How to Migrate Only OS to SSD Without Boot Issue in Windows 10/8/7?
"Can I move only my OS to an SSD?"
"Hello, everyone. Recently I obtained a new 2TB SSD and I would like to migrate my operating system into it from my old HDD, so that I can boot from it more quickly than from HDD. But I am wondering is it possible to migrate only OS to SSD with a successful boot. Thanks in advance!"
Compared with traditional mechanical hard disk drives, solid-state drives are much faster in reading and writing data. Besides, they are also much quieter and more durable. So it makes sense to migrate OS (Windows 10, 8, 7) from HDD to SSD drive if you don't want to buy another new machine. In one word, migrating OS to SSD can make your machine runs faster, quieter, and more efficient than before. It is one of the most straightforward ways to speed up Windows computer.
Software to migrate only OS to SSD for Windows 10/8/7
But how to transfer OS to an SSD drive can seem a quite complex task for even the most tech-savvy. What if something goes wrong during the OS migration? How can you make sure the Windows operating system and all your files can work in exactly the same way as they did before?
Therefore, in order to move OS to SSD and successfully boot from it, you had better using a cloning tool. That can transfer everything on the system partition onto the new SSD drive. In such a way, anything crucial for OS boot will not be missed out so that you can boot the computer from cloned SSD afterward.
For this cloning task, Qiling Disk Master Professional is a great choice. It can migrate only Windows 10, 8, 7 partition or entire system hard disk to SSD drive by cloning the partition or hard disk. More importantly, you can make a 4K alignment on the destination SSD drive during the migration process to optimize SSD performance.
5 Steps to migrate only OS from HDD to SSD drive
Now, you can download the Professional demo version to try to transfer OS to solid-state drive in Windows 10/8/7.
Before continue, please note:
√Transfer personal data (pictures, music, videos), or move Apps from system drive to another location if you don't want to move them to SSD.
√ Backup system: When the OS migration goes wrong caused by some unexpected issues like power failure, SSD connection getting loose and so on, you can restore the system easily.
√Make sure the destination SSD has an unallocated space that is equal or larger than the used space of the OS partition. If your SSD does not have a large capacity, you can shrink system drive to make it as "small" as possible to fit your SSD.
√Ensure your motherboard supports UEFI boot mode if you are planning to transfer OS to a GPT SSD since you'll need to change Legacy BIOS to UEFI after migration. If it doesn't support, you can first convert SSD to MBR instead via a free GPT to MBR converter.
Step 1. Install and run Qiling Disk Master Professional on Windows computer. Choose "Tools" > "System Clone".
Step 2. Select an unallocated space on the destination SSD and click "Next".
Step 3. In this window, you can resize the partition just being created on the SSD drive if necessary. Then, click "Next".
Step 4. Back to the main interface, click "Proceed" on the top right corner to commit the operation.
Step 5. A note about how to boot OS from SSD or HDD will appear. You can read it and click "OK".
Now, your system drive is moved onto the SSD via the cloning method. To boot computer from destination disk, you need to take some extra steps:
Step 1. Restart your computer, long press "F2" key (perhaps other keys like DEL, F12) and access to the BIOS setup.
Step 2. Change the boot order and set the cloned SSD as the first boot drive in BIOS.
Step 3. Save changes and exit the BIOS environment. Now you should boot the computer from the SSD successfully.
Then, you can run Windows from a faster drive while retaining the large hard drive for data storage. If you want to sell the old hard disk to others, you can wipe all sensitive data from it completely via a hard drive eraser.
Final Words
Compared with only migrating Windows installation files to SSD, migrating only OS partition to SSD via Qiling Disk Master Professional is more reliable and secures in consideration of boot success. Besides, its "Disk Clone Wizard" can help clone the whole OS hard disk to another disk with a smooth boot. If you want to clone Windows Server to SSD, you can try Qiling Disk Master Server.
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