HDD to SSD & Windows...
Discussion
I have a 6 year old Asus laptop, it was nothing special when it was new, a 4th Gen i5, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, but I have noticed how slow it has recently become (interestingly at around the same time as Windows 11 was released... it is driving the conspiracy theorist in the back of my head nuts... 
).
I just use it for some browsing so it does the job, but I am thinking of an SSD upgrade (this is where I need some advice).
).I just use it for some browsing so it does the job, but I am thinking of an SSD upgrade (this is where I need some advice).
- Unless I am wrong, the SSD will physically just slot into the existing HDD area.
- How, do I get a fresh copy of windows 10, I don't have a Windows 10 DVD etc, and don't have product Key or similar for Windows 10 (or do I just need to create a USB start-up disk).
- Should I install a new copy of windows 10, or should I clone the existing one?
- It was originally Windows 8 (around the switch over to Win 10), I upgraded it to Windows 10 as soon as I brought it home (as it offered and was free).
- It currently has a 1TB HD, but to be honest I don't think it has ever had more than Windows + 4 or 5 GB of other stuff so I am guessing a 240GB or 120 GB will be plenty (anything else I should think about here)?
- The battery is practically dead, and as per the above spec, Windows 11 has said no
so a new laptop will be on the horizon when I get annoyed enough to part with £500... but I thought a SSD might get me another year or so out of it.
GrizzlyBear said:
I have a 6 year old Asus laptop, it was nothing special when it was new, a 4th Gen i5, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, but I have noticed how slow it has recently become (interestingly at around the same time as Windows 11 was released... it is driving the conspiracy theorist in the back of my head nuts... ).
I just use it for some browsing so it does the job, but I am thinking of an SSD upgrade (this is where I need some advice).
Fresh installation is always better than a cloned version.).I just use it for some browsing so it does the job, but I am thinking of an SSD upgrade (this is where I need some advice).
- Unless I am wrong, the SSD will physically just slot into the existing HDD area.
- How, do I get a fresh copy of windows 10, I don't have a Windows 10 DVD etc, and don't have product Key or similar for Windows 10 (or do I just need to create a USB start-up disk).
- Should I install a new copy of windows 10, or should I clone the existing one?
- It was originally Windows 8 (around the switch over to Win 10), I upgraded it to Windows 10 as soon as I brought it home (as it offered and was free).
- It currently has a 1TB HD, but to be honest I don't think it has ever had more than Windows + 4 or 5 GB of other stuff so I am guessing a 240GB or 120 GB will be plenty (anything else I should think about here)?
- The battery is practically dead, and as per the above spec, Windows 11 has said no so a new laptop will be on the horizon when I get annoyed enough to part with £500... but I thought a SSD might get me another year or so out of it.
Ssd I would advise 240GB at least just in case, ssd is always better than HDD no matter what.
Check for Samsung EVO 850 or similar if you have the money
Yes your ssd goes into Hdd slot unless your machine has a different slot like m2.
You can just create windows 10 install usb as link above my comment and boot from usb
Ps there are tricks to run windows 11 , I run windows 11 on an old surface pro 1 which isn’t supported either
Thanks everyone, thinking about it... if I mess it up, I can just stick the HDD back in if I mess up the SSD installation, so I may as well do it for the £60 or so it will cost, as I wanted to get my hand back into this, I haven't built a PC in over 20 years!!!
I will try a fresh install of Windows 10, I was more worried it would ask me for proof of a windows licence, with previous laptops I always had a CD/DVD with the corresponding key code, obviously this is no longer done.
I was looking at a Samsung 860 or 870 but I would rather not spend that much on an old laptop, so will be looking for something cheaper (yes, I am tight
)
Spent 30 mins on youtube, and now I want to fit a new battery, more memory, a SSD. So will my sensible hat on it will be the SSD and then new laptop in a year or three...(I can always buy a caddy for the SSD when the laptop dies).
I will try a fresh install of Windows 10, I was more worried it would ask me for proof of a windows licence, with previous laptops I always had a CD/DVD with the corresponding key code, obviously this is no longer done.
I was looking at a Samsung 860 or 870 but I would rather not spend that much on an old laptop, so will be looking for something cheaper (yes, I am tight
)Spent 30 mins on youtube, and now I want to fit a new battery, more memory, a SSD. So will my sensible hat on it will be the SSD and then new laptop in a year or three...(I can always buy a caddy for the SSD when the laptop dies).
hersh said:
Win 10/11 has a system reset that basically installs a fresh copy, you have the option to keep your existing docs etc
But it will not over-write potentially dodgy drivers/system files that appear 'more recent' than what it's trying to install...so a erase and re-install from a USB install disc is the only way to ensure you get back to a good starting point....and reinstalling your apps will probably clean up any of the crap that years of in place updaters have added.
Sounds like wasted effort and money to me for a 6 year old machine. SSD, RAM and a new battery? What would that cost? £150? Why not just invest that into a new laptop?
I did a SSD and RAM upgrade for an 8 year old laptop and regretted it. Once they get past a certain age, everything on them, from port selection, internal bus speeds, driver availability all become problems. The manufacturer stopped supporting the laptop and never released drivers for Windows 10, so I couldn’t get that to run reliably. It would BSOD twice a day, so I ended up sticking with Windows 7 with until I retired it.
Anyway, I ended up purchasing a new one within a year. It is significantly better in all respects. It runs noticeably cooler and faster. Modern features like Windows Hello biometrics has made the laptop a lot more convenient and phone like. Having manufacturers support for drivers and other updates, knowing vulnerabilities are patched also makes me feel better since I use it for internet banking.
Thinking about the whole package, I think it would be better save the upgrade cash and to forward the investment into a new machine today, rather than in a years time. If you want to run Windows 11 going forwards, as it sounds like you do, you will be buying a laptop developed with that OS in mind, TPM2 module in place, bios and drivers, all fully tested.
I did a SSD and RAM upgrade for an 8 year old laptop and regretted it. Once they get past a certain age, everything on them, from port selection, internal bus speeds, driver availability all become problems. The manufacturer stopped supporting the laptop and never released drivers for Windows 10, so I couldn’t get that to run reliably. It would BSOD twice a day, so I ended up sticking with Windows 7 with until I retired it.
Anyway, I ended up purchasing a new one within a year. It is significantly better in all respects. It runs noticeably cooler and faster. Modern features like Windows Hello biometrics has made the laptop a lot more convenient and phone like. Having manufacturers support for drivers and other updates, knowing vulnerabilities are patched also makes me feel better since I use it for internet banking.
Thinking about the whole package, I think it would be better save the upgrade cash and to forward the investment into a new machine today, rather than in a years time. If you want to run Windows 11 going forwards, as it sounds like you do, you will be buying a laptop developed with that OS in mind, TPM2 module in place, bios and drivers, all fully tested.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 26th December 21:42
wyson said:
Sounds like wasted effort and money to me for a 6 year old machine. I would get rid of it and buy a new one.
I did this upgrade for an 8 year old laptop and regretted it. Once they get past a certain age, everything on them, from port selection, internal bus speeds are all out of date.
Tell me you don't know what you're talking about without telling me you don't know what you're talking about.I did this upgrade for an 8 year old laptop and regretted it. Once they get past a certain age, everything on them, from port selection, internal bus speeds are all out of date.
OP - an SSD with a fresh install of the OS will easily breathe enough life into that machine to keep it suitable for your needs, and it's the work of an afternoon at most. It's the best bang for buck upgrade you can make by a long shot.
I have a HP all in one PC that’s about 4 years old. Never worked right from new. Reset several times and would run ok for a month and then start to slow down until it was unusable. Windows performance monitor always showed the disc on 100% utilisation constantly with no apps open. This was using a fresh install of win 10 will all bloatware removed too.
I ditched the 1tb mechanical drive and put a 240SSD in and windows 10 flies now. It’s been like a new a PC since. Windows monitor now shows the CPU as the bottle neck but it’s still quick. Best £45 I’ve spent.
I ditched the 1tb mechanical drive and put a 240SSD in and windows 10 flies now. It’s been like a new a PC since. Windows monitor now shows the CPU as the bottle neck but it’s still quick. Best £45 I’ve spent.
Edited by stargazer30 on Sunday 26th December 21:12
I’d agree with the SSD upgrade if your laptop had a 8th gen CPU or newer. And yes you will see performance on your current laptop improve a lot with a SSD, but its so far behind the curve now. Seeing processors improve about 20% with each generation, the 12th gen CPU’s coming online now will be magnitudes faster than your 4th gen.
Sometimes you see those modified bangers on the street, the wheels are probably worth as much as the car, the hifi probably more, why would anyone do this and for an average car like a Corsa or Fiesta to boot? Yes I'm sure the lowering springs and low profile tyres DO improve the handling over the original items but once things reach a certain point…
Sometimes you see those modified bangers on the street, the wheels are probably worth as much as the car, the hifi probably more, why would anyone do this and for an average car like a Corsa or Fiesta to boot? Yes I'm sure the lowering springs and low profile tyres DO improve the handling over the original items but once things reach a certain point…
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 27th December 08:34
I'm.no expert but just thought I'd share my own experience as a relative novice doing the same procedure.
I have a 5 year old lenovo laptop running Windows 10 with I think 4gb Ram and had a standard HDD. The laptop was getting unbearably slow.
After doing a bit of research and watching YouTube I decided to get an SSD, I bought a Samsung SDD from Amazon and got some cloning software.
I cloned my HDD while it was still in the laptop using an appropriate cable to connect my SSD via USB, took maybe an hour to do that.
I then opened up my laptop removed the HDD and fitted the SSD in its place and fired it up and amazed myself it worked perfectly first time.
The hardest part was opening rhe laptop without damaging it, I have put a scratch in the keyboard but I'll live with that. I cant recommend it enough though, my laptop now is faster than when I got it new.
I'm not a heavy user but for my needs I'd say it cost me less than £80 to do it and saved me buying a new computer.
I have a 5 year old lenovo laptop running Windows 10 with I think 4gb Ram and had a standard HDD. The laptop was getting unbearably slow.
After doing a bit of research and watching YouTube I decided to get an SSD, I bought a Samsung SDD from Amazon and got some cloning software.
I cloned my HDD while it was still in the laptop using an appropriate cable to connect my SSD via USB, took maybe an hour to do that.
I then opened up my laptop removed the HDD and fitted the SSD in its place and fired it up and amazed myself it worked perfectly first time.
The hardest part was opening rhe laptop without damaging it, I have put a scratch in the keyboard but I'll live with that. I cant recommend it enough though, my laptop now is faster than when I got it new.
I'm not a heavy user but for my needs I'd say it cost me less than £80 to do it and saved me buying a new computer.
The SSD upgrade is probably the best value for money upgrade you can make. Probably a new battery also if you need portability. These would be cheaper upgrades.
I have a 5 year old Dell XPS that has heavy daily use and I have changed the battery to give it a few more years. Doesn’t run Windows 11 but that’s fine by me for now.
Would running a Linux distro be an option? That would also speed up your computer quite a bit.
I have a 5 year old Dell XPS that has heavy daily use and I have changed the battery to give it a few more years. Doesn’t run Windows 11 but that’s fine by me for now.
Would running a Linux distro be an option? That would also speed up your computer quite a bit.
Grayedout said:
Slightly off-topic, but does this require a massive download from MS, or does it create the installation media based on the files I already have on the PC? I'm on limited monthly bandwidth, hence my reluctance to just click it and find out.HDD to SSD is probably the best bang for your buck upgrade to make to older machines.
For fun I did it to my 11 year old laptop (i3 380M CPU and 4gb RAM) and it's turned it from (essentially) a brick to a machine perfectly capable of web browsing and producing word and excel documents. I've gifted it to my parents whose all-in-one machine had become unresponsive.
Following the success of that, I was tasked with doing the same with said all-in-one. Again, It's turned an old machine into one that is perfectly useable, probably or the next 2 or 3 years.
For fun I did it to my 11 year old laptop (i3 380M CPU and 4gb RAM) and it's turned it from (essentially) a brick to a machine perfectly capable of web browsing and producing word and excel documents. I've gifted it to my parents whose all-in-one machine had become unresponsive.
Following the success of that, I was tasked with doing the same with said all-in-one. Again, It's turned an old machine into one that is perfectly useable, probably or the next 2 or 3 years.
CrgT16 said:
Would running a Linux distro be an option? That would also speed up your computer quite a bit.
This is well worth considering. My main personal laptop is a 2012 Dell which I’ve upgraded with a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM, running Debian Linux. it runs great and I haven’t found anything I *really* need Windows for, I can even run Visual Studio Code and MS Teams on it. If Debian doesn’t work for you, try something like Ubuntu or Mint.CrgT16 said:
The SSD upgrade is probably the best value for money upgrade you can make. Probably a new battery also if you need portability. These would be cheaper upgrades.
I have a 5 year old Dell XPS that has heavy daily use and I have changed the battery to give it a few more years. Doesn’t run Windows 11 but that’s fine by me for now.
Would running a Linux distro be an option? That would also speed up your computer quite a bit.
Linux is awful to daily drive despite what many people will sayI have a 5 year old Dell XPS that has heavy daily use and I have changed the battery to give it a few more years. Doesn’t run Windows 11 but that’s fine by me for now.
Would running a Linux distro be an option? That would also speed up your computer quite a bit.
Certainly for your average home user who has only ever used Windows, Linux is an awful idea, of course, many Devs and "IT geeks" love it, but this was my industry for 25 years, you don't offer Linux to someone who doesn't even know how to re-install Windows, that is a recipe for disaster
Even their best Distros can have problems running basic tasks and are not as easy to do as Windows no matter which way you spin it - Modern day Win 10/11 is not slow by any means and the limiting factor here is going to be the 50-60mbs read /.write speed not the OS
He wants to browse the web easily and maybe write a few documents not spend 45 minutes googling why his Copy / Paste doesn't work between apps.
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