Windows 10: Upgrading a Cloned Windows 8.1 SSD

I cloned my original HDD to SSD and saved the original for a backup. To keep it relatively up to date I re-installed it and installed the windows 10 upgrade from the "Get Windows 10" taskbar icon. I've reverted back to my SSD with Windows 8.1 in hopes of upgrading it as well rather than re-cloning it to Windows 10. The "Get Windows 10" icon is in the taskbar but seems to fail to update a few times a day at least. Should I be using the media creation tool to update my SSD or will MS update it even though I used the "Get Windows 10" icon within the original HDD already?

Anyone with Information on this topic please add your input.
Thank you in advance,


:)

 

How to clone an SSD of same size using an image instead of direct clone?

Hi,

I know a thing or two about cloning an SSD using Clonezilla but I need to know about an imaging software

Basically, what I have is two 256GB SSD, one out-of-the box factory condition, one installed on Alienware 15 R2, which came with windows 8.1 and since been upgraded to windows 10.

What I want to do is create some image which will copy everything from the old SSD to new SSD(including recovery partitions, boot partitions etc. Basically, it should just clone the old SSD)

All in all, I want to clone the SSD but don't want to directly clone, instead create an image using which I can create a clone anytime I want.



How can I go about doing this? What is the best software for it(free or paid)?

P.S. - Does upgrading to windows 10 from windows 8.1 also upgrade the recovery partition to windows 10?

 

windows 10 upgrade and activation

Thank you very for replying Gerry.

I already contacted Microsoft about tit and they tried to solve the problem with remote control and told me that they could not detect any evidence of windows 10.

What I did: I bought the Lenovo with OEM Windows 8.1 and HDD. Then upgraded that to Windows 10.

After expiry of warranty period I changed the HDD with an SSD and cloned the original Windows 8.1 onto the SSD and upgraded it to Windows 10 which I have been using for the past few months. I keep the HDD with the original Windows 8.1 in case anything goes
wrong with the SSD. So, the current problem occurred with the SSD and I used "minitool partition wizard" to wipe the SSD clean and cloned the OEM from the HDD onto the SSD again. That automatically activated the Windows 8.1 as well on the SSD. Microsoft could
not detect any trace of Windows 10 on the SSD.

Maybe it will work if I re-install the original HDD (Windows 8.1) and ask Microsoft to re-activate it. I don't know if I can clone that onto the SSD then.

 

The cloning could have something to do with the failures, you can wait it out or try the usb method, if it asks for a key during the upgrade, I`ve read to pop out the usb and reboot the PC and the upgrade should continue.

Personally, I would do a clean install of 8.1 on the ssd, activate, then upgrade to Windows 10.

 

I've not seen a similar problem but in lieu of a better solution I'd wonder if it's failing since Win10 has already been activated on that computer and sees a second installation as different. The Upgrade tends to use the Product Key from Win8.1 and as with an install from disc can only use it once. To use a common acronym: IMHO.

If it were mine I'd probably try cloning Win10 onto the original drive but then you'd not have Win8.1 on it.

 

Are you thinking a factory reset on the cloned SSD? It's an OEM licence.
I suppose I could wait it out for a while as we have a year roughly to get the free upgrade.

 

Appears that you've used your free upgrade to W10 by putting it on your HDD. Other than the SSD, all the original components in your computer are associated with the W10 upgrade on your HDD. As far as the W10 upgrade your computer has been upgraded already.

You could reinstall the HDD and go back to the previous OS, then do the upgrade on your SSD, or do as you did originally and clone the W10 HDD to your SSD.

IMO the SSD should have been the upgrade and then that upgrade cloned/backed up/imaged to the HDD. Then you could have done the clean install if desired.

 

Yeah, I hear you but was a bit impatient waiting for the upgrade. I'll wait a while as I've read somewhere that you can still do a clean install of 10 on an updated PC. Do you know anything about that?
Thanks,

 

Check this tutorial https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...n-install.html

Brink's done a fine job with those and a lot of solutions can be found there.

If I read the tutorial right you will be able to clean install on your SSD in the same computer you upgraded on, then as backup you could clone that to the HDD.

Good Luck *Smile

 

I have my original HDD updated to W10 but just want to keep it for backup and will be updating every so often. My SSD cloned from the original HDD still has W8.1 with the "Get Windows 10" icon in place as it was on my HDD. Checking in the review updates I see that W10 update has failed numerous times.

Will the free upgrade still apply to this SSD or will I have to re-clone to W10 from the HDD? Or use media creation tool to upgrade perhaps?

Thanks in advance,

 

You should be able to do a clean install of 10 on the SSD (assuming it os on the same machine). You don't need to install 8.1 and upgrade.

You will have to clean install the same version (Home or Pro) though as you upgraded on the HDD.

Edit, sorry I just noticed @CmmTch said the same thing...

You can do that, or upgrade using the media creation tool or iso, or image your HDD back to SSD - whichever way it will be activated (assuming your Windows 10 is activated now)

 

Please see post #7 go to the tutorial, follow directions and clean install on your SSD

 

Thanks for the reply Steve. I would rather do an upgrade install if at all possible as I don't want to re-install the apps and whatnot that I've installed already to the SSD. If I have to clean install so be it but wanted clarity on whether or not I could do the upgrade install and my licence would still be good.

 

The whole bugaboo is the upgrade for your computer has already been done according to MS servers, maybe you could reinstall the HDD and uninstall W10. In theory that would revert your license back to 8.1, then remove the HDD, install the SSD and use your SSD to perform the upgrade.

I'm with you on doing an upgrade rather than a clean install, I wanted the OS to be the only thing that changed. Desktop, bookmarks, files, etc... all still in place after the upgrade.

Hope you can work through it to get an upgrade rather than a clean install, my thoughts are to reverse what you've done, IMO uninstalling W10 should put you back to "OS is not W10 and this computer hasn't upgraded yet" status but I can't be sure about that.

 

You can't "unregister" and already updated system anymore than you can "deactivate" it. The upgraded system was already registered with the activation servers for W10. Putting something else on that system is not going to undo the registration.