Windows 10: Best way to migrate Win10 to new HDD

Title really says it all.

I am getting my mother an upgraded MB/Processor/RAM for Xmas as she's on a MB from 2009 currently <LOL>

The computer has a 1st or 2nd generation SATA 300GB HDD and the bundle package I ordered came with a brand new 1TB SATA HDD.

Aside from putting in the new components and taking care of making sure the licensing issues are resolved before I do any HDD migration; I am looking for opinions on what would be the best way to move the Win10 installation from the older slower HDD to the newer one?

Looking around on the web opinions vary between using some program someone wants you to pay for to mirror image the drive, to installing Win10 fresh on the new drive and then telling Windows to migrate everything over, to simply setting up the new drive as a system drive and copying all the files and folders from the old to the new.

Anyone have a good opinion on this?

Thank You

:)

 

Migrate users from Windows 7 to clean Windows 10 install

I have Windows 7 running on a (Mechanical spinning hard drive) HDD, and I want to upgrade to Windows 10 running on a (SolidStateDrive) SSD. I plan is to perform a clean install of Windows 10 on my new SSD. Which leads me to my question, what is the best
way to migrate my user accounts and data from Win7 to Win10?

Thanks for helping me out!

 

Migrating WIndows 10 to an SSD painlessly?

I wanted to upgrade to Win10 today, and concurrently load the operating system onto a newly installed SSD. The upgrade never gave me the chance to transfer to a new hard drive, and so I have consequently spent many hours watching the Win10 load itself where
I did not want it, onto my old HDD.

History - I had early tried to install Win10 with the media creation tool on a USB drive. Unfortunately my bios could not be changed to read the USB during boot up.

So I am now faced with migrating Win10 from the HDD to the new SSD. I understand that it cannot be simply moved, and would require a fresh installation onto the SSD.

However I do not want to do a clean installation where all my files and programs will have to be reloaded, I have already spent enough time on this. I don't want to start to mirror my C: drive onto the SSD either which sounds just as painful.

Could someone please advise the fastest way to do this? For example, could I burn the media creation tool to DVD which my bios will boot up from, and use that to load Win10 onto the SSD? I could disconnect the C: drive to ensure there is no interference.

How would I then remove the Win10 on the C: HDD? Would I need to deactivate it first before it loads onto the SSD?

Why don't microsoft have a specific set of instructions for migrating to an SSD? This must me an issue for thousands.

 

A system imaging program such as Macrium Reflect, which is free, Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free would be the easiest way. IMO

 

Clean install if you want a totally fresh install.

Clone current install to new drive if you want an exact copy of current drive. Use Macrium Reflect Free to do the cloning.

 

Yep - Macrium Reflect Free which is....well....Free.

Make sure the old computer is logged into with a Microsoft Account to link the digital entitlement for Windows 10 to the Microsoft Account so you can run the activation troubleshooter when you transfer it to the new computer.

 

With so much change chances are it wont activate and may not even boot if the hardware is a lot different

 

Sure it will. Windows 10 is the most tolerant OS to moving to a new computer than any other OS. The first screen on booting on the new computer will hang for a few minutes with the message installing new devices and then load from there.

As far as a activation, Microsoft has made specific provisions for moving the digital license via a Microsoft account.

 

The easiest way to move your system partition to new HDD is by using the tool EaseUS Todo Backup. Just download the software, and you’re almost ready. Also, it is recommended to perform a defrag of your system hard drive.

 

Thanks for the recommendations guys. Yea I already got Windows to reactivate itself after the hardware changes. Had to kind of dig into the activation apps a bit but once I did I just had to tell it this was the same machine still with hardware updates. I will give the Macrium Reflect program a try.

Thanks

 

And now you can clean install Windows 10 on the new equipment *Smile