Transfer Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 to New Hard Drive without CD [3 FREE Ways]
Case: transfer Windows 7 to new hard drive without CD
Hi everyone, I have a hard drive with a disk read error. It has Windows 7 installed and I can't locate the installation CD anymore. I'm thinking about buying a new SSD, but the problem is I don't want to buy another Windows 7 again. Do I have an option here without having to buy a new license?
First, the answer is YES. When a hard drive goes wrong or performs poorly, you can upgrade it to a new one (like replace HDD with SSD) to boost performance.
Don't want to lose data or re-purchase a license? Try to transfer Windows 7 to new hard drive without CD and reinstalling. Usually, the license key can be used on the same computer when you transfer Windows 7 to new hard drive, even for OEM license.
How do I transfer Windows 7 to new hard drive without CD?
To implement the system migration, you can either backup & restore system image, or directly clone the system disk to a new hard drive, whether it's SSD or HDD.
Backup and Restore: It will compress all the content of a system partition or disk into an image file, and requires a storage device to store backup image temperarily and restoration before booting from it. If the computer is not bootable, you still need to create a bootable USB or CD/DVD with it.
Clone: It will keep the original structure of system partition and disk, no image file, extra device and restoration. The bootable media is required as well if the computer fails.
Well then, which one should you use? If you don't know how to choose between them, please refer to the following contents. And either way, try corresponding methods for system ( to migrate OS only) and disk.
✍If you want to transfer Windows 10 to new computer, try backup and restore method. Its Universal Restore feature is able to resolve different hardware issues between computers.
✍ If you just want to upgrade hard drive or boost computer performance, try cloning method. And the operation is much easier.
Migrate Windows 7 to new hard drive step by step
By now, you may have chosen one of these methods and jumped at the chance to try it. Please make some preparations in advance to ensure the target SSD is bootable after restoration and try the following method based on your needs.
Preparations before operating system migration
Before starting, there are a few things you should do at first:
1. Clean up the current system hard drive.
You could delete some junk files, uninstall rarely used apps to lighten your system so as to speed up the transferring. But please don't move or delete those system files you are not sure what they are.
2. Connect the target drive.
Make sure the new SSD or HDD has enough capacity for the operating system, and install it alongside your old drive. If there's only one slot on your computer, you can use a USB-to-SATA adapter to connect it.
3. Pick an efficient system migration tool.
Though Windows has a Backup and Restore utility, the steps for system migration are complicated, and it requires an installation or recovery disk to restore system image to the new hard drive. So it is more recommended to use freeware like Qiling Disk Master Standard.
It enables you to transfer Windows to new drive by restoring or cloning, and greatly simplify the operation. You can download and install it to have a try. For server users, try Qiling Disk Master Server.
Way 1: Migrate Windows 7 to new hard drive using backup and restore method
This way is to use "System Backup" and "System Restore" to indirectly migrate OS to SSD free. It is more complicated and will cost much more time than cloning methods.
Steps to backup Windows 7 and restore to new drive:
1. First, navigate to Backup section and click System Backup.
2. Choose an accessible location to backup the system partitions (auto selected), and tap Proceed to proceed to next step. Wait for a while till the backup process ends.
3. Go to Restore section and click Select Task to choose the one you just created. Choose Restore this system backup, tick Restore system to other location at the bottom and click Next.
4. Then select the connected new SSD or HDD as the destination. Confirm the operation and Proceed to migrate Windows 7 to new hard drive.
Related tips:
◆ If you want to transfer Windows 7 to another computer with dissimilar hardware (such as installing OS on new PC, physical to virtual migration etc.), you can tick Universal Restore to ensure the comptuer can boot after restoration.
◆ If you want to restore an image file to new hard drive without booting Windows, you may create recovery environment with Qiling Disk Master in advance.
Way 2: Clone disk with Windows installed to new hard drive
Disk Clone is a more intuitive way to transfer Windows 7 to new hard drive without CD and it will include everything on the disk. With it, you can directly clone a disk instead of creating backup image and then restoring. To only clones the system and boot related drive, try next method.
Steps to clone Windows 7 disk to new hard drive:
1. Switch to Tools and utilities tab on the main interface and select Disk Clone.
◆ This Standard edition only supports cloning system disk MBR to MBR. If you want to clone system disk GPT to GPT, GPT to MBR or vice versa, please upgrade to Professional edition.
◆ To check your disk is MBR or GPT, open disk properties in the disk management and scroll down to partition style, it will mark MBR or GPT.
2. Select the disk you want to clone as the Source Disk and select the new hard drive as the Destination Disk.
3. Here in Operation Summary, set up advanced settings and click Proceed to clone Windows 7 to new hard drive.
Related tips:
◆ Edit Partitions: you can specify partition sizes, labels, etc. also, you are able to convert the destination disk from MBR to GPT or vice versa. Some options are only available in advanced versions.
◆ SSD Alignment: it is suggested to check this option to improve performance when the target disk is SSD.
◆ Sector By Sector Clone: by checking this option, Qiling Disk Master will clone every sector to the target disk, no matter whether it is used or not. Do not check it when cloning larger drive to smaller drive.
Way 3: Clone only operating system to new SSD or HDD quickly
System Clone, supported by Qiling Disk Master Professional and higher editions, is literally the most direct and quick solution to clone Windows 7 to new hard drive without CD.
In the first of place, download and install the professional version of Qiling Disk Master.
(Note the Clone feature in the trail version can only be demonstrated. To clone OS to new drive and boot from it, please upgrade pro trial. And this page provides you with 10% discount.)
Steps to migrate only OS to new drive:
1. Navigate to Tools and utilities section and choose System Clone (If you haven't upgrade it to Professional version, there will be a PRO mark).
2. The system partitions will be selected directly, you just need to specify a Destination Disk and click Next.
3. Adjust some advanced settings like SSD Alignment and Sector by sector clone and then Proceed. If the target disk is larger, you will see another feature - Make full use of disk space and it is checked by default to extend unallocated space to system partition.
Related tips:
◆ If you want to transfer Windows 7 to new SSD for better performance, you could tick SSD Alignment in Step 3 to accelerate the reading and writing speed of the SSD.
◆ After cloning, the new hard drive will be overwritten. If you have some important data on it, you must do disk backup of the new hard drive in advance.
◆ The original hard drive will not be wiped out. You can use the original drive as a secondary storage or as a backup in case of a system crash.
Supplement: how to launch Windows 7 from new hard drive
In case some readers don’t know how to start Windows 7 on new drive exactly, here are 2 common used ways:
1. Shut down your PC and remove the source disk. Install the newly restored or cloned hard drive on the machine. Start up your PC. (Recommended)
2. Restart your PC and press Del (or F2, or F12) to enter BIOS. Change boot priority to the new hard drive and press F10 to save and start.
Conclusion
It’s not complicated to transfer Windows 7 to new hard drive even without CD. All you need is a large enough and accessible new hard drive, and of course, the support from a reliable tool - Qiling Disk Master.
The first 2 methods listed in this post are totally free of charge. You can achieve your goal of Windows OS migration smoothly and intuitively with the standard version. But if you prefer more advanced features in an easier process, Qiling Disk Master Professional is a smart choice. The technician or techplus edition is much convenient for users to deploy system image to multiple computers simultaneously.
For your reference, you could also clone Windows 10 to SSD or HDD for free without installation disk, and the approaches are roughly the same.
Related Articles
- How to Backup Windows 7 and Restore on Another Computer?
Learn how to backup Windows 7 and restore backup image to new hard drive in another computer with dissimilar hardware with the help of Qiling Disk Master. - Create Bootable CD/DVD/USB Based on Windows PE or Linux
What is a bootable disc? How to create bootable CD/DVD or USB drive for Windows or Linux system? Read this article to find the answer. - How to Migrate OS to Smaller SSD in Windows 10/8/7? (Secure Boot)
You will get the best software to migrate OS to SSD or HDD without reinstalling, even for smaller ones. The steps will be introduced in the following. - System Restore from BIOS in Windows 7︱Step-by-Step Guide
How to realize System Restore from BIOS in Windows 7? Whether you have an installation disc or not, you can find the corresponding solution from this page.