Huggins36

Hello everybody---I'd like to ask for some help. I just had a Samsung 850 SSD installed. I need to download Win 10 pro from my computer to the SSD. Can any one help in this matter? Thank you

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

You need to either reinstall Windows or Clone from your old drive to the new SSD. If the old drive is useable you can mount it in a use external case and boot from it. There are programs that will allow to clone drives, search the net.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Macrium Reflect or Acronis are two cloning SW aps that are very well regarded and you can get a 30 day free trial of each, clone your existing drive to your new SSD and then decide if you want to invest in them long term for backup. BUT, depending on the age of your computer/motherboard and BIOS, you may not be able to boot from your SSD.

First, install the SSD. If your MB has a m.2 slot, use that. If it doesn’t and has a vacant PCIe slot, you’ll need an PCIe to NVME m.2 adapter card. They are inexpensive ($10-15). Make sure it supports your PCIe revision and put it in your fastest PCIe slot (more lanes are faster). Then boot your computer, go into disk management and format your new drive. In a Windows machine, which I’m assuming, format it with the NTFS file system. After that the drive should be usable. If you are computer literate enough, reboot, get into the BIOS, go into the boot menu and see if your newly installed drive shows up as an option to boot from. If so, using one of the above aps, clone the C: drive. If you are unsure of the process, look up any of the many Utube videos on Macrium or Acronis. After a successful clone, unplug the old drive, reboot, go into the BIOS boot menu and select the new drive to boot from. Then continue. If Windows boots successfully, go back to device manager and look at the drive letter for the new drive - hopefully, it will be C:. That’s important because all your existing aps path will point to the C: drive. If you encounter issues, return, mentioning the model of the computer and MB, and we’ll try to help. If any of this sounds daunting or unrecognizable, then get some professional help to do the migration.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

I cloned my old drive to a new computer, a Dell 8900. This was a few years ago. The only problem I had was Windows 10 didn’t recognize my original registration. I called Microsoft and they straightened the problem out. I think I had to download a new copy of Windows 10 Pro. A couple of other programs also
Had to be re-registered.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Good point. I should have mentioned to download a free copy of Belarc and let it run an audit on your system. It will record every ap and the registration number, including Windows.

Ourspolair

You say you had the SSD drive installed. Did they leave the old drive on the machine? If so, you should just clone the old drive to the SSD using one of the suggested programs. Then reboot. Hit f2 (usually) during boot-up [the instructions usually appear on boot-up which will tell you which function key to use to get into the BIOS]. Once in the BIOS, change your boot-up preference to the new drive. Then check that everything is running properly, after which it is up to you what you want to do with the old drive. Be aware that in many cases you will not be able to boot from a Windows drive connected through USB without changing the boot options in BIOS.

Lonnie77 Loc: Kennedale, Texas

It is better to install Windows than Clone it. I know it's a PITA to install all the software but Windows will recognize the hardware and chose the best Drivers.

wireloose

The Samsung magician software is free and easy to use. Normally I pick up an external adapter from Amazon- most types are around $10 depending on your interface- if it’s nvme be careful to get the right one- then clone the drive from the computer. Swap them, the old one is now a full backup and the new one is larger/faster. https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools/. If you are doing a fresh install download to a usb and then boot to the usb, it will install, Win10 should recognize the computer so it does not ask for any registration info.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I agree a clean install of Windows is a good way to clean up old unused aps and files and other bloat, but since the MB and peripherals are unchanged except the SSD, the drivers should be fine as long as they’re up to date. There are many aps such as CCleaner that regularly check for driver updates, or you can do it from control panel. The are not that many (video card and MB chipset which typically supports networking, USB and sound and disk controller). If you only have a couple of aps, it’s fairly quick, but if you have accumulated many and still use them, it can be a major PIA to completely restructure an old machine and customize the user interface.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Samsung has a program that lets you copy your old drive onto your Samsung SSD. I always do this before I install the SSD, but it should work the other way around. You'll need a cable or box to connect your old drive to your computer.

"Samsung Data Migration" https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/consumer/