Help Me, LAPTOP: How Do I Move Windows 7 to My New SSD?

August 19th, 2011 by Avram Piltch, LAPTOP Online Editorial Director  

Some say the best thing you can do for yourself is get a massage or start an exercise program or go on a (gasp) diet, but if you really wanna improve your life, get an SSD. Reader Osama plans to buy a new Corsair SSD at the same time he purchases an HP dm1z laptop, but he’s wondering how he’ll move the Windows 7 OS and programs from the old drive to the new. He writes:

A few months ago, I read an article in LaptopMag which suggested installing an SSD to improve a PC’s performance, among a list of other changes and upgrades. I have done a fair bit of research, and wish to install an SSD in the next laptop I purchase, in order to get a faster boot time and slightly better battery life.

I am about to purchase an HP dm1z (Specs: AMD E-350 Processor, 4GB RAM, 750GB 5400rpm HDD). I want to change the HDD with a Corsair 120GB SATA Solid State Drive. The HP will ship with Windows 7 installed on the 750GB hard drive (along with the other usual ‘bloatware’), and I intend to swap the HDD with the SSD before any installing any additional software. The HDD will later be formatted for use as a data storage drive.

My problem (or question) is: How can I smoothly transfer the Windows 7 on the 750GB HDD to the 120GB SDD, without causing any major problems for any of the related hardware? Bearing in mind that the HP dm1z does not have a DVD drive and I do not plan on buying an external DVD drive.

Most of the articles and/or forum posts I’ve read so far recommend a clean install of Windows 7 on the SSD. How can that be accomplished legally, without purchasing another copy of Windows 7?

Another circulating opinion suggests shrinking of the partition containing Windows 7 and using Acronis to clone that partition on the SSD. How will it be possible to go about this approach, and how feasible will it be?

The answer to Osama’s problem is really simple; he just needs the right disk imaging program and a wire to connect the SSD to the notebook while he performs the cloning. There’s no need to reinstall Windows or any other program on the SSD as the software will copy every piece of data bit by bit to the new drive.

Before you begin, purchase an external enclosure that will let you connect your SSD to the notebook’s USB port and use it as an external drive during the copy process. You can get a SATA to USB hard enclosure like this Vantec NexStar for under $10 on sites such as NewEgg. You’ll also need to download and install cloning software on the notebook. We recommend Acronis Migrate Easy, which costs $39.99, but has a free trial version that may run long enough to do the copy for you.

We have a full tutorial with pictures and video that explains how to do the drive cloning and SSD install. Follow those instructions and you should be good to go.

If you have a question about fixing a technical problem or buying a new product, drop us a line at helpme@laptopmag.com and we’ll respond to the most interesting questions in this section.

Comments (4 Responses) 

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4 Responses to “Help Me, LAPTOP: How Do I Move Windows 7 to My New SSD?”

  1. Jake Blazsek Says:
    September 7th, 2011 at 5:33 am

    Well it was easy for me as I purchased a Kingston 128 GB V series with a cloning kit. The kit was a external case with a USB connector and software to clone the drive. I did have problems finding how to move the hard drive that came with the laptop could be moved to the 2nd bay. I even called Acer and they said it couldn’t be done with my mobo. Well i found the parts and they were Acer parts and was able to move the 750 GB hhd to the second bay. i knew it was possible as they sold the same system inn Australia with 2 drives.

  2. jon Says:
    September 13th, 2011 at 1:11 am

    To whom it may concern,

    The information in this article is rather flawed, the people recommending the clean install of Windows are offering the best advice. The reason for this is because when the data is cloned the individual bits of information will not be copied to the optimal locations on the SSD as they would be during a fresh install but rather in the same exact order as they were on the traditional, spinning-disk, hard drive.

    To reap the most performance from your expensive SSD, a fresh install is a must. You can obtain a legal copy of Windows here, you purchased the license when your purchased the laptop. If you have any trouble activating after installation, which you shouldn’t, you can call Microsoft and explain that you simply replaced the hard drive. All of the original programs/drivers should be available from the manufacturer’s website and are occasionally included on a DVD with the computer.

  3. brian089 Says:
    September 20th, 2011 at 6:26 am

    To Make it Error Free, Do A Clean Install To Avoid Conflicts that may Arise I Find Personaly This is The Best WAy

  4. Paul Ostrowski Says:
    September 20th, 2011 at 7:45 am

    If I am honest I tried this many a times, whenever I was asked to replace a hard drive and fresh install a PC I never cloned anything, I had the windows disks but I didnt purchase the serial keys, I simply used the serial key found of the genuine copy of windows sticker under the laptop… It does work people, that windows serial key is dedicated to that laptop

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