SSD installing question

[acriticalcookie]

(Yes, I have read the sticky!)
For installing a boot drive, do I just install Windows, and everything from the 1tb drive I have will stay on there and be fine?

 

[Cerb]

(Yes, I have read the sticky!)
For installing a boot drive, do I just install Windows, and everything from the 1tb drive I have will stay on there and be fine?

Yes, but leave the HDD disconnected, while installing, just in case Windows wants to try to mess with it.

 

[acriticalcookie]

Yes, but leave the HDD disconnected, while installing, just in case Windows wants to try to mess with it.

Will I have to reinstall everything or will Windows read everything as it did before?

 

[Cerb]

If you re-install Windows, you must re-install most programs. If you can trim your 1TB's used space down to fit in the SSD, you can clone from the HDD to the SSD.

 

[acriticalcookie]

If you re-install Windows, you must re-install most programs. If you can trim your 1TB's used space down to fit in the SSD, you can clone from the HDD to the SSD.

I don't have enough space on my SSD.
What I want to do is have my mech drive for games, and all data, but have my SSD for Windows and one game.

 

[Charlie98]

I don't have enough space on my SSD.
What I want to do is have my mech drive for games, and all data, but have my SSD for Windows and one game.

If you have access to another HDD, transfer all the game files to it, delete them from the source HDD, shrink the size of the remaining partition to fit the new SSD and clone. Then transfer back the game data to the now storage HDD.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

If you have access to another HDD, transfer all the game files to it, delete them from the source HDD, shrink the size of the remaining partition to fit the new SSD and clone. Then transfer back the game data to the now storage HDD.

My own interest in a Samsung 840 Pro has been delayed, since I have a marvelous ISRT SSD-caching/HDD-acceleration setup. Ran just fine for 30 months, and still does . . . But I finally sprung for a 512GB 840 Pro to get a little extra speed bump and reduce power consumption. Fact is -- I could just as well save it for the laptop or ultrabook I'm likely to buy this year -- if a little extra change "shakes out."

So -- setting aside the power-consumption thoughts -- I wondered what it would be like to put the system files -- the OS -- on the SSD with SOME of the program files, then move the bigger program files to the accelerated HDD and arrange a "folder-link" from the SSD to the HDD for those latter files.

Maybe more trouble than it's worth, but you'd think it would be possible.

 

[jolancer]

If you re-install Windows, you must re-install most programs. If you can trim your 1TB's used space down to fit in the SSD, you can clone from the HDD to the SSD.

what program do you use to do this?

If you have access to another HDD, transfer all the game files to it, delete them from the source HDD, shrink the size of the remaining partition to fit the new SSD and clone. Then transfer back the game data to the now storage HDD.

same as above, and IF he did this manually, would he run into any initial boot failure attempts since he would have to clone the /boot partition and /win7 partition individually?

since its ontopic i ask for my own future reference, last i knew was extending partitions was easy and safe, shrinking partitions was doable but possibly problematic and unrecomended without a backup incase something went wrong with the shrink process. Has this changed, is it now reliable?

 

[Cerb]

what program do you use to do this?

Clonezilla but it won't matter, as there are several others that will be just as good, since I doubt having a shell with core utils is much of a concern to you.

Has this changed, is it now reliable?

Don't go moving data around like that without a backup copy. Sometimes things don't go as planned. It's generally fixable, but fixable still leaves you unable to boot, if it doesn't go right. Windows will not allow you to move certain files, so shrinking has limits, with an old installation, requiring 3rd-party utilities to do it.

As long as you can track down your licensing info for things that aren't "cloud-based" (Steam, FI, will be no trouble), it may be just as easy to start from scratch on the SSD. Personally, I use changing storage devices as an excuse to have a fresh install, and don't get the obsession with keeping an old install.

 

[Charlie98]

Personally, I use changing storage devices as an excuse to have a fresh install, and don't get the obsession with keeping an old install.

I am in that camp as well. It's a pain to set everything back up, but in the end, it's worth it... especially if you view it long-term.

My current OS is a Acronis image installed when the original SSD went belly up. It works OK, but eventually I'll wipe the disk and clean install.

 

[jolancer]

I know, i was asking for reference for others. As i don't know a simple all in one app to make the process less cumbersome. and wasn't sure if shrinking ntfs partitions was reliable enough these days.

And i recalled clonezilla not being able to resize as listed bellow. I think i recalled someone on here saying Acronis could clone to a smaller partition, i never looked into it tho since its pay software i think. and have no clue how reliable it would be in that particular situation, as apposed to other partition shrinking options out there.

clonezilla.org
Limitations:
The destination partition must be equal or larger than the source one

I agree for the most part about clean installing, however if the Hard drive is the only thing the OP is changing, It would of been worth a shot i think in this case if his install directory could fit the ssd, if nothing else changed then thats a good shot no other drivers and crap would go heywire on windows.

another thought, i never tried or needed to so again i don't know but, anyone think something like this would work.. after clean installing to the SSD, what if he just cloned the registry(parts of it inparticular) and modified the environmental variable %PROGRAMFILES% to point to both the default dir but also the second driectory on his storage drive? maybe that would avoid him having to reinstall everything?

 

[Charlie98]

I think i recalled someone on here saying Acronis could clone to a smaller partition, i never looked into it tho since its pay software i think.

The newer/newest versions of Acronis are supposed to be able to handle clones to smaller partitions... but that issue with the OP (as I understand it) is he has too much data to fit.

There are free versions of Acronis depending on what kind of HDs you have in the system. For example, I'm using the free WD '13 edition on my HTPC because I have a WD drive in that system. It has limited functionality, but nothing I'm going to miss. It clones, wipes and runs backup images...