How to migrate your Windows installation and data from a Hard Drive to Solid State Drive (SSD) without reinstalling
A SSD (Solid State Drive) is one of the best bang-for-buck upgrades you can perform on an older computer, typically decreasing the boot time by well over half. It can truly bring a 3-6 year old PC back from the garbage pile to something very usable.
If you’re tasked with swapping a Hard Drive out for an SSD, it can seem daunting at first, but it’s far easier than you could imagine:
Determining which type of SSD you require
Computer SSD’s typically come in two form-factors: 2.5″ SATA, and m.2
The first step before committing to an upgrade would be to open the desktop or laptop computer to determine:
a) is the drive is physically accessible? This can be very fiddly with some laptops and all-in-one desktops- a quick search of the model on YouTube or searching for the workshop manual on Google will almost always give you the answer
b) which form-factor do you require? Most likely, the answer will be a 2.5″ SATA drive. However, you may find an unpopulated m.2 slot on the motherboard, allowing you to add an SSD alongside your existing drive.
Equipment needed
At the time of writing, these are the most popular 2.5″ SATA and m.2 SSD’s on Amazon
2.5″ SATA SSD’s:
m.2 SSD’s:
If you’re installing a 2.5″ SSD, you’ll also require a USB adapter to allow you to clone the data over from the old drive to the new:
Step 1 – Downloading the Cloning software
The go-to software for this has been Macrium Reflect Free Edition, and for good reason – it’s free for both home and commercial use, and it’s very reliable! (When downloading, there is no need to enter an email or register)
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