I want to install my OS onto my SSD

dexter

I recently paid someone to install an SSD into my computer for me and at the same time to install my OS onto it. Unfortunately he did not use my Windows 7 64bit CD correctly (I only have a student copy) and so my key in invalid and I'm constantly getting notices about having a counterfeit install.

I want to format my computer and install my OS onto my SSD and just keep my HD as storage. I've tried to find guides online but they're all quite different and while I can follow instructions well I'm not very tech savvy. Can any of you guys recommend any reliable guides or give me any advice?

Is it as easy as installing windows to my SSD and just ignoring the HD in the process and keep it as storage?

Tofystedeth

The easiest way is copy any data you want to keep over to the HD if you haven't already. Then, disconnect your HD or disable in BIOS. This will prevent the Windows installer from doing anything janky like installing the OS on the SSD as you request, but putting boot loader on HD. Run your install, get it all up and going, reconnect your HD.

Kharnastus

It's way easier than you are making it. insert bootable disk in disk drive. When computer boots hold down the key that it displays to get to the BIOS. it is most likely del, or one of the f1-12 keys. After the BIOS shows up, select the boot menu or boot order or something like that. It differs from BIOS to BIOS. You will see a list of bootable devices such as SSD, HDD, and your DVD drive. select the DVD drive and follow the windows prompts once it boots into the windows disc. The SSD and HDD will be listed by their model numbers so look those up so you can tell the difference. A quick shortcut would be to know the capacity difference in between the drives. Windows upon booting will ask where to install, select your SSD. wait. I would youtube a windows installation guide to hold your hand if you have not done this before. This is assuming you have another device to watch the video on while you install windows.
I don't think windows shows the option to put the boot partition on a different drive by default, so no worries there.

Kharnastus

Oh, and it might be even easier. Figure out which drive your OS install is currently on. If it is the SSD you should be able to type in your windows authentication key and authenticate again. problem solved. assuming this guy who installed it put it on the right disk.

DoctorArch

There is one potential issue that you need to decide now: where you want your user folder. This is where windows stores everything on the desktop, all your downloads, photos, etc. by default. If you have a smaller SSD, the user folder alone can potentially take up all of it. That said, there are two ways to have your user folder on another hard drive. The easy way (using symlinks but could lead to issues) and the hard way (registry trick/custom install which defaults all user folders to a specified drive and after installation should never cause any problems).

dexter

Yes, my SSD is only 128 gig, how do I put my user folder onto my HD? I've used the registry before, if I have instructions I should be fine.

Jebus314

dexter wrote: »

Yes, my SSD is only 128 gig, how do I put my user folder onto my HD? I've used the registry before, if I have instructions I should be fine.

You can do it the registry way, but you can also go to each folder inside the user folder, select properties, go to the location tab, and change the location to wherever you want it. It's somewhat tedious but it works well. Otherwise just google the registry location for the location setting for the user folders.

Also just as a heads up, if you have show hidden folders or what not turned on there are a bunch of sym links and stuff that windows had to put in for backwards compatibility when it updated the user folder. So for example there's probably a link that looks like a folder called my documents or something that says access denied when you click on it. It's just a link, so nothing actually goes in there, and changing the location setting will automatically forward whatever tries to access that folder to the correct location.

As for the appdata folder I've had mixed success. Changing the location setting tab works like shit for the appdata folder. Lots of programs will just not give a fuck and load into the one on the ssd anyway (or even manually create one and then load to it if it's not already there), and manually moving shit around tends to lead to programs not understanding where the appdata folder is. Personally I just leave it alone and consider it part of the program folder just in a different location. I've heard tell of some magical registry setting that will whole-scale move your user folders to another drive, but nothing I tried seemed to work.

dexter

Can I do all of the registry stuff after I'm installed the OS or do I need to do it at a particular time?

TNTrooper

128 gigs is big enough to leave your users folder on the SSD if you don't want to mess around with registry files. For reference my 128 SSD after installing Windows 7, my programs and a couple games I am down to 60 gigs in free space.

mts

Win 7 and the essential programs is roughly about 20 to 25 gigs

dexter

Cool, thanks you guys! I'm going to do it now... wish me luck.

Tofystedeth

Kharnastus wrote: »

It's way easier than you are making it. insert bootable disk in disk drive. When computer boots hold down the key that it displays to get to the BIOS. it is most likely del, or one of the f1-12 keys. After the BIOS shows up, select the boot menu or boot order or something like that. It differs from BIOS to BIOS. You will see a list of bootable devices such as SSD, HDD, and your DVD drive. select the DVD drive and follow the windows prompts once it boots into the windows disc. The SSD and HDD will be listed by their model numbers so look those up so you can tell the difference. A quick shortcut would be to know the capacity difference in between the drives. Windows upon booting will ask where to install, select your SSD. wait. I would youtube a windows installation guide to hold your hand if you have not done this before. This is assuming you have another device to watch the video on while you install windows.
I don't think windows shows the option to put the boot partition on a different drive by default, so no worries there.

No, it doesn't show an option for it. It will just sometimes do it on it's own. Something to do with the order the drives show up in BIOS or something.

Iceman.USAF

mts wrote: »

Win 7 and the essential programs is roughly about 20 to 25 gigs

If you remove the page and hibernation files, you save a good bit. Something for OP to consider.

Tofystedeth

Hiberfile sure. Removing the pagefile isn't worth the space savings. Just move a lesser played game to your HDD or something if you're that short on space.

nexuscrawler

The User folder thing on Win7 isn't a big deal. You can always just add new folders to the libraries later and they can be where ever yu want