SSD Question - Preparing for Install

[dollerprod]

What up AnandTech.. New to SSD-y stuff so please go easy and ELI5 if possible grin

It's been ages since I bought a new system and I recently did for my fiance. She is pursuing becoming a photographer/videographer and needed something more suitable. Got her a refurb ASUS Q501LT. Thought she could really benefit from an SSD for speed and use the installed 750GB HDD, that comes with the machine, for external storage.

The computer is on the way. Wanted to get the SSD in ASAP. Have these questions:

*Clean install or Clone?
There will be no files/programs on the computer of hers (as it is new), so I thought fresh copy of Windows 8. However, I have read that with Windows 8 there is no longer a license key on the machine itself and it is embedded in BIOS?
*How will I install Windows to the SSD without a disk (I know it won't come with one + has no optical drive) or license key?
*Will I have to download an .iso from a torrent site or something similar and place on flash drive?
*What about the key? Can I retrieve it? How will I activate?

 

[Charlie98]

Clean install, if it was me. Make sure you disconnect any other drives on the system before installing the OS.

My W8 came with disk and key (and case certificate...) so I don't know about the no key thing. You can download an ISO and install it that way, then use the key included with your disk, or you can buy/borrow an external CD/DVD drive and install it off the disk in that way.

 

[chusteczka]

My preferred way is to image the hard drive with the new installed operating system, then recover (or copy, same thing) that image to the SSD drive. Quick and simple, nice and easy.

Pull the drive from the laptop. Plug the drive into a docking station connected to your computer by USB3.0 or eSata, and copy the drive. This is the docking station I use and it works very well.

SYBA CL-ENC50038 2.5" & 3.5" White USB 3.0 Dual Mode SATA III HDD Duplicator + Docking Station
Syba USB 3.0 Dual Hard Drive SATA II Docking Station CL-ENC50038

For an imaging program, I use Acronis. There are other imaging programs available but I do not know how well they work. Acronis makes it simple but it can take a bit of time figuring out their process pattern and interface.

 

[Gunbuster]

It's likely the "restore" is on the hard drive partition and you have to use an app included on the PC to make a recovery DVD/USB.

 

[dollerprod]

Thanks guys..

Whenever I had to reinstall/clean install a version of windows previously (been a while), I just put in the disk (or downloaded .iso), plugged in the activation key and off it went. Now there is no disk, no key printed on the machine.

Now with this ASUS machine, I think I am reading that Windows is activated by the BIOS. Great, whatever, but where do I get the installation media to put it on a blank SSD, or other drive?

Yes, I can just image the drive as chusteczka said, and then copy it to the SSD, but I guess I am just curious as to how to do a fresh install now.

Say I never made the switch/upgrade from the HDD to SSD, and in a year the HDD fails and I have to buy another HDD. At that point how do I put a new installation of Windows 8 onto the blank drive?

 

[Topweasel]

The recovery media is actually a hidden partition on your HDD. So even for a clean install you need to clone the whole drive to the SSD. With 8 machines I don't even think it's a proprietary thing just run in the windows 8 recovery the "reload windows to factory settings" option.

The whole bios Activation is just a minor change to MS windows load to check for a specific manufacturers bios watermark. If your system has it then it doesn't request activation. You can get media for that as well. For example for Dell Latitudes (not Inspirons) I can order it with Windows media. It's an actual OS install disc not a recovery disc. Anyways with that disc I can install on any Dell, windows, and it won't ask for product code or activation. But I can't use it in an HP because its looking specifically the Dell watermark and not the HP. You would need a specific HP OS disc.