How can I change the Boot drive

[gradutunes]

Thank you, both mdklassen and  savvy2, for taking the time and effort to assist me. With your advice, I determined that the new HDD that I installed, even though I had done an Acronis disk image (clone), was not a 'bootable' drive. I had to start over with a 'clean' install of Win 10 to make the new drive 'bootable'. Once I did that, copying the folders from the dying drive to the new boot drive was a simple task. Another example of 'Copying' is not the same as 'installing'. Thanks for your help.

Tunes

[gradutunes]

Thank you. I had to do a clean install of Win 10 to make the new drive 'bootable'. Using Acronis to make a disk image clone didn't make the disk 'bootable'. Thanks again for your time and help.

Tunes

[mdklassen]

> Using Acronis to make a disk image clone didn't make the disk 'bootable'.

Weird.

I have used both the crippled-to-require-a-SEAGATE drive, the and the crippled-to-require-a-WESTERN-DIGITAL drive, both based on the same ACRONIS software, and "disk-cloning" a Windows 10 system has always worked for me.

The software was designed to make a 100-percent-identical copy.

After the cloning has completed, I have always shut-down the computer, and disconnected the "source" drive, configured the BIOS to designate the "target" drive as "bootable", before rebooting the computer.

[savvy2]

the clone will fail, now or later, but will.

mirroring bad, not good.

[gradutunes]

The OEM drive was an Hitachi. I started getting messages during boot up that there were bad sectors on the drive and failure was imminent. I had the drive data backed up, on a separate device, but wanted a windows bootable HDD available when the Hitachi failed. I may not have done the clone sequencing correctly, so now I have done a clean windows install and have a good bootable disk. I did a backup of the Hitachi and transferred all my configuration to the new drive and another backup drive.

Thanks again.

[savvy2]

if your system was setup for EUFI GPT HDD.

that is first,  and the safe start.  turned off

[gradutunes]

I have installed the old Hitachi drive in a spare slot in the computer. I left it formatted as a Win 10 drive so I can boot to it by changing the boot sequence in BIOS startup. When I boot to the new drive, the old Hitachi is still available through file explorer. So I can still access the files on it, even though I have booted up with the new HDD.

Thanks.

[savvy2]

Spoiler

read this too, it covers many mistakes, common.  read it all really, its loaded with facts on LIMITS,  it just works. btw.

http://www.farstone.com/faqs/driveclone.php

take out the second drive after cloned says, done

easy no?

even says, use the built in features in FARSTONE , program to cure  no boot. (using 1 drive)

shows how it also clones even the extera partiting hidden by HP for F11 magic.

its free to, not a penny cost.

see anwer 2 here.

see ?

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/02eb102b-e903-4b54-96a9-2031130e01e3/system-drive-...

[savvy2]

i see you want both drives to boot, sure bios can do that.

since early days of PATA drives.

the only problem with using mirror drives is the same GIUD on both.

with a new OS install that is not going to happen.

[gradutunes]

This is what I did.

the correct path is there.

1: get the HP install disks,

2: remove old HDD

3: install new HDD

4: install OS new, from HP media kit.  the new OS now has its own ID, 

5: reboot, see it works. but windows ill need reactivation , using bottom of PC, HP COA tag,  serial.

6: put back old bad drive , now your old data is there, albet damaged,  get it wiil still good  or it will be all gone soon.

Thanks