Windows 10: Inspiron 7559 - Cloned OS to Samsung Evo 850 500GB SSD but NOW WHAT?

Before ordering my new Inspiron 7559, I read online that another user had been very happy after upgrading to 16 GB RAM and cloning the OS from the 1 TB 5500 RPM HD to a Samsung 500 GB SSD using Samsung's Data Migration Software (and keeping both drives, using the HD for storage). However, now that I have already cloned the upgraded Windows 10 OS, I read that another user started experiencing major issues after cloning with Samsung's Data Migration Software, because Windows updates then did not know where to go on the SSD, and he recommended a clean install of Windows 10 to the SSD? Arrrrgh! So this is where I am at:

1. I upgraded Windows 10 to the latest version and uninstalled all the bloatware and adware that I did not want. I ran sfcscan and optimized the HD to make sure everything was in good shape.
2. I did install a number of free programs onto the HD (CCleaner, Revo Uninstaller, Thumbnails, Firefox, Samsung Data Migration, etc.)
3. I used Samsung's Data Migration Software and was following their online manual but the Data Migration program never gave me the option to select which files to migrate - and I tried looking around, but it just went right to cloning - so it cloned not just the OS, but all the programs I had installed to-date (all of which are free, but those will update often, so I thought they should just be on the HD, not on the SSD).

The data migration completed but now what?

I have not changed the BIOS or attempted to start the system from the OS clone on the SSD because now I am afraid that I should not have used the Samsung Data Migration software after all - that this will lead to issues with the OS when it tries to install future updates, and that because the Samsung software also cloned all the free programs I had installed, those will have issues updating too.

I need to finish my taxes this weekend (oh, joy) and then have a project to finish (which requires that I install CS5 InDesign onto my new laptop's HD) before I can do anything time-consuming - like installing Windows 10 directly to the SSD (which I want to avoid, but will do if I have to, if that is truly the only way to ensure proper operation when updates come out). For the next week, I am thinking I will just manually remove the SSD drive and use the OS on the HD for now (so that the computer does not get confused, because having the OS on both will confuse it according to other users)? Meanwhile, I hope to get more experienced forum feedback on what I should do next, because I am in way above my head!


I had NO idea it was going to be this complicated to have a secondary SSD to run the OS! Part of me wants to forget using the SSD altogether, but then I would be working with the very slow 5500 RPM HD only, which sort of defeats the purpose of getting a new laptop! Oh HELP!
*Huh

:)

 

New cloned disk shows up as old one in Win 10

I recently replaced my Crucial MX200 500GB SSD by cloning (Acronis) to a new Samsung 850 EVO 500GB. The Samsung migration software which came with the disk didn't seem to clone correctly because the Crucial ssd was slightly larger. Acronis worked fine.

My bios shows the correct new Samsung disk but on Win 10 the disk management still lists the old Crucial MX200. Although everything seems to be working fine, I would like for the system to acknowledge the correct disk.

Any ideas on what may be causing this? I have cloned disks before and they have always shown up correctly.

Thanks in advance.

Bob

 

Will I lose the activation of my Windows 10 when I migrate to a new Samsung SSD?

Hello everyone,

I currently have a Samsung 840 EVO 250gb SSD installed in my laptop and I am planning to get the Samsung 850 EVO 500gb. I was just wondering if when I use the data migration tool from Samsung will I lose my Windows 10 activation.

Thank you all!

 

Personally, I just use a free program like Macrium Reflect Free or MiniTool Partition Wizard to copy over the whole Windows 10 Partition to the SSD. Also copy the EFI System Partition and Recovery partition and good to go.

 

Hi Navy LCDR,

Thank you for your response. I have some really newbie questions:

Will the Windows 10 upgrade that I recently did (to the latest version of 10) have automatically been installed to the Windows 10 partition on the HD? I don't need to look for it elsewhere to copy over, right? I let Windows choose where to install it and I do know it installed to the HD.

Will the EFI and Recovery partition on the HD be evident in the selection window when cloning/copying via Macrium or MiniTool?

Do I then erase all of the above from the HD (is it a good idea to keep a copy of the Recovery Partition on the HD too, in case the SSD ever fails)?

Thank you!

 

After the clone remove the old drive and boot up check it works ok. The problem is windows writes a signature to the disk and cloning means there are 2 disk the same. once you know it work ok your best formatting the old drive and then use for back up. Yo dont need the old recovery as you can do a clean install of 10 anytime. You could create regluar image of the ssd to the old drive so you can recover with that

 

Thanks, Samuria,

Is an image the same as an ISO? Is there a particular program I should use to do that? I have only ever created an ISO directly from the Dell website onto a USB, so am not sure how to create the image from the SSD to HD for potential recovery.

 

Okay, I am back with the following updates in hopes that I can get some guidance on next steps to ensure a properly running OS for the long-term (i.e., so that the computer is not confused and Windows updates go the right location). I have never had 2 separate drives, let alone, 2 different types of drives, so I have logistical / technical newbie questions:

1. The first image is a screenshot of the SSD drive and the programs which were cloned from the HDD by Samsung data migration - note that I have unplugged the HD drive for now, until I now what to do next. The machine booted up just fine from the SSD and diagnostics have been run without finding any issues.


2. The second and third images are a list of all the programs that are now on the SDD which were also cloned from the HDD. I just want the OS and any programs that the OS needs to run properly (and if it's a good idea for speed, I was later going to install Creative Suite CS 5.5 to the SSD). Does anyone have the expertise to tell me which programs should be on the SSD drive for best performance? Can I just delete the other programs from the SSD without causing damage? One online forum mentioned that Firefox and Chrome can quickly trash the SSD - so does this mean I should store them on the HDD? How exactly do I store some programs on the SSD and some to the HDD and not have the computer get confused when starting up? In other words, if only OS-related programs and apps are on the SSD and Program Files (such as Chrome and Firefox on the HDD), will Firefox and Chrome still appear in the Start Menu or Quick Launch Menu after start-up? How does that work?





3. With the OS clone working fine on the SSD, should I now delete the Recovery, UEFI and OS partition on the HD or should I save any of these partitions (some online user said he kept both on both sets of partitions on both drives and it completely messed up his system because the computer got confused, which is why I have the HD unplugged right now). Is there anything I should put on the HD in case the SSD crashes - such as, can I back up an ISO of the SSD on a regular basis to the HD and if so, how exactly do I do that? I have never had to restore from an ISO or use a recovery USB so I don't know how those work.

Any specific advice much appreciated - I feel like I am almost there, but just not sure of what the next steps are!*Shock

 

In regards to your question #2 above - if you only wanted the OS and no programs, why didn't you just do a clean install of Windows 10 to the new SSD? But, now if you don't want to just do a clean install, I would suggest this:
Start fresh with a clean installation of Windows 10

As far as backups of the SSD - most of us recommend using Macrium Refelct Free:
Macrium Reflect Free | Macrium Software

It can create an image of your entire SSD and save it as one file on the HDD. You will also need to make a Macrium Rescue USB flash drive or DVD to boot the computer from should something happen that the SSD will not boot and you need to restore the image. There are also ways to make a bootable partition on the HDD that can be selected in UEFI/BIOS to boot from. That's the way my laptop is set up. If the SSD fails, I can boot from the rescue partition on the HDD to restore the backup image from the HDD.

 

Thanks, Navy LCDR,

I did as you suggested and everything is working great. I didn't know about installing a clean system to the SSD when I first started the migration, and thought the Samsung Data Migration would work, but it just cloned everything from the HD. Great forum - thank you so much! *Biggrin I created the recovery USB and one to the HDD as well. Good to go!