The answer to life, the universe and how to move an OS!


POLL: How do you "move" an OS?

  • System Image

    Votes: 15 50.0%
  • Clone

    Votes: 8 26.7%
  • Clean Install

    Votes: 7 23.3%

  • Total voters
    30
I image the old Disk 0 (which contains both System C:\ and Programs and data D:\, then boot from my Macrium rescue USB drive and Restore the recent image to the new Disk (in my case, an M2 NVMe). Then shut down, boot into the BIOS, move the new Disk to position 1, save and boot, and then, running from C:\ on the new drive, use Disk Management to wipe (and maybe partition) the old Disk 0, as it's now a data drive. I'm not sure that covers everything, but you get the gist.

Oh, it occurs to me that I've forgotten how I make the new Disk Disk 0, and the old Disk 0 Disk 2. Help would be appreciated on this. :giggle:

(If they were both just standard SSDs, I'd just physically switch them around in the case, but the new System Disk is M2, so they can't be just switched.)
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
If i change the hardware - I prefer a Clean OS install - while backing-up only the personal data/settings of given apps where that's necessary (like browser and such). Works/worked 100% all the time. As for cloning, well... 9/10 times might work just fine - while the 1 time it doesn't - it can really foodle your day-up ... like one this guys - just do a google search for:

"cloning OS gone wrong reddit"

If it's the same hardware - sure, even an OS migration is acceptable.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 SP 16 (or Windows 11 SP 2 or Sun Valley 2)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    Intel & AMD
    Memory
    SO-DIMM SK Hynix 15.8 GB Dual-Channel DDR4-2666 (2 x 8 GB) 1329MHz (19-19-19-43)
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia RTX 2060 6GB Mobile GPU (TU106M)
    Sound Card
    Onbord Realtek ALC1220
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung PM981 NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB / 1x Seagate Expansion ST1000LM035 1TB
When I moved from M.2 SATA to NVMe, I used a separately powered portable USB3 HDD (3.5 inch 7200rpm) to store an image. I do not use BitLocker. The method that I use (and that I will describe next) fails if BitLocker is enabled.

Disabled Secure Boot option in the UEFI settings, changed the boot order to boot from USB flash drive. This flash drive had already been formatted with Ventoy, and also had a copy of the official Windows 11 installation ISO file from Microsoft already stored on it (that is, a copy of the actual ISO file itself, not the unpacked contents of the ISO file). No Rufus or anything like that. But nowadays I also keep a copy of my WinRE.wim file stored on it, so that I can just use this addon to boot straight into that, because it boots a wee bit faster than the Windows 11 installation ISO does. This is just so I can still open an elevated command prompt (by pressing Shift + F10) and run diskpart, bcdedit, etc. whenever I need to. On this same flash drive, this file:
When I create an image of my Windows partition, if there's enough free space on the SSD, normally I just pick a destination folder that is located on the same SSD as my Windows partition─the 'OS drive'. The image creation goes a lot faster this way (compared to using the portable HDD anway). Unlike with Macrium Reflect, it really doesn't even matter if this destination folder is located on the actual C: partition itself.

And no futzing around with moving the user profile and/or all personal files to a separate partition. Instead, I just pick the files/folders to be excluded from image. Those had already been backed up on external storage with FastCopy. It takes literally five seconds to choose the exclusions. It's so much easier than cake.

While the image of my Windows partition is being created, I tick the Verify image checkbox. Once the image file of my Windows partition has been created (and verification went successful), normally I change the UEFI settings back, and I boot back into Windows before I copy the image file onto external storage with FastCopy. But my laptop only has a single M.2 socket so, because the goal was to replace the old 512GB M.2 SATA SSD with a new NVMe SSD, I used an external storage device to transfer my image this time.

To make Windows recognize the new NVMe drive and be able to boot from it, I opened the elevated command prompt so that I could then copy the boot files from the Windows folder onto the EFI partition, booted Windows into Safe Mode to let it detect NVMe, and finally my Windows 11 could boot normally again. Installed Sam(e)sung Magician, ran the firmware update. Danced around in circles, and called it a day.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
@hdmi

Wow!! Thanks for giving me that food for thought. I’m developing quite a flowchart for what should be a fairly simple project. The help I’ve gotten here has been amazing. I’m facing this hardware-plus-software operation with confidence today.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i7-9700 @ 3.00GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GBDDR4 @ 2666MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG E2442
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB NVMe SSD, 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    250GB NVMe SSD (OS and programs), 1 x WD_BLACK SN770
    500GB NVMe SSD (Data)
    Case
    Lenovo SFF
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome, sometimes Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium & Defender (working together beautifully!)
  • Operating System
    11 Pro 23H2 22631.3374
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkCentre M920S SFF
    CPU
    i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 3132
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 @ 2600MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD 630 Graphics onboard
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG FULL HD (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 970 EVO PLUS NVMe; 1 x Samsung 980 NVMe SSD
    Case
    Lenovo Think Centre SFF
    Mouse
    LogiTech M510 wireless
    Keyboard
    Cherry Stream TKL JK-8600US-2 Wired
    Internet Speed
    Fast (for fixed wireless!)
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium and MS Defender, beautiful together
I just restored an image that was a clean install 2 months ago and I always just update the programs installed or remove anything no longer needed with Revo Uninstaller Pro then manually delete leftovers from the OS and registry then make a new current image with the changes called "Fresh Install". I then restore this newly created image to the new drive or the current drive as it has no accumulated browsing history or use.

The image was restored to a unformatted Samsung 980 Series - 500GB PCIe Gen3. X4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2 Internal SSD with Macrium Home using a Ventoy USB, The only thing I had to change was to use the "shrink or extend to fill the target disk" option in Macrium to fit the new disk. The new Samsung 980 500 GB replaced a generic 512GB PCIe® 3.0 NVMe™ M.2 SSD that came with the Laptop.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x 2 + Insider Dev
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    My first abomination, I call it the Money Pit One
    CPU
    Intel Core i9 12900K @ 4.5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO
    Memory
    2 x Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB (4x16GB Total) DDR5-6200 CL36 Dual Channel Kit
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 ULTRA GAMING 10GB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 with ESS® ES9018Q2C DAC for pinpoint positioning and dynamics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung JS7000 50" SUHD TV or Samsung 27" FHD 60Hz 8ms GTG VA LED Smart Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @ 150 DPI
    Hard Drives
    2 x Samsung 980 Series - 250GB PCIe Gen3. X4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2 Internal SSD (Windows 11 Pro Dual boot)
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i 80+ Platinum Modular Power Supply 1000W
    Case
    Phanteks Enthoo Luxe Tempered Glass Full Tower Case - Black
    Cooling
    CORSAIR iCUE H150i RGB Elite 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Perixx PERIBOARD-732B Wireless Mini Backlit USB Keyboard with Low Profile Keys - US Layout
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1000 Mbps
    Browser
    Latest Version Of Firefox & Microsoft Edge Chromium Stable
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
    Other Info
    LG Electronics 14x Sata Blu-ray Disk Rewriter - WH14NS4O
    6x2 HDMI Switcher (6 inputs, 2 outputs) so I can send the output of my Cable Box, Roku, or any of my 4 computers to either my TV or Monitor separately or simultaneously.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro x 2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    My second abomination, I call it the Money Pit Two
    CPU
    Intel Core i9 12900K @ 4.5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI
    Memory
    2 x Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5 6400MHz CL32 Dual Channel Kit (4x16GB Total) Black
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 Ti OC Edition 8 GB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 with ESS® ES9018Q2C DAC for pinpoint positioning and dynamics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3-inch, FHD anti-glare display Refresh Rate:144Hz or Samsung JS7000 50" SUHD TV or Samsung 27" FHD 60Hz 8ms GTG VA LED Smart Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @ 150 DPI
    Hard Drives
    2 x Samsung 980 Series - 250GB PCIe Gen3. X4 NVMe 1.4 - M.2 Internal SSD (Windows 11 Pro Dual boot)
    PSU
    Corsair AX860 - 860W Modular Power Supply
    Case
    Phanteks Enthoo Pro Tempered Glass Full Tower Case - Black
    Cooling
    CORSAIR iCUE H150i RGB Elite 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse
    Keyboard
    Perixx PERIBOARD-326 Wired Mini Backlit USB Keyboard with Low Profile Keys - US Layout
    Internet Speed
    1000 Mbps
    Browser
    Latest Version Of Firefox & EDGE Chromium Stable
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
    Other Info
    LG Electronics 14x Sata Blu-ray Disk Rewriter - WH14NS4O
    6x2 HDMI Switcher (6 inputs, 2 outputs) so I can send the output of my Cable Box, Roku, or any of my 4 computers to either my TV or Monitor separately or simultaneously.

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