Transfer from SSD to new drive isn't working properly.
Transfer from SSD to new drive isn't working properly.
He built a fresh work PC and kept the old SSD for its contents. When using it as a boot device, Windows fails to recognize it, yet the system still shows Windows. When connected to the original machine, everything functions normally. This suggests a possible compatibility or boot configuration issue.
Lots of motherboards reject operating systems that existed on another PC, to prevent a driver conflict. It's irritating, but there's no workaround to make a motherboard boot to a disk it flat out refuses too, if the disk doesn't show in the boot menu you can't make it. If your friend needs that data, the only move is to copy it to another drive and then install windows fresh for the new PC.
They can retain the old storage as a backup, set up Windows on a fresh drive or PC, and then transfer or copy the necessary files from the old drive. It may not function perfectly with every program, but any data should remain accessible. An external enclosure for the backup drive would be ideal. This approach avoids purchasing an additional drive and simplifies the process. I frequently do this myself, but I clone my drives, so I only need to mount the backup and read or copy whatever I require. Even with compressed backups from cloning software, it should work reliably across different drives.
Consider creating a backup using the available method, such as cloning. In this situation it's referred to as "cloning." You should avoid simply replacing the old drive since the drivers and other components won't work properly, and Windows typically won't boot. An alternative approach suggested by @Tan3l6 could also be helpful.