disk Management

Thank You for your time and patience.

 

[whs]

David, the method that Ignatz descibed is as good as any. I just always get rid of the 100MB system partition, but that may be only me.

The very easiest would be to if you used the Paragon Migration tool. Then you have to worry about nothing.

Make sure you post back once the OS is running on the SSD because there are a few things that should be done at that point. But there is no need to confuse you with that now. It's all easy stuff.

 

[trendy]

I aint got the new ssd yet.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Time to confirm some things.

How many partitions do you have on the hard drive that contains Windows?

Name them.

C and what else?

You probably have a very small one named system or system reserved.

Correct???

Are you familiar with Windows Disk Management?

On C drive Only Operating system and all program files Nothing else,All my data is on a seperate internal hdd.
I have made a backup of the C drive on an external hdd.
Yes I have done a bit with Disk Management

Thank You for your time and patience.

C is a partition. It is not a drive. We need to know about PARTITIONS.

Look at your Disk Management by typing those 2 words in the Windows start box search.

Attached is a picture of my Disk Management. Note you see 3 drives in the lower portion, shown as disk 0, disk 1, and disc 2. Those are physical objects you can hold in your hand. They are DRIVES. Each drive has one or more partitions.

My drive 0 has just 1 partition: C, named system

My drive 1 has just 1 partition: D, named data

My drive 2 has just 1 partition: E, named backup.

Note that my C partition states the following info: system, boot, page file, active, crash dump, primary partition.

You most likely have a drive with more than 1 partition: C and at least one other. We need to know as much detail as you can provide about them: names, which ones are marked "active", "system", and so forth.

 

[trendy]

Here is Mine.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Looks good. You do NOT have a system reserved. All boot files are on C. You don't need to use Easy BCD.

C is the only partition you need to make an image of and I guess you've already done that?

All you need to worry about is:

1: Will the image restoration actually work? You've got a 99 percent chance it will.

2: Alignment.

Worry about alignment when the SSD is actually in your hands.

But you can at least familiarize yourself with Diskpart while waiting for the SSD.

Are you familiar with working at a command prompt?

Here is diskpart on my PC. I got there by typing diskpart at a command prompt and hitting the enter key.

I then typed list disk and hit the enter key

Notice it shows all 3 of my disks (0, 1, and 2).


Your C partition will be shown as Disk 1, not Disk 0.

So you'd have to type "select disk 1", NOT NOT NOT "select disk 0".

I can tell that disk 0 is my SSD because I know it is a small disk, only 74 gb.

See WHS's post 19 for the rest of the steps that you'd use when you get the SSD.

Type "exit" and hit the enter key to leave diskpart at any time.

 

[whs]

Fair enough, we'll be here.

 

[trendy]

I must say you have been a brilliant help here on this project of mine,But it looks more complicated all the time.
Would it have been so complicated if I decided to put a smaller sata drive in not a ssd one?
Thanks.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I must say you have been a brilliant help here on this project of mine,But it looks more complicated all the time.
Would it have been so complicated if I decided to put a smaller sata drive in not a ssd one?
Thanks.

no difference

 

[whs]

The only difference with a sata drive is that you need no alignment.

But why don't you bite the bullet and get the Paragon Migration Tool. That does everything for you automatically. You just do 3 clicks.

 

[trendy]

wolfgang.Thanks once again for the into.
Been looking hard at the link you gave regarding the Paragon set up I must say it looks easy,Regardin the secon screenshot in the video as you know that on my C drive I only have the OS and program files.So on that part of the set up should I only select
WINDOWS
PROGRAM FILES
PROGRAM FILES (x86)
PERFLOGS
USERS.rnd ??
archive_db ??

Paragon Link..Paragon Migrate OS to SSD - System migration to Solid State Drives (SSD) - Overview

Am I correct there.
So far if that job is as easy as the video in that paragon link you gave,I would say YES the job is on.
But I want to clear the point of what I should select in that screen shot.I dont want any data as all data is on another drive.

Thanks Once again.

 

[trendy]

wolfgang.
Update for the above.I have ordered the SSD disc from Amazon should be here next week,Also downloaded the paragon software from the link you gave.Software cost was £12.95p. english pounds.
Thanks.I do hope that you will be available next week when the SSD arrives.

 

[whs]

1. Yes, you have the right link

2. No, you need not select anything. That facility is there for people to deselect user files in case they have too much stuff and the data in the C partition does not fit on the SSD

3. Note that Paragon does the SSD alignment, sets defrag off and also moves the 100MB system partition. All of that is automatic and you need not do anything. Just your 3 clicks.