
- Windows 7 how to install to ssd from usb drive 64 Bit#
- Windows 7 how to install to ssd from usb drive 32 bit#
- Windows 7 how to install to ssd from usb drive software#
- Windows 7 how to install to ssd from usb drive windows 7#
Next, I removed the Raid drives from my computer case. Make sure you got backups if you prefer to go that route.Ĥ. I don’t know about you, but often once I’ve done a repartitioning, I’ve got a nonbootable disc. There are many options out there for cloning, but I suspect they all require changing your partition sizes so they match before you clone. With Casper, I did not have to change partition sizes or do any other screwing around with formatting or partitioning. Note: the SSD is 240gb, the hard drives 500gb (but data was only 190gb).
Windows 7 how to install to ssd from usb drive windows 7#
Utterly and completely easy, brainless, and successful cloning from the Windows 7 drive to the SSD, even while working in Windows. Before trying anything else that I saw on the web, I tried Casper 7.0.

Or they would clone and then be unbootable. They might clone and then stop just before finishing. None would clone from the Windows 7 hard drive to the SSD, even after formatting the SSD with 4k partitioning. THIS SINGLE PAINFUL DISCOVERY WASTED A LOT OF MY TIME: Don’t let it waste yours.ģ. So, I went back into Raid mode in the bios, the Windows 7 drive was recognized and booted up, I downloaded this msi program from Microsoft, I ran it on the Windows 7 drive, I rebooted into AHCI mode and voila- it was recognized. Turns out there’s a program/driver that has to be placed on the Windows 7 drive in order for it to even be seen in Windows when switching from Raid to AHCI mode. Result: The Windows 7 hard drive was not recognized so I could not clone it to the SSD, since it did not boot up even. Of course, upon bootup I changed my Bios from Raid to AHCI to ensure optimal SSD functionality. With the Raid drives and my SATA hard drive still unplugged, I plugged in my new SSD and put the Windows 7 hard drive into my SATA swap bay, planning to simply clone Windows 7 from the hard drive (along with installed programs and formatting) to the SSD. Hence, I didn’t want to do any more fresh installs, just clones of this.Ģ. I had then installed a bunch of programs and got Windows 7 formatted to just the way I wanted.
Windows 7 how to install to ssd from usb drive 64 Bit#
The non-raid hard drive was a clone of the raid system (and was bootable), plus I had a removable SATA dock with a hard drive cloned there as well (also bootable).ġ.5: I had created a Windows 7 64 bit installation in anticipation of my migration: I had simply disconnected the SATA and Raid drives, plugged a hard drive into my SATA bay, and installed Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium on it (note: Bios was still in Raid mode.
Windows 7 how to install to ssd from usb drive 32 bit#
First off, I had started with Windows XP 32 bit in RAID mode on the bios, with 2 discs in Raid 1 and 1 other hard drive also on SATA and 1 hotswap SATA bay. Starting: Raid 1 with 2 500gb discs, 1 SATA clone, 1 hot swappable SATA bay, Windows XP 32 bit Ending: SSD in AHCI with the 2 500gb discs each being a bootable backup clone, 1 hot swappable bay, Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium.Īnd let me save you the HOURS AND HOURS of time I spent doing trial-and-error:ġ. Just wanted to post my experiences in Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium migration from HDD to SSD, having switched from a Windows XP Raid system.
Windows 7 how to install to ssd from usb drive software#
Once complete, Windows 7 should behave exactly as before, with all software and settings intact, but with the exception of running much quicker thanks to the SSD. Optional: Set up the original OS HDD as a drive for data.Have Windows re-rate the OS drive so it recognises it as an SSD.Resize the OS partition to fill the SSD capacity.Restore the OS image from the 2nd or external HDD.



Move data off any non-OS partitions from OS HDD and delete these partitions.To clone from HDD to SSD with Windows, the process is summarised as follows: However, this is not a choice for everyone, especially those who may not have the original OS or software discs, such as with a consumer PC/laptop that does not come with OS/software installation media. Ideally, to get the most out of an SSD, it is best to start with a clean OS installation. The user just needs either an external HDD or a second internal hard disk, the SSD to clone to and either a blank CD-R or the Windows 7 OS installation disc. While there are a wide range of disk and partition cloning utilities available, many users may not realise that Windows 7 has its own disk imaging utility that is just as effective, but with the advantage of not costing anything to use.
