Install Windows/Softwares on a newly added SSD hard

[xidir]

Hey
I replaced my Laptop "DVD Writer" with an SSD hard drive. Now I want to install Windows and my software on the SSD hard drive. Is this possible? Wouldn't that be a problem?

Thanks,
Xidir / Kurdistan

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

@xidir 

The best way to do this would be to "clone" the contents of the HDD to the new SSD -- as this will ensure ALL the files and folders get copied over to the right locations.  If you just try to do this manually, it will fail.

What I recommend is the following:
1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR) from here: https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
2) Connect the new drive to the PC 
3) Follow the instructions in this link: http://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW/Cloning+a+disk
4) Shutdown the PC when done
5) Remove the HDD and reboot the PC -- it should boot without issue

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.

Not that when you then reconnect the HDD, you might have booting issues -- so you will have to go into your BIOS/UEFI settings and change the boot to be from the SSD, not the HDD.