Do you want to replace your HDD with an SSD? This will indeed help you build a system with higher speed and smooth user experience. Having said so, you may be thinking about how to transfer operating system to SSD, along with all the files and settings. This post guides you on how to migrate Windows OS to SSD.
How to Transfer Operating System to SSD?
The OS to SSD migration process can be easily performed using the Windows built-in features. The process is a bit complex and involves several steps. This section guides you through the steps.
- Connect SSD to the Computer: You need to first connect the SSD to the computer. When the drive is connected, check the available space on the SSD by going to its Properties. You can click the Disk Cleanup in the General tab to increase space in the SSD.
- Take the data backup: This will save you from agonies if anything goes wrong while transferring the OS to SSD. You can take the backup of your system in an external hard drive.
- Create a Windows System Image of Your PC: You can use the System Image Backup feature in Windows 10 to create image files of all the drives on your system. Additionally, you can use this feature to take backup of additional drives and the hard drive in its entirety. Follow these steps to create a system image of your PC:
a).Type “backup settings” in the taskbar. When it opens, go to Backup and Restore.
b).Select Create a System Image that appears on the left-hand side of the window.
c)Next, you will be prompted to choose a destination to store the image of the system. It is always better to choose an external hard drive as the destination.
d)You can choose additional drives if you want to create a backup for them. Then click on Start Backup.
- Create a Recovery Drive: You need to create a recovery drive if you wish to transfer your system image to a new SSD. To do so, follow these steps:
a).Take a 16 GB USB and connect it to the system.
b).Type Recovery Drive in the Search bar.
c).Next, follow the given instructions to create a recovery drive. Select the ‘Back up system files to the recovery drive’ option and click on Next.
- Install a Fresh Copy of Windows on an SSD: Once the above steps are completed, you have to install the Windows OS on the SSD. Follow the steps below to perform the process:
a)Start the Windows Media Creation Tool on the PC.
b)Select the option Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.
c)Choose the connected SSD to install the firmware.
d)You will be prompted to “Choose what to keep.” Here, you can choose personal files and apps if you wish to retain them. However, if you wish to install the new copy of Windows, you can choose Nothing and finish the installation.
- Restore Windows Image to SSD
You now need to restore the Windows Image to SSD. Follow these steps:
a)Replace the HDD with SSD and reboot your computer.
b)Insert the device featuring the backup image and the recovery media that you have created (in Step 4).
c)When the computer starts, press the required key to enter the BIOS. Here, you can boot the system from the drive that is connected to it. You will get the setup display on the system.
d)Choose the Language to Install, Time and Currency Format, and Keyboard or Input Method. Then, click on Next.
e)In the next screen, you will be prompted to Install now. Here, you can select Repair your computer to access the advanced settings.
f)Next, choose Troubleshooting > Advanced Options and click the System Image Recovery feature.
g)You will be directed to a dedicated System Image Recovery wizard. The system will detect the image to be restored automatically. Ensure the image is the one that you want to restore. Alternately, you can Select a system image. Click on Next and wait till the image is restored to your system.
h) Ensure the Format and Repartition disks option is selected, as you will be transferring the system image to the SSD.
i) Click on Next. You can wait till the system image is restored on the drive.
This restoring process will take some time to complete. However, you should not try to stop it in between. When the process is finished, you will be prompted to restart the system in the standard mode.
By following the above process, you can easily migrate Windows OS to SSD. What if the migration process fails and you end up losing data? In this case, you can rely on a Windows data recovery tool, like Stellar Data Recovery Professional. This professional data recovery software can easily recover data from HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, 4K, and various types of optical media. It is compatible with the latest Windows 11 OS and earlier versions. It is available in free and paid versions. The free version allows you to scan and preview the deleted or lost data.
Conclusion
You can go ahead with the process, discussed in this post, of transferring Windows OS from HDD to SDD. You can share the tips with others like a professional and also guide them on how to recover data if lost during the migration.