Transfer Windows 10 to a new hard drive

If you want to move Windows 10 to a new hard drive, you don't need to reinstall it. Instead, you can copy the system partition to the new hard drive. In this article, we will show you how the move works on Windows 10.

Transfer Windows 10 to new hard drive: how does the move work?

• The easiest way to transfer Windows 10 to a new hard drive is to copy the system partition.
• First, back up the current hard drive to an external drive.
• Then install the new hard drive (HDD or SSD) and connect it.
• Finally, using an installation DVD or other Windows 10 installation media, transfer Windows from the external backup to the new hard drive.

Moving Windows 10 - you need that

You need the following things to move from Windows 10:

• An external medium on which you can load the backup of the old hard disk. You can also use a second internal hard drive. The hard disk must have enough free space and be NTFS formatted. Windows, however, rejects dynamic drives.
• An installation medium for Windows 10. If you do not have a Windows 10 DVD, you can create a boot CD or a bootable USB stick with your version of Windows.
• The license code for Windows 10. If you don't have the code at hand, you can read it out with a free tool.
• A new hard drive: Note that the new hard drive must be at least as large as the old drive. If you switch from an HDD to an SSD, the new drive is usually smaller. In this case, you have to shrink the system partition beforehand.

Back up Windows 10 to an external drive

1. Open the Control Panel and click "Backup and Restore".
2. Navigate to "Set up backup".
3. Select the connected external hard drive and click "Next".
4. Select the "User selection" option and click "Next".
5. Back up all data files and the system drive (C).
6. Click Next, and then click Save Settings and Run Backup.

Change Windows system disk

Before you switch off the PC or laptop to change the hard drive, insert your Windows installation CD. If you use a USB stick, you can also insert it when it is switched off.

1. Turn off the computer and remove the power plug. With a laptop, you also remove the battery.
2. Open the PC or laptop case.
3. Install the new hard drive.

Transfer Windows 10 to new hard drive

1. Connect the external hard drive on which the backup is located to the computer.
2. Insert the USB stick with Windows 10. If you have inserted an installation CD, you can proceed to the next step.
3. Boot the computer from the installation media.
4. The Windows 10 installation process starts. Enter the product key and follow the instructions to partition the new hard drive and format it in NTFS format.
5. Before the actual installation begins, cancel the process and restart the computer from the installation medium.
6. This time select the "Repair Options". The search for a defective partition should be unsuccessful. Click on Continue".
7. In the next step, select the "Restore computer completely" option.
8. Select the backup file found from the external hard drive and confirm that Windows can overwrite the data on the target drive.
9. Wait for the port to complete. Windows will then restart. If Windows starts again from the installation medium, you have to change the boot sequence again.

In the next article, we'll show you how to make Windows 10 faster.