12 replies to this topic

[NerdGoneWild]

So I got my SSD today, but I am having an issue. I had purchased the OEM version of Windows 7 Ultimate and installed it on my WD black when I first build computer last year. How can I get windows 7 onto this SSD considering Microsoft only allows a single install...I find it kind of stupid that they do this since HDDs fail all the time.

[Tjj226_Angel]

Clone the partition. You can use clonezillia, Acronis, Intel even has a SSD tool now.

In fact.............



There you go.

[Coors]

Just do it. They don't just allow single installs. OEM copies technically only can be installed on one computer. But reinstalls because of hardware failures or upgrades are ok. It will most likely activate just fine after the reinstall online. But if not you just need to call the 1-800 number and enter the sets of numbers it gives you and it will activate just fine.


I wouldn't transfer like that video above shows. A fresh install is always best.

Edited by Coors, 09 April 2012 - 05:37 PM.

[NerdGoneWild]

I love you guys xD

no homo ^^

[NerdGoneWild]

Okay so I hooked up the SSD, now I am being a noob and am not sure on how to change things in bios to allow install onto the ssd. I put disc into drive and it says repair windows or boot normally.

[viperk1]

You should probably remove your old boot drive. Or at least remove the boot partitions. The installer is finding your old copy of windows. Btw, check out this link for optimizing windows 7 for SSDs I found. Might be worth a look: link

[boinker]

did you unplug the older Hard drive?? If so go ahead and try to repair windblows and see what happens.

[hornybluecow]

i would just reinstall windows and make sure you put the newest fw on the ssd. much easier than cloning and finding you are completely out of space and or find your programs no longer open.

In the bios you need to set the sata ports to ACSI (and it should already be on that if you were using your WD drive right. than put windows disc in and install like normal.

after i installed windows 7 i had 40gb free with no programs. than i removed temp and put it on another drive + disabled hibernation(you must do this if you want any free space!) and gained 40gb. Installed all my programs and now i just have barely 25gb free out of 120gb.

[Coors]

Used to be best practice to only have the one drive installed that you wanted Windows on during the install. Not sure if thats still the case with Win7 but I still do it that way.

During the POST most motherboards will say to press a certain key to go to the boot menu. If in that menu you can't boot from CD then you need to go into the BIOS and allow booting from the disc drive. Or if it's still going to the "repair/boot normally" option maybe you missed the "Press any key to boot from CD..." and not booting from the CD.

[NerdGoneWild]

Thank you coors! I unplugged other hdd, put ssd in with disc as primary boot device, turned on pc and it installed the windows 7 to my ssd. My question now is this. I have all of my files on the old hdd, and the new ssd is only 80gb left after windows 7 and all drivers. When I try to open a game from the G drive (old hdd) it will not open the game. Do i need to partition the old drive in some way to make it work with the new ssd being the primary? I want to be able to install games to the old drive and run them off of it, yet my main few games I was going to reinstall to the new ssd. Must i redownload everything?

Any help is greatly appreciated, as everything I try to do right now its making me install to SSD and wont let me run anything off the old hdd without errors on missing files or tempting me to reinstall. I can view all photos etc from the old hdd and they load nice and quick.

[dragonsdontfly]

Thank you coors! I unplugged other hdd, put ssd in with disc as primary boot device, turned on pc and it installed the windows 7 to my ssd. My question now is this. I have all of my files on the old hdd, and the new ssd is only 80gb left after windows 7 and all drivers. When I try to open a game from the G drive (old hdd) it will not open the game. Do i need to partition the old drive in some way to make it work with the new ssd being the primary? I want to be able to install games to the old drive and run them off of it, yet my main few games I was going to reinstall to the new ssd. Must i redownload everything?

Any help is greatly appreciated, as everything I try to do right now its making me install to SSD and wont let me run anything off the old hdd without errors on missing files or tempting me to reinstall. I can view all photos etc from the old hdd and they load nice and quick.

Yes you can play games from a hard drive other than your boot drive: I put all mine on a secondary one.

You just (probably) have to reinstall them. They likely require registry keys and stray files which were lost when installing the new copy of windows. There are ways to transfer save files, but they're game dependant. And if they're games with a cloud feature (BF3 for example) then that doesn't even matter.
So in short: Yes, you can play them off the hold HDD. But you have to reinstall them first.

A SIMPLE rule of thumb to remember: if the drive works, it works. If you have access to it's content, programs can be run off of it: They just have to be installed right.

--A possible solution that doesn't require reinstalling the games (not a guarantee, but something often overlooked: Not all games require registry entries):
Make sure you have all software and driver prerequisites installed: Microsoft VC, .NET, DirectX, Flash, Java, etc.. Get downloading and installing, and odds are at least one or two of your games may work without needing a reinstall.

As for save files, many games save to 'My Documents' subfolders, Program/App Data subfolders, or to the folders of partner programs (such as BF3 saving files in Origin/Origin Games folders) so if you want to keep save games of offline campaigns, etc.. You'll have to mirror their location on the new configuration. A simple cut and paste works, or copy and paste if you want to double check afterward that you got file tress right versus the original.

Edited by dragonsdontfly, 10 April 2012 - 03:48 AM.

[Coors]

Thank you coors! I unplugged other hdd, put ssd in with disc as primary boot device, turned on pc and it installed the windows 7 to my ssd. My question now is this. I have all of my files on the old hdd, and the new ssd is only 80gb left after windows 7 and all drivers. When I try to open a game from the G drive (old hdd) it will not open the game. Do i need to partition the old drive in some way to make it work with the new ssd being the primary? I want to be able to install games to the old drive and run them off of it, yet my main few games I was going to reinstall to the new ssd. Must i redownload everything?

Any help is greatly appreciated, as everything I try to do right now its making me install to SSD and wont let me run anything off the old hdd without errors on missing files or tempting me to reinstall. I can view all photos etc from the old hdd and they load nice and quick.

Some programs may or may not run like that. I'd advise backing everything up and reformatting the drive and reinstall everything fresh. Just like Windows sometimes programs just need to be reinstalled. If you can't reformat then i'd at least reinstall the programs that don't run right.