How to move Windows 10 software from HDD to SSD m.2?

[MatthewTan]

Hi guys! I just installed a m.2 SSD in my laptop and here's my question"How to move Windows 10 software from HDD to SSD?"

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

@MatthewTan 

This can only be done using third-party products, as "software" (primarily, apps) involves LOTS of components that are stored all over the C: drive, including the stuff in the Registry.  These are not  things that you can move manually.

Two product I know of that CLAIM to be able to do this are:

1) Laplink PC Mover Pro (you need the Pro version because only can migrate apps)

2) EaseUS ToDo PC Transfer

The bad news? I have used both and while the first works better than the second, both work poorly under Win10.  They moved stuff that was easy to move, and broke stuff that was hard to move. 

A better approach is to "clone" the HDD to the SDD,but the difficulty will be finding a USB-to-M.2 SSD adapter.  As I have looked for them myself, and not been able to find any -- but then, I don't have PC with an M.2 slot to test any.

If you can find one, then follow these steps:

1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR) from here: https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
2) Connect the new drive to the PC using a USB-to-M.2 SSD drive adapter
3) Follow the instructions in this link: http://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW/Cloning+a+disk
4) Shutdown the PC when done
5) Swap the drives and reboot the PC.

NOTE: To do this easily, the SDD has to be the same capacity as the HDD.  IF you get an SDD that is a lot smaller, then before you do the cloning, you have to shrink the largest partition on the HDD (usually the OS partition), to the size such that it, and the other partitions, fit easily on the SSD.

Good Luck

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, @MatthewTan 

If you don't mind reinstalling all of your files, programs, etc, you can always clean install W10 on your new hard drive as follows...

You can make a W10 USB flash drive installer with the Microsoft Media Creation Tool, using an 8 GB flash drive using another Windows PC, if your PC is not working.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

If you are asked to enter a product key during the installation process, select the 'I don't have a product key' option, and W10 will install and automatically activate once you are connected to the internet.

Here are the steps to create the W10 USB flash drive installer...

Select Download tool now, and select Run.

If you agree to the license terms, select Accept.

On the What do you want to do? page, select Create installation media for another PC, and then select Next.

Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) for Windows 10. You want 64 bit.

Select which media you want to use:

USB flash drive. Plug in a blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space. Any content on the flash drive will be deleted.

Then you can reinstall the drivers and available software from the PC's support page.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-14-bs000-laptop-pc/15551400

[MatthewTan]

Thx for sharing but I don't have any pendrive so I'm going to clone.

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@Paul_Tikkanen wrote:

Hi, @MatthewTan 

If you don't mind reinstalling all of your files, programs, etc, you can always clean install W10 on your new hard drive as follows...

You can make a W10 USB flash drive installer with the Microsoft Media Creation Tool, using an 8 GB flash drive using another Windows PC, if your PC is not working.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

If you are asked to enter a product key during the installation process, select the 'I don't have a product key' option, and W10 will install and automatically activate once you are connected to the internet.

Here are the steps to create the W10 USB flash drive installer...

Select Download tool now, and select Run.

If you agree to the license terms, select Accept.

On the What do you want to do? page, select Create installation media for another PC, and then select Next.

Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) for Windows 10. You want 64 bit.

Select which media you want to use:

USB flash drive. Plug in a blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space. Any content on the flash drive will be deleted.

Then you can reinstall the drivers and available software from the PC's support page.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-14-bs000-laptop-pc/15551400

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[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Check to confirm after you clone the drive, that Windows reports it as a solid state drive and not as a spinner drive.

I once cloned my mechanical hard drive to a SSD and W10 still treated it like a mechanical hard drive, so it wanted to defragment it instead of trimming it.

Since I didn't know how to make Windows recognize the SSD as a SSD, I clean installed W10, and it was fine afterward.