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Clone To SSD and Shortcut links

If I create an Clone to an SSD drive and use it as the boot drive.  How are the shortcut links on the desktop and elsewhere resolved?  Or am I missing a beat here?  Does it then pass back the request to Drive C:?


Thanks for your help.  Regards to everyone.


Comments

  • edited February 2016

    Normally you physically remove the old HDD holding the OS and replace it with the new SSD, with the cloned OS. This SSD wil show the same drives as the old HDD, so there must be no problem with shortcuts. But do I understand you correctly that you want to hold the old HDD in your PC? In that case you can format that drive and use it as datadisk with letter D: or X: or something.

  • Yes, the way you explain it is if I correctly understand it, is that the  "NEW" SSD Usb drive now becomes the master boot drive C:  and the old C: HDD drive can be utilised and reformatted as a HDD Data disk.  The new drive will have resolved all the shortcuts resources and load up sequences as per the original C: settings.  Am I right in this assumption?


    Thanks and regards GF



  • edited February 2016

    Yes. 

    First clone the HDD to SSD. Or at least clone the system partition(s).

    Remove HDD out of the PC en install the SSD at the same place as the old HDD.

    Now your PC should boot from the SSD. Everthing is the same but 3x or 4x faster.

    If that all works you can install the HDD as a second disk and format it to become a datadisk. Or leave it on a shelf as a backup.

  • The original HDD drive C: is in my laptop and I do not have the skill to remove it and install the new USB SSD drive.  Can't I just leave everything as is and hang the New SSD drive from the USB port? and then continue to format the HDD drive.

  • edited February 2016

    I don't think you can boot Windows from the SSD when it is connected by USB. It should be in your laptop. When connected via USB you can only use the SSD as datadisk.

    Normally it's very easy to remove the HDD out of a laptop. You should have tested that before buying a SSD. Look at some youtube video's that show you how. Maybe there is even a video about your model laptop. Search for that in Youtube: <your model> remove HDD.


    Or did you buy an external usb-ssd drive in a case? You probably can't remove the SSD out of that case. If so, you can only use that as a datadisk. You should have bought a 2,5 inch SSD disk without a case/usb cable. One of the same dimensions and same connectors as the old HDD. If your laptop has IDE/PATA instead of SATA better forget it.



  • Well, I did it.  Sorry for not getting back to you straight away but I had to wait until I had shopped for the SSD drive and cables etc. to arrive and then dive in and follow JohnnyBoyGo's tips.  All went so well that within 5 hours I had cloned the HDD to the SSD, swapped out the HDD for the SSD, slipped the old HDD into its newly purchased case and with the correct connector to its USB connector fired up the laptop and formatted the HDD as a data drive.  Simples. 

  • edited February 2016

    Thank you for reporting back. I am glad everything worked well. Good luck.


    I just thought of something else: Big chance that it is possible to place the HDD and the SSD inside your laptop. OK, you got place for 1 disk. But if you can remove the DVD drive, you can install a HDD caddy in its place. A HDD caddy has the same dimensions (there are a couple different ones) as a DVD drive but can hold a HDD (or SSD).

  • That's worth a look at.  Now I'm feeling more confident, perhaps I might give it a try.  But first I'll research the possibility.


    Thanks...

  • Sorry for the late reply.

    Thanks Johnny.

    gfrance ,Is all that ok now?

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