Kevin Pullen Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Looking to replace existing hard drive In My Dell pc in the study, any recommendations on where to look plus do I need any special software to copy what’s in existing drive onto the SSD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamperMan Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 I bought one from Maplins, it came with software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Something like this should be suitable: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-MZ-76E500B-EU-Solid-State/dp/B078WQT6S6/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3OH4YHQWQYVAM&keywords=ssd+laptop+hard+drive&qid=1575398903&sprefix=SSD+la%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-6 What size is your current one? I assume it's alive and well? If you use a caddy like this, you should be able to clone one disc to another: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Enclosure-External-Housing-Laptop/dp/B07D2BHVBD/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=usb+ssd+caddy&qid=1575398990&smid=AXZ3JQ1GVFPIF&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExRDI4T0ZCMFRTVDA0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDIzMjU0MzlTUVJSS01EOVdQUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODQ3MjMzMTU5NTNXOEk5NUkwVCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= Some HDD cloning tools like this work well: https://www.easeus.com/ppc/disk-copy.html?gclid=CjwKCAiArJjvBRACEiwA-Wiqqz_2_Qg9xSAmBxdJfQzMO0tHzvZo6aGDSKcz-8pucwl9xNBgz4KdnBoCCWQQAvD_BwE Not sure if the free trial will allow full clone though. There's a guide here too: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamperMan Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 If its windows 10 you can create a bootable image on a flash stick. There’s options to be a bare operating system, include installed programs and with files. It’s nice to do a fresh install free from all the slowness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TableLeg Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 If you are wanting to clone the windows drive you'll need to partition the new drive to the same size. Then create a second partition for the remaining space. I'd recommend Macrium reflect (free). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Pullen Posted December 3, 2019 Author Share Posted December 3, 2019 Not sure I wasn’t to clone the current HDD as will probably want to lose some of the old crap but want to keep iTunes music I’ve uploaded onto the PC and photos etc current drive is still working hoping to do it myself No Maplins anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 If you don’t want to clone the original drive, then you don’t need any special software. TBH, starting with a fresh OS install is always a good idea but it’s going to be more work than a simple clone. New drive, fresh OS install, plug old drive in alongside new one, drag and drop the files you want to keep. In a previous life (and occasionally when they ask me to come back to work) I used Symantec Ghost for this sort of task. I set up a server based system using Ghost Solution Suite to deploy many machine images at once, which is way OTT for a single machine drive swap of course, but the core executables are the same, and although a bit cryptic, work really well. Not free though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Little (Trevturtle) - Treasurer Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 13 hours ago, Kevin Pullen - WSCC Treasurer said: Not sure I wasn’t to clone the current HDD as will probably want to lose some of the old crap but want to keep iTunes music I’ve uploaded onto the PC and photos etc current drive is still working hoping to do it myself No Maplins anymore Try Mymemory.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Pullen Posted December 4, 2019 Author Share Posted December 4, 2019 Found a decent Samsung 1TB that looks ok thanks for the heads up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01IAGSDUE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I've got 3 of these in service, the oldest being 3 years old, no problems whatsoever, awesome bits of kit Nem...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhett Turner - Black Country AO Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 Are you talking desktop or laptop, if desktop why not add a new SSD, in the region of 256Gb and then just install OS and apps on that drive then use your original disk for a data drive. It's quite good practice to separate data and OS/Apps. I've currently got 2 SSDs and 2 normal drives in my desktop SSD 1 has windows 7 and I've recently added another SDD with a clean install of win 10 I can boot into either and check/export app configurations when switching from the old Win 7 installation to the new Win 10. I've then a 2TB drive for data (pictures, videos etc) and 1TB drive for my iTunes library. I used to have a basic bootable OS on my D drive, just in case. Edit, I have had disks fail in the past including 1 SSD which is why I like to keep some separation. Also the SSDs I use are 2.5 " and are supported in a 2.5" to 3.5" converter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Pullen Posted December 6, 2019 Author Share Posted December 6, 2019 Bought a 1TB Ssd waiting for mount to turn up Was intending putting everything on the one drive, it’s a desktop that’s got windows 10 on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 If you have two drives and the O/S supports it you could RAID them so that both HDD's are direct copies of each other. I also agree with Rhett, using a new SD HDD for the O/S and apps and the old drive for storage. I have used Acronis for cloning because there is no need to have the drives match sizes, so no partitioning required if one HDD is larger than the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Pullen Posted December 13, 2019 Author Share Posted December 13, 2019 Any tips on free to use software Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryH Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 See what the manufacturer of your drive has on their website. I've had a Seagate usb drive for some time, and I downloaded some free cloning/set up software from their website. I've used it add new drives and as long as the software detects at least one Seagate drive attached to the pc it'll work on other makes of drive. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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