I Installed New Ram & SSD. How do I do a clean Win 10 Install and keep HDD for Storage?

[Dsaroki128]

Hello,

I have an HP Pavilion Laptop 15-cs0053cl.  I just Installed Upgraded compatible RAM and an SSD through Crucial's website.  I bought the Laptop from Costco some years ago and it came with 12GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD.  

The new parts are as follows: Crucial DDR4 2400mhz SODIMM 1.2V CL17 16GB (2x8GB) Part#CT2K8G43FS824A

                                                        Crucial PCIe Gen4 NVMe 2280 M.2 SSD P310 500GB Part#CT500P310SSD8

It's nothing Fancy, but I'm sure that it will speed things up a little bit, I hope. 

I could really use some guidance on how to configure the New SSD as the boot drive and keep the existing HDD for storage & recovery, with a clean install of Windows 10. I am also concerned with being able to keep some of the preinstalled drivers so not to have issues. 

Any guidance and advise is very much appreciated.  Thanks! 

[erico]

"keep the existing HDD for storage & recovery" 

You can use it for storage, but not for recovery, unless you want to just remove it and put it in a self place for emergencies.

All of the required drivers  for Windows 10 are at the driver and software web document for your model series.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/hp-pavilion-15-cs0000-laptop-pc/20284004

Unplug the legacy disk and then create a Windows 10 install flash drive. 

You can use the HP Cloud recovery software at the online Microsoft app store to create an installation flash drive. It will install the drivers on its own. You will need your laptop's serial number to use  the HP Cloud software.
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9mtks9pr7r3n?hl=en-US&gl=US

Install Windows 10.

The installation will self activate when you go online.

That is because the laptop's system board is registered on the Microsoft licensing servers as having an active license activation key for Windows 10.

[Dsaroki128]

Thank you very much for the prompt and great information you provided Erico.  When you say to "Unplug the Legacy Disk" do you mean to physically unplug it from the motherboard?

Is there a way that I can do the install without unplugging the Legacy disk?  I would like to still keep it installed and running for storage of documents, pictures, videos, etc. Or do you think that this is not a good idea?

I'm sorry and please bear with me as I'm not very tech-savvy, but I'm sure that I can do this...

Again, thank you for your support!

[erico]

Unplug it from the system board. The reason is that it has a active flag.

If you do an install to the new SSD with the old one plugged in, you will find, to your frustration that when you restart the laptop it will still boot to the legacy disk and not to the new SSD Windows installation.

You could remove the old legacy disk and plug it into a USB adapter or USB enclosure.

How to remove the active flag from the old HDD.

It is better to do this when it is removed and connected to a USB adapter or USB enclosure.

https://www.seagate.com/support/kb/remove-active-flag-from-a-partition-in-windows/

[Dsaroki128]

Thank you for the explanation, Erico. I am going to give this a shot tonight and repost when I am done, unless I have any questions during the process.  Much appreciated.

[Dsaroki128]

Hello again Erico.

I am halfway there.  I unplugged Legacy drive and removed it from the PC. I created a USB flash drive using Windows Media Creation Tool from the Microsoft download website and installed Windows 10 on the PC.  I couldn't use the Hp Cloud Recovery Software because it kept giving me an error when I put in the Product ID., and I couldn't proceed with the install.

Windows update took care of most of the driver updates except for a few including a Realtek Audio driver, Detection Verification under Other Devices in Device Manager and Intel Chipset drivers where I was able to get the latest from the Intel Download website.  

Today I will buy a USB adapter to plug the old HDD into and try to remove the Active Flag using the instructions on the link you provided.

If all goes well with that, and you don't mind putting up with me a little more lol, I could use some guidance on what I would need to do upon reinstalling the old HDD and if I need to format it beforehand, and (creating partitions?) 

Thank you for your help.

[erico]

That is interesting since a link to the HP Cloud Recovery was in the Software & Driver list for your laptop.

You can try using just the part of the product number before the asterix.

Oh well, the remaining drivers, if any exist should be at the the Software & Driver list for your laptop that I provided in one of my previous replies.

Oh by the way, clicking on the this was helpful button in replies is how you can thank me for my help.

If all goes well with removing the active flag, then all you will need to do is reinstall and connect the old HDD. It will be recognized and you will be able to use it as storage.

The Windows\System32 directory in the old Windows 10 installation contains all of the drivers required for your laptop as well.

If you need more assistance, just let me know that in a reply to your thread.

[Dsaroki128]

I apologize for not clicking on this reply was helpful throughout the thread Erico. I went back and made sure to do so.

This is my first time posting in the Hp Community Support and I'm still learning lol

I do want to thank you personally for your time...

I will let you know how things go tomorrow and if I need any more help...👍 

[erico]

No worries!

We are here for you!

[Dsaroki128]

That's Great... Thanks Erico!

I got the USB connector for the old HDD. I've connected it to another Laptop and opened Disk Management while reviewing the Instructions on the site that you provided.  Please see attached screenshot.

The Drive number to the old HDD I believe is Disk 1. My question is that I am not 100% sure what Partition to select. I'm thinking Partition 1.  I know it's crucial and that I have to be certain.

Please Help...

Also, once I have removed the Active Flag, what do I do next?  I want to use the old HDD for files like: Pictures, Videos, Documents, etc... I don't think that I will be needing anything that is on it now, including Drivers. Please let me know what you think and if I should format it.

Thanks!