Find 4 Best Steps To Move Windows 10 To An SSD

Are you thinking of upgrading your hard drive to SSD or hybrid drive? If you do not want to get help from IT support companies who provide windows migration services, here is a step-by-step guide. The first step is to move your operating system including all the data on to the new drive. You can follow the process given below to clone and switch your Windows 10 to a new hard drive. Let’s see how you can do that.

Move Windows 10 To An SSD

Step 1: Do the clean-up

Before you move anything, you make ensure that you clean your system to make the transition smooth and quick. Fortunately, Windows has a proprietary cleanup tool, which you could use. Just type Disk Cleanup in the search bar and then click the respective link. It displays a list of file types, which will enable you to check the files that you wish to delete. Click Clean up system files that are near the bottom of the window. 

Step 2: Install a good migration tool

Windows 10 has no simple process of cloning and changing your operating system to a new hard drive. But, there are several apps that enable you to do that. These are basically backup programs that also include important cloning functions particularly designed for transitioning Windows 10 from a hard drive to a new SSD (or similar migrations). Here are some free options that are recommended:

  • EaseUS Todo Backup Free 11.5
  • EaseUS Partition Master Professional 13.5
  • AOMEI Backupper Standard

After you have downloaded the backup tool, you must back up your data to avoid losing it. Also, be careful to not back up your data on the hard drive which you are going to use for migration. It’s wiser to use another external hard drive or use a cloud backup service.

Step 3: Opt for a suitable destination drive

Now, connect your new hard drive to your computer. Though there are many options for the connection of a new hard drive, the most common one used by most of the people is SATA. SATA cables are typically flat, usually red in color, with the connectors that possess an L-shaped bend on one side. Now, look for a free slot on the motherboard to plug the drive and a spare power cable that is coming from your power supply and you are done. 

Now, open your selected backup application. Go to the main menu and click Migrate OS to SSD/HDD, Migrate, or Clone. This would open a new window where the program would detect all the drives that are connected to your laptop or computer and then it will ask for the destination drive. Ensure that you opt for your new SSD as the destination and also check if the destination drive has the needed room. 

Step 4: Tweak the partition sizing

The backup tool would give you options for adjusting the customize partitions. You would also get an option for deleting the partitions on the destination drive. You would need to do this if the drive was used earlier or was set up to function with a different device out of the box. In case you are not sure, it is a good idea to delete the partitions to be on the safer side.

You would also get an option to select how you need the partitions to size once they migrate over. It’s a good idea to choose the best option to optimize and fit the partitions onto the new drive. Commands such as Optimize and Resize are what you should choose. Now, the program’s cloning wizard takes over. You must now take a look at your drives, and begin the migration process. Confirm that you wish to proceed further, and the software would inform you when finished. 

After the migration, you must reboot your system, and check if everything is working properly. You could automatically restart your PC post the successful migration process and then you could either delete the backup tool that you use or keep it with you for more data management in the future. If you are not finding it easy, you could seek help from IT support companies who offer windows migration services.