F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop I constructed a computer a few weeks back and noticed Windows was set up on my HDD instead of the SSD!

I constructed a computer a few weeks back and noticed Windows was set up on my HDD instead of the SSD!

I constructed a computer a few weeks back and noticed Windows was set up on my HDD instead of the SSD!

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NooLele
Posting Freak
847
09-29-2021, 03:41 AM
#1
Hello, your new computer is running smoothly and delivering great performance. It’s great you’ve chosen a reliable hard drive and Windows 11. You noticed the HDD is still listed in the file manager while the SSD appears normally—this is common. To switch the SSD as the boot drive without wiping everything, you can use the built-in BIOS settings or the Windows Recovery Environment to change the boot order. Simply restart your PC, enter recovery mode (usually by pressing F2, F12, or Del during boot), and adjust the boot sequence so the SSD is first. This way, you keep your data safe while updating the boot configuration.
N
NooLele
09-29-2021, 03:41 AM #1

Hello, your new computer is running smoothly and delivering great performance. It’s great you’ve chosen a reliable hard drive and Windows 11. You noticed the HDD is still listed in the file manager while the SSD appears normally—this is common. To switch the SSD as the boot drive without wiping everything, you can use the built-in BIOS settings or the Windows Recovery Environment to change the boot order. Simply restart your PC, enter recovery mode (usually by pressing F2, F12, or Del during boot), and adjust the boot sequence so the SSD is first. This way, you keep your data safe while updating the boot configuration.

J
jonioni11
Member
55
09-29-2021, 06:02 AM
#2
Your SSD capacity is substantial, and you've already allocated a significant amount of space there. It might be simpler to transfer everything to the SSD, though cloning to the HDD could work if the usage is under the SSD's limit.
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jonioni11
09-29-2021, 06:02 AM #2

Your SSD capacity is substantial, and you've already allocated a significant amount of space there. It might be simpler to transfer everything to the SSD, though cloning to the HDD could work if the usage is under the SSD's limit.

A
aylabollen
Junior Member
4
09-29-2021, 11:19 AM
#3
SSD seems unformatted, so use Diskpart and reinstall Windows completely—unless you’re okay with cloning the HDD.
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aylabollen
09-29-2021, 11:19 AM #3

SSD seems unformatted, so use Diskpart and reinstall Windows completely—unless you’re okay with cloning the HDD.

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budginglime6
Member
122
10-01-2021, 08:09 AM
#4
I was impressed to discover Clonezilla functioned flawlessly. I typically avoid cloning but thought it might cause issues. The process involved transferring data from a SATA SSD to an NVMe SSD.
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budginglime6
10-01-2021, 08:09 AM #4

I was impressed to discover Clonezilla functioned flawlessly. I typically avoid cloning but thought it might cause issues. The process involved transferring data from a SATA SSD to an NVMe SSD.

M
Mind_YT
Member
70
10-01-2021, 01:11 PM
#5
Be mindful that the warranty appears quite limited. It seems to be a basic promise rather than a strong commitment. Most enterprise hard drives come with a 5-year warranty, while consumer models typically offer just 3 years. It’s unclear if they’re making any assurances about used units running for at least a decade, since even manufacturers don’t back that claim. You’re likely holding a 10TB drive—there’s one Exos X18 10TB model available now on their site: https://serverpartdeals.com/products/sea...hard-drive. The listing clearly states the warranty terms: new drives get 5 years, recertified units 2 years, and refurbished ones 90 days. That’s the only guarantee they’re legally required to provide.
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Mind_YT
10-01-2021, 01:11 PM #5

Be mindful that the warranty appears quite limited. It seems to be a basic promise rather than a strong commitment. Most enterprise hard drives come with a 5-year warranty, while consumer models typically offer just 3 years. It’s unclear if they’re making any assurances about used units running for at least a decade, since even manufacturers don’t back that claim. You’re likely holding a 10TB drive—there’s one Exos X18 10TB model available now on their site: https://serverpartdeals.com/products/sea...hard-drive. The listing clearly states the warranty terms: new drives get 5 years, recertified units 2 years, and refurbished ones 90 days. That’s the only guarantee they’re legally required to provide.

T
Thifleno
Member
206
10-01-2021, 02:59 PM
#6
There are several apps that can do OS migration, which clones the OS drive to another, and it let you customize partition size, put the new OS drive as boot and so on. Here's a youtube vid. I used DiskGenius to clone a Win 11 that was installed on a 4tb HDD to a 2tb nvme SSD. Worked perfect. Just remember to have the target drive using GPT partition style, not MBR. Also on the new OS drive remember to reconfigure System restore points if you're using that.
T
Thifleno
10-01-2021, 02:59 PM #6

There are several apps that can do OS migration, which clones the OS drive to another, and it let you customize partition size, put the new OS drive as boot and so on. Here's a youtube vid. I used DiskGenius to clone a Win 11 that was installed on a 4tb HDD to a 2tb nvme SSD. Worked perfect. Just remember to have the target drive using GPT partition style, not MBR. Also on the new OS drive remember to reconfigure System restore points if you're using that.

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bear7001
Senior Member
448
10-03-2021, 05:59 AM
#7
The process involves DRIVE cloning rather than OS migration. As far as I understand, there isn't a straightforward method to transfer only the operating system. If you installed games on the hard drive, you can keep them and point Steam to them. Just remember, if you reinstall Windows, you should remove the hard drive so Windows doesn't install files onto it. This is necessary because, in my experience, you can't delete the drive without causing issues—Windows won't boot properly if it does.
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bear7001
10-03-2021, 05:59 AM #7

The process involves DRIVE cloning rather than OS migration. As far as I understand, there isn't a straightforward method to transfer only the operating system. If you installed games on the hard drive, you can keep them and point Steam to them. Just remember, if you reinstall Windows, you should remove the hard drive so Windows doesn't install files onto it. This is necessary because, in my experience, you can't delete the drive without causing issues—Windows won't boot properly if it does.