SSD drives are becoming more and more popular. This is due to an increase in their reliability, a decrease in cost and an improvement in the characteristics that they possess. Therefore, it is great for installing the operating system. But in order not to reinstall it again, you can transfer Windows 10 from HDD to SSD, keeping all the data.

Why transfer?

If you decide to use an SSD as a drive for storing data (photos, video or audio files), this is a moot point, since these devices have a limited overwrite limit. Heavy use will wear it out very quickly, unlike the HDD that has served me well for over 10 years and is still in excellent condition. But it has a SATA II connection interface, a small buffer size and a low response time. Therefore, it was decided to purchase an SSD to transfer Windows 10 to it.

SSD drives are great for OS installation because they have the following advantages:

• high read/write speed;
• silent operation;
• low heat dissipation.

In addition, Windows is "static files" that do not require constant overwriting, but only reading. Therefore, if you install the OS on a solid state drive, it will speed up its work at times and at the same time the resource of the device itself will be used very slowly.

Another reason why I decided to install an SSD in my PC was participation in the insider program.

Microsoft releases a new build for Fast Ring about once a week. It took about 1-1.5 hours to install it on an old HDD. If we add to this the Windows startup time - about 1.5-2 minutes, it becomes clear that the decision has long been suggested by itself.

Choosing an SSD

Details on how to choose an SSD drive for a computer are described in the article "". In my case, three parameters were priority:

• the number of rewrite cycles to failure;
• memory type;
• manufacturer.

In terms of capacity, if you're only going to use the SSD for installing Windows 10, look for models 120GB or larger.

Why you should not buy 64 GB drives?

There are several reasons.

1. For stable and normal operation of an SSD disk, up to 20% of the free space of the total volume must remain on it. If you use a 64 GB model (in fact, its volume will be slightly less - 58-60 GB), only 40-45 GB will be available for active use. Microsoft's recommendation for free disk space for Windows 10 is 16 GB for 32-bit and 20 GB for 64-bit. And this is already half of the indicated space.
2. After installing a new build or updating Windows 10, a copy of the old OS remains on the system disk, which is used during recovery. This is an additional 15-20 GB.
3. An ordinary user, in addition to a browser and audio and video players, uses various programs and utilities. To install them, you also need a lot of space (for me it is about 8 GB). For a gamer or person involved in video processing, you will need even more free space on the system drive.

Therefore, in modern conditions, the minimum amount of SSD-drive that is used in the device to install the OS is 120 GB.

Connection and setup

The migration process will be shown using the example of a solid state drive.

1. Turn off the computer → unplug it from the mains by unplugging it from the socket → press and hold the power button on the PC for 4 seconds (this will completely turn off the power to the device).
2. Open the case and install the SSD. In the new cases, there are bays for installing SSDs in the 2.5-inch form factor. Older models do not have them, so you can use a special adapter frame.
   
3. Connect power and SATA cable to the SSD → close the case.
4. Turn on the computer → enter the BIOS → set the SSD drive mode to AHCI → save the changes and start Windows 10.
   
5. RMB on the Start menu → Disk Management.
   

   Important! The table at the bottom of the window displays the connected SSD. It will be marked in black and labeled "Unallocated".

   
   
6. RMB on SSD → Create Simple Volume → Next.
   
7. Set the maximum size of a simple volume → Next.
   
8. Select a volume letter → Next.
   
9. Set the radio button to "Format this volume as follows" → leave all default values ​​→ Next → Finish.
   

After that, Explorer will display a new drive under the letter that you set in the settings.

Migrate Windows 10 to SSD

To transfer Windows 10 to a solid state drive, a program was used that has a large set of functions. The choice fell on her due to the fact that a key for free activation was supplied with the SSD. The program is paid, so it's not for everyone.

There are other programs (paid and free) that can be used to transfer (clone/copy) a Windows partition to another drive:

• Seagate DiscWizard (works if a drive from Seagate is installed in the device);
• Samsung Data Migration (designed to work with Samsung SSDs);
• Macrium Reflect is a free program for cloning an entire disk or its individual parts, which has an English interface;
• Paragon Drive Copy is a paid program that has wide functionality.

The interface of all programs is different, but the algorithm of operation is the same: they transfer data from one disk to another while maintaining all the settings. You do not need to study the instructions for their work - everything is done so that the user intuitively understands what he is doing.

1. Launch Acronis True Image → Tools → Clone Disk.
   
2. Select cloning mode: automatic or manual.
   

   Good to know! In order not to worry that you will do something wrong, select the "automatic" mode and the program itself will transfer all data from one disk to another. In this case, the SSD drive must be no less than the amount of data stored on the HDD. To configure the migration settings, select the manual setting.

   I chose the "manual" clone mode to transfer only the OS.
   

3. Specify the source disk from which the data will be cloned.
   
4. Specify the disk to transfer information.
   
5. Exclude files that do not need to be cloned to the SSD. To transfer only the disk with the OS, check the boxes on the files on the remaining disks to exclude.
   
   

   Important! The process of counting information can take a long time (about 15-20 minutes).

6. Change the disk structure if necessary. In my case, it was left unchanged.
   
7. View all inputs → Proceed.
   

After completing the preliminary operations, the program will ask you to restart your computer. Then, instead of starting the OS, the Acronis True Image program window will open, which will display the cloning process. Wait for the operation to complete and then the computer will turn off.

Choosing a Primary Disk in the BIOS

OS setup after migration

For more information on how to set up an SSD drive after installation on a computer, see the article "". In general, you need to check the following parameters:

• whether the TRIM function is enabled;
• whether disk defragmentation is disabled (it is not needed due to the nature of solid state drives);
• whether file indexing is disabled.

As for the hibernation file, many advise disabling it in order to reduce the amount of information written to the SSD drive in order to extend its “life”. I did not turn it off, because I often use this mode at work. But you can do as you see fit.

Please note that due to the settings that I specified during cloning, disks will be created on the SSD, as it was on the HDD. You can merge them in the Disk Management utility.

1. RMB on the Start menu → Disk Management → select the SSD drive.
2. RMB on an empty disk on a solid state drive → Format.
   
3. RMB on this disk → Delete volume → Yes.
   
4. RMB on this disk → Delete partition → Yes.
   

Delete Windows 10 files located on the HDD by formatting the drive. This will eliminate confusion in the future and free up space for storing files.

Results

Parameter	Before	After
Windows 10 boot time	1.5-2 minutes	17-20 seconds
Windows 10 update time	1-1.5 hours	20-30 minutes
Response time of programs/applications	low (3-15 seconds)	high (1-5 seconds)
Data copying speed (within a single drive)	50 Mb/s	300 Mbps

In addition, in the Winaero WEI tool, which calculates OS performance (similar to how the system score is determined in Windows 7), the Primary Hard Drive indicator increased from 5.6 to 7.95. (how else to determine the performance of the OS, you can in the article "Determining and increasing the performance of a Windows 10 computer "Pleasant" surprises

The warranty period of Kingston HyperX Savage 120GB is 3 years with a total number of written bytes of 113 TB. The volume is large enough. BUT!

Much more information is written to disk every day than you might think. This is service information, wear leveling algorithms. Thanks to them, the same blocks of SSD memory are not constantly overwritten. Periodically, unused (or infrequently used) files are migrated to areas of the drive that are actively used. The free space that appeared after the reallocation is used after that to record new information. This is a cyclical process that happens all the time.

As a result, in the worst case, 1 GB of useful data accounts for 1.5 GB of recorded information. Plus the data cache in browsers and other information. As a result, on average, about 15 GB of information is recorded daily on the SSD. But even with such indicators, the resource of a solid-state drive will last for about 15-18 years.

For people who actively write/erase data, this figure will be much less. But even in this case, the relevance of the purchased SSD model will disappear faster than it fails. So stop believing in the myth that SSDs are unreliable! In modern conditions, they are the best choice for installing Windows 10.

When launched, the wizard detects all existing Windows operating systems. Then you determine which OS you want to migrate. The wizard automatically selects one or two partitions (for Windows 7 and above, Microsoft System, special hidden partitions containing critical boot files can be reserved) and prompts you to select a target drive. If the selected drive has enough space to store the operating system, it starts the migration. Otherwise, you can ask to exclude the data by unchecking the boxes next to unnecessary files or folders. When the correct size of the selected data is obtained, the migration starts.

Auto leveling

Unaligned partitions greatly increase the volume of reads and writes. This results in reduced HDD/SSD performance and shortened SSD lifespan. Migrate OS automatically aligns the partitions on the destination drive, so you can start using the migrated OS immediately and not worry about alignment issues.

Migrating OS from HDD to SSD or HDD with the same size

An intuitive wizard moves your Windows system to another drive with minimal effort. After migration, the user must configure the target disk as the first boot device in the BIOS, which automatically starts the new system.

Replacing a conventional hard drive with an SSD can significantly improve the comfort of work and provide reliable data storage. That is why many users are trying to replace the HDD with a solid state drive. However, after replacing the drive, you need to somehow transfer your operating system along with installed programs.

On the one hand, you can install everything again and then there will be no problems with the transition to a new disk. But what if the old one has about a dozen programs, and the OS itself is already configured for comfortable work? This is the question we will answer in our article.

So, you have purchased a brand new SSD and now you need to somehow transfer the OS itself with all the settings and installed programs. Luckily, we don't have to invent anything. Software developers (as well as the developers of the Windows operating system) have already taken care of everything.

Thus, we have two ways, either use a third-party utility, or standard Windows tools.

Before proceeding to the instructions, we want to draw your attention to the fact that the disk on which you will transfer your operating system must be no smaller than the one on which it is installed.

Method 1: Transfer OS to SSD using AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition

First, let's take a closer look at how to transfer the operating system using a third-party utility. Currently, there are many different utilities that allow you to implement an easy way to transfer the OS. For example, we took the AOMEI Partition Assistant application. This tool is free and has a Russian interface.

1. Among the large number of functions, the application has a very convenient and simple wizard for transferring the operating system to another disk, which we will use in our example. The wizard we need is located on the left panel in the section " Masters", to call it, click on the command" OS Migration SSD or HDD».



2. Before us appeared a window with a small description, after reading the information, click on the button " Further' and move on to the next step.



3. Here the wizard prompts you to select the disk where the OS will be transferred. Please note that the drive must not be partitioned, that is, it must not contain partitions and a file system, otherwise you will get an empty list at this step.

   So, as soon as the target disk is selected, press the button " Further' and move on.



4. The next step is to partition the drive to which the operating system is transferred. Here you can resize the partition if necessary, but remember that the partition must be at least as large as the one the OS is on. Also, if necessary, you can specify a letter for the new partition.

   Once all the parameters have been set, proceed to the next step by clicking the " Further».



5. Here the wizard offers us to complete the setup of the AOMEI Partition Assistant application for system migration to SSD. But before that, you can read a small warning. It says that after a reboot, in some cases, the OS may not boot. And if you encounter a similar problem, then you need to disconnect the old disk or connect a new one to the place of the old one, and the old one to the place of the new one. To confirm all actions, press the button " End” and complete the wizard.



6. Next, in order for the migration process to begin, you must click the " Apply».



7. Partition Assistant will display a window with a list of pending operations, where we just have to click the " Go».



8. This will be followed by another warning, where, by clicking on the button " Yes”, we confirm all our actions. After that, the computer will restart and the process of transferring the operating system to the SSD will begin. The duration of this process will depend on a number of factors, including the amount of data transferred, the speed of the HDD and the power of the computer.

After the migration, the computer will restart again and now all that remains is to format the HDD to remove the OS and the old bootloader.

Method 2: Transferring the OS to an SSD using standard Windows tools

Another way to move to a new disk is to use standard operating system tools. However, you can use it if you have Windows 7 or higher installed on your computer. Otherwise, you will have to use third-party utilities.

Let's take a closer look at this method using Windows 7 as an example.

In principle, the process of transferring the OS by regular means is not complicated and takes place in three stages:

• creating a system image;
• creating a boot drive;
• unpacking the image to a new disk.

1. So let's get started. In order to create an OS image, you need to use the Windows tool " ". To do this, go to the menu " Start and open the Control Panel.



2. Next, click on the link " Archiving computer data"And you can proceed to create a backup copy of Windows. In the window " Backing up or restoring files"There are two commands we need, now we will use the creation of an image of the system, for this we click on the appropriate link.



3. Here we need to select the drive on which the OS image will be written. It can be either a disk partition or a DVD. However, it is worth remembering that Windows 7, even without installed programs, takes up a lot of space. Therefore, if you decide to burn a copy of the system to DVD, you may need more than one disc.



4. After selecting the location where you want to save the image, click " Further' and move on to the next step.

   Now the wizard prompts us to select the partitions to be included in the backup. Since we are only transferring the OS, there is no need to choose anything, the system has already included all the necessary disks for us. So we press " Further and move on to the final step.



5. Now you need to confirm the selected archiving options. To do this, press " Archive



6. After the copy of the OS is created, Windows will offer to create a boot drive.



7. You can also create a drive using the command " Create System Recovery Disc" in the window " Backup or restore».



8. In the first step, the boot disk creation wizard will prompt you to select a drive in which a blank drive should already be installed for recording.



Attention! If your work machine does not have writable drives, you will not be able to burn the recovery optical drive.

9. If there is a data disk in the drive, the system will offer to clear it. If you are using a DVD-RW for burning, then you can clean it, otherwise you need to insert a blank one.



10. To do this, go to My computer» and right-click on the drive. Now select " Erase this drive».



11. Now we return to creating a drive for recovery, select the desired drive, click on the button " Create disk” and wait for the end of the process. Upon completion, we will see the following window:



this indicates that the disk was successfully created.

So, let's summarize a little. At this point, we already have an image with the operating system and a boot drive for recovery, which means we can move on to the third, final stage.

12. We restart the computer and go to the boot device selection menu.

This can usually be done by pressing the F11 key, but there may be other options. As a rule, the function keys are painted on the BIOS (or UEFI) start screen, which is displayed when the computer is turned on.



13. Next, the OS recovery environment will be loaded. At the first stage, for convenience, select the Russian language and press the button " Next».



This will then search for installed systems.



14. Since we are restoring the OS from a pre-prepared image, we move the switch to the second position and click " Further».



15. At this stage, the system itself will offer us a suitable image for recovery, therefore, without changing anything, click " Further».



16. You can now set additional options if needed. To go to the last step, press the button " Further».



17. At the last stage, we will display brief information about the image. Now you can proceed directly to unpacking to disk, for this we press the button " Further” and wait for the end of the process.

At the end of the process, the system will automatically reboot and on this the process of transferring Windows to the SSD can be considered completed.

Today we looked at two ways to migrate from HDD to SSD, each of which is good in its own way. Having familiarized yourself with both, you can now choose the one that is more suitable for you in order to quickly and without data loss transfer the OS to a new disk.

Until recently, the so-called hard drive or hdd hard drive was the only option for the ROM of any computer or laptop. However, most PC and laptop users today have already heard of solid state drives and many have opted for them. Despite the fact that the more familiar hdd has its advantages, more and more often, when choosing a permanent storage device, the scales are leaning towards the ssd, which appeared on the market in 2009 and immediately established itself as faster and more reliable than its predecessor. What is the difference between ssd and hdd and in what cases should one or another disk be preferred?

Differences between ssd and hdd

Both the traditional hdd and the more modern ssd are used to store information that always remains in the computer, including after it is completely turned off (unlike RAM). The fundamental difference between these two devices is the way data is stored: in hdd, information is stored due to the magnetization of certain sections of it, in ssd it is written to a special type of memory, presented in the form of chips.

Outwardly, hdd looks like several magnetically coated disks, information from which is read by means of a moving head. Data placed on such a disk can be read at a speed of 60–100 Mbit per second, the disk itself rotates at a speed of 5–7 thousand revolutions per minute (you can imagine the operation of hdd by looking at a vinyl record player). Disadvantages of hdd are known to any user:

• noisy during operation. Noise is caused by electric motors and spinning discs;
• low speed of reading information due to the fact that it takes some time to position the head;
• susceptibility to mechanical damage.

Both the traditional hdd and the more modern ssd serve as permanent storage

The ssd device is fundamentally different from hdd: to be precise, there are no disks in the ssd disk at all, as well as other rotating and moving elements. Solid State Drive is a set of chips placed on a single board. An ssd works like a flash drive, but many times faster: information is written and read from such a device at a speed of 600 Mbps (with a SATA connection interface) to 1 GB (with an ePCI interface) per second. Obviously, such a disk is preferable to users who care about the speed of the processes taking place in the computer.

In addition to high performance, ssds do not make noise during operation and are less prone to mechanical damage. At the same time, they are able to store less information and are more expensive than hdd. Thus, a computer with ssd works faster, with hdd it stores more data: given this, you can choose the most appropriate type of drive for yourself.

Advantages of moving OS to ssd

Transferring Windows 10 to ssd allows, as a rule, to make the OS more “responsive” to any user actions. The use of ssd to store media files is controversial due to the limited overwriting limit of such devices. In this case, it is more expedient to use hdd, which can serve the owner for a long time if its resource is used correctly. Windows components are static files that are not constantly overwritten, but only read, so working with the OS when transferred to ssd will speed up several times, and the device resource is consumed extremely slowly. The configuration of modern PCs provides for a mixed scheme of disk interaction, which eliminates the problems associated with limiting overwrites: while the operating system runs on ssd, and media file libraries are stored on hdd.

Video: features of moving the OS to ssd

Transfer Windows 10 from hdd to ssd

You can transfer Windows 10 from hdd to ssd using the capabilities of the OS itself or using third-party software.

Windows 10 Tools

Despite the fact that Microsoft did not provide its users with special cloning tools, certain features of Windows 10 allow you to transfer the OS from hdd to ssd. This will require you to do:

• media preparation;
• intermediate cloning;
• transfer to ssd.

The ssd drives placed inside the PC are not formatted (unlike those connected via USB), and therefore they are identified by the computer, but are not reflected in the OS. To make all drives formatted and visible:

1. Mount the drive in the computer. After turning on, the OS recognizes only the system partition C.
   Initially, the computer sees only partition C
2. By pressing Win + X to call the user menu. Pressing Win + X should bring up the user menu
3. Click "Disk Management".
4. In the management manager that opens, select the partition table - MBR for 32bit systems and GPT for 64bit. Pressing Win + X should bring up the user menu
5. Click "Disk Management".
6. In the management manager that opens, select the partition table - MBR for 32bit systems and GPT for 64bit.
   In the management manager that opens, select the partition table - MBR for 32bit systems and GPT for 64bit
7. Call the context menu in the unallocated area and click "Create a simple volume".
   Next, call the context menu in the unallocated area and click "Create a simple volume"
8. Follow the prompts in the Create Simple Volume Wizard that opens.
9. Of all the pop-up windows, changes can only be made when setting the volume label.
   Of all the pop-ups, changes can only be made when setting the volume label
10. At the last step, the wizard will display the parameters of the created volume.
    At the last step, the wizard will display the parameters of the created volume

All the same should be repeated with ssd, giving it a different name.

With the help of third-party programs

Among the programs that have the most favorable user reviews:

• Acronis WD Edition, which is a convenient tool for cloning drives, as well as creating backup copies of OS and applications. The program allows you to configure the required data and delete unnecessary information. The user of the program will be able to restore the OS if any files or folders are accidentally deleted, or if there are problems with access to information due to errors. The program is free, to use it you need:
  
• . This program differs from the previous one only in that it is designed for Seagate drives (the Acronis WD Edition program is for Western Digital drives);
  Seagate DW is designed to work with Seagate drives
• Samsung DM. If the ssd is manufactured by Samsung, then this program is suitable for transferring Windows 10 to it, which works through the installation wizard and can perform a full or selective data transfer;
  Samsung Data Migration is designed to work with Samsung drives
• Minitool P.W. This program is considered to be one of the best solutions when choosing a way to transfer the OS from hdd to ssd. MiniTool Partition Wizard Free features a convenient, intuitive interface, multifunctionality, support for all types of hard drives recognized by Windows;
  MiniTool Partition Wizard Free features a convenient, intuitive interface, multifunctionality, support for all types of hard drives recognized by Windows
• - a program designed to create and restore an image of a disk or its partitions.
  Macrium Reflect is a program designed to create and restore an image of a disk or its partitions

Setting up Windows 10 after moving to ssd

You can ensure the optimal operating mode of the OS on an ssd drive using a number of settings that are performed after transferring windows 10 to a solid state drive.

Checking the parameters of the new drive

Before proceeding with the settings (or optimization), you should check whether the following are enabled:

• ACHI SATA mode;
• TRIM support on Windows.

To perform these checks, you will need to enter the BIOS and verify that the drive is running in ACHI. You can open the BIOS in Windows 10:

• restarting the PC while holding down the Shift button;
• while turning on the PC, pressing and holding the F2 button in this position.

Once in the BIOS, you should find the SATA Configuration line, click on it and select the desired mode. If it turns out that the ATA mode is activated, it is necessary to make the appropriate switches.

To perform the checks, you will need to enter the BIOS and make sure that the drive works in ACHI

In this case, the system may refuse to boot due to the lack of necessary drivers. You can solve this problem by installing the drivers first or by reinstalling Windows. In addition, in older computers, ACHI mode may not be provided at all: in this case, you need to update the BIOS.

You can make sure that ACHI is present in the system using the device manager (which can be found in the Start menu): if there is a device among the IDE ATA / ATAPI controllers that has SATA ACHI in the name, nothing else should be done.

If there is a device among the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers that has SATA ACHI in the name, nothing more needs to be done

Why do you need ACHI mode? To ensure correct operation of TRIM ssd drive. What is TRIM? This is a special ATA interface command used to transfer data to ssd about those blocks that are no longer required and can be overwritten. Using TRIM allows you to speed up the work of the disk and ensure a uniform consumption of the resource of its memory cells.

You can find out if TRIM is supported by the operating system using the command line, running it as an administrator, you need to enter the fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify command. If it turns out that DisableDeleteNotify=0, then everything is in order and you can continue to work. If instead of 0 there is 1, this means that TRIM is disabled.

To enable TRIM, enter the command fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0

Disabling features

To optimize the performance of a newly installed Windows 10, it is advisable to disable some of the functions that were used on the hdd drive.

Indexing

You can find the indexing service by successively clicking on the control panel icon, the "Administration" section, the "Services" subsection. When a window opens with a list of local services, right-click on Windows Search.

You can find the indexing service by successively clicking on the control panel icon, the "Administration" section, the "Services" subsection

After that, the "Properties" window will open, in which you must select the type of entry "Disabled" and click the "Stop" button.

In the "Properties" window, you must select the type of entry "Disabled" and click the "Stop" button

Such a function as file indexing is relevant when working on hdd, because in this case it allows you to speed up the OS. Given that ssd is already fast enough, and multiple overwrites can harm the disk, indexing can be sacrificed without sacrificing performance. To do this, you need to uncheck the box with the permission to index files in the properties of the local disk. You can open the local disk properties window by clicking "This PC", right-clicking on one of the disks and selecting "Properties".

To disable indexing, in the properties of the local disk, uncheck the box with permission to index files

defragmentation

If the OS is installed on a regular hard drive, then by defragmenting you can organize the location of files and, as a result, speed up the system. The solid state drive provides the same access time to all files and works confidently without defragmentation. Defragmentation settings can be performed by going to "This PC", right-clicking on one of the drives, selecting "Properties" and going to the "Tools" tab, in which you should click the "Optimize" button.

Defragmentation settings can be configured by going to "This PC", right-clicking on one of the drives, selecting "Properties" and going to the "Tools" tab
To disable defragmentation, you need to go to the optimization options, click "Change settings" and uncheck "Run on schedule"

Search Service

The search service is designed to create indexes of files to help find them faster. The average user rarely needs this feature, so you can safely turn it off. One way to get to the search services settings can be to open the dialog box by pressing Win+R and entering the services.msc command.

To access the search service settings, press Win + R and enter the services.msc command

In the window that opens, select Windows Search and double-click, after which the properties will open, in which you should select the startup type "Disabled" and click "Apply".

The search service can be disabled by successive navigation: Control Panel → System and Security → Administrative Tools → Services → RMB on the Windows Search service → Properties → Startup type → Disable

hibernation

After turning off the PC, the image of the working OS is saved using hibernation on the internal drive, which subsequently speeds up Windows startup. When working on ssd, hibernation can be disabled, because the download speed in this case is already high, and frequent overwriting can reduce the life of the disk. You can disable this feature with the command powercfg –h off entered at the command line.

You can open Command Prompt as an administrator by right-clicking on the Start menu. Then type powercfg –h off and press Enter.

You can open Command Prompt as administrator by right-clicking on the Start menu, then typing powercfg –h off and pressing Enter

Prefetch SuperFetch

If you have frequently used software installed on your computer, Prefetch helps you launch it faster, and SuperFetch determines which program is preparing to run. OS on ssd can work successfully without these options. To disable these options, you must:

Formatting an old drive

Turning on the computer after transferring the OS to ssd, the user will see a window prompting you to select a boot. After cloning the OS on ssd, it remains on the old disk and is used, as a rule, as a storage for various kinds of files. It is not recommended to remove Windows 10 from the hard drive immediately after the transfer to ssd is completed. It would be correct to first check the operation of the OS on a new disk so that there is an opportunity to return to the previous state of the computer in case of any problems.

After that, you will need to change the settings of the system bootloader. A built-in component called the boot manager allows the computer to determine which system to start - copied or original. If it turns out that the OS on ssd is working correctly, the old version can be uninstalled from the hard drive. For this you need:

You can delete the OS from the hdd with the delete ID command.

Migrate AppData

AppData is a hidden subdirectory of the Users system folder by default. It stores files that, according to the intention of Microsoft developers, should not be of particular interest to the user. However, if AppData is transferred to an ssd drive, you should take into account that after a certain time the size of this folder may grow so much that there will be a shortage of free disk space. You can get rid of unnecessary files using a tool such as CCleaner.

Transferring AppData to another drive is completely problematic, because the "Location" tab is not provided in the properties of this folder. But this tab has the Local, Roaming and LocalLow folders located inside AppData. Therefore, you need to transfer the contents of the AppData folder to the required disk in one of the following ways:

• making changes to the registry;
• using OS explorer tools.

If you transfer in the first way, you must:

To transfer using Windows 10, you need to do the following:

• in the required location, create the AppData folder and the Local, Roaming and LocalLow folders in it;
• select Roaming in the existing AppData folder and open its properties;
• in the "Location" tab of the next window, click "Move";
• in the newly created Roaming folder, open the "Location" tab and click "Move" and "Apply";
• confirm the intention to transfer files;
• do the same for the Local and LocalLow folders.

Those of the PC users who already use ssd will confirm that their computer or laptop now starts up much faster, it has become much more convenient to work with programs due to the fact that access to all files is opened simultaneously. Supporters of the traditional hdd may say that a quick start is not the most important requirement for a PC, because it turns on 1-2 times a day, and not everyone needs speed when working with a large number of programs. In addition, for some, factors such as the cost and volume of ssd may be significant, according to which the solid state drive is still losing to the hard drive. Nevertheless, the advantages of ssd drives are much greater and, above all, these are their reliability, efficiency, noiselessness and speed.

Reading time: 8 minutes

Before the new year, I decided to upgrade my computer and replace the hard drive with a newfangled ssd drive. Its advantages and disadvantages (where without them) are already well known to everyone, so there is no need to paint them once again.

Until that day, I had not had the practice of using ssd drives, so I wanted not only to increase the speed of the computer's disk subsystem, but also to try how burdensome it would be for a simple user to move from a regular hard drive.

The first thing to choose was the most optimal way to transfer the entire operating system (in my case, Windows 7) along with all the drivers, settings and other software goodness from one disk to another.

After a little googling, it became clear that there are several migration methods. I liked the option from the company "Paragon" she has already taken care of users who wished to move to an ssd drive and created a program called - Paragon Migrate OS to SSD.

Paragon has a good reputation for making quality software, so I decided to use their data transfer software. Looking ahead, I will say that the chosen method fully met all my expectations.

The second question is the choice of the disk itself and its volume. Here I just asked my friend for advice and he pointed out several models that, in his opinion, are the best solution.

In the nearest store, a Corsair Force 3 SSD 120 was available, which was purchased.
Since there was no space in the system unit for another disk, I connected the ssd disk via a usb cable using a special adapter to copy data.

So, everything is connected and ready to transfer data. For copying, as I said, I used the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD program. After starting, a wizard opens, following the instructions of which everything can be easily transferred.

Be sure to read the explanations that the program issues in the process.
The first step is to analyze the equipment.

After the completion of which, the partition on which the operating system is installed will be determined.


At this stage, you need to select the ssd disk to which the copy will be made.
In the next window of the wizard, if necessary, you can select only those folders that you want to copy, excluding unnecessary ones in order to save space on the new disk.


By clicking on the inscription - Please select folders to copy- a window for selecting folders and files will open


I did not exclude anything, since the capacity of the new ssd disk was enough for me. It also makes sense to activate the item - Use all available space for the OS partition, unless of course you are going to make additional partitions on this disk.

After we have decided whether all the folders will be copied and whether we will give the entire disk to the system, press the button - Copy and wait for the end of the process.

When copying is completed, a message will be displayed with the result and further recommendations.


Everything, the data is copied, it remains only to replace the regular hard drive with an ssd drive and boot from it.

After starting the computer, the operating system loaded, all files, folders, programs and drivers were in their places. Moving to ssd was a success, but I think it is necessary to clarify some features related to the operation of ssd drives.

It is recommended to use AHCI mode for the SATA controller. Therefore, you need to check whether this mode is enabled or not:
In the "Start" menu, open the "Control Panel".
In the "View" tab, turn on the display mode "Small icons".
Launch "Device Manager".
In the "Device Manager" look for the branch "IDE ATA / ATAPI controllers", open it and look at the AHCI controllers.
If the AHCI controller is listed, then the system is running in AHCI. mode
If there is no AHCI controller, then the system is started without AHCI support


AHCI mode is recommended to be enabled. How to do this with an already installed operating system is described in detail and well in the Microsoft technical support knowledge base article, which I recommend reading in order to avoid problems when enabling AHCI mode.

It is also necessary to check if the TRIM mode is enabled (details about the TRIM command). It allows you to ensure fast operation of the ssd disk for a long time.

In order to check whether the TRIM command is enabled or not, you need to enter the following query on the command line (run as administrator):

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify