Install Windows 10 On New Hard Drive

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The standard process of installing Windows 10 on a new hard drive

I've been using Windows 10 for a couple of month now (joined the Insider Preview). Now my hard drive started ticking so I've bought a new SSD and I want to move the windows installation to the new hard drive, which has been connected to the computer (unpartitioned). I don't mind and I even prefer reinstalling it over again. Mar 20, 2018  A hard drive upgrade is one of the easiest ways to improve your PC, whether you’re looking for more storage or the speed boost an SSD provides. Here’s how to choose and install your new drive. Mar 30, 2016  You can install Windows 10 lots of ways. From the site: Using the free download tool, you can instantly download and install Windows 10 without reserving.

When it comes to installing an operating system, the most recommended way on forums and Google searches is the clean install. But it's usually too difficult to follow the whole procedure from downloading the ISO files and burn it to the pointed hard drive for home users who don't acquire much IT knowledge. They simply don't know where to start. Why not take a look at the basic steps and decide whether you could handle this project independently?

  1. To install Windows 10 on a second SSD or HDD, you will have to: Create a new partition on the Second SSD or Harddrive Create Windows 10 Bootable USB Use the Custom Option when installing Windows.
  2. May 13, 2016  This video shows you how to initialize and format a new drive! It's recorded in Windows 10, but will work more or less the same way in Windows 8, 7, and even.
  3. Sep 23, 2019  Easiest is to save a System Image Backup then after changing hard drives, boot into the Windows 10 Installation Media or Create a recovery drive - Microsoft Windows to Recover using an Image. Takes 20 minutes and maintains Activation. Some prefer a more flexible imaging app that can restore to any offset (position on drive) which Windows imaging cannot do. The most popular is free.

Step 1. Create a bootable media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for installing Windows 10 (8 steps/10-60 minutes estimated)
Step 2. Perform a clean install of Windows 10 (13-15 steps/12-30 minutes estimated)

Tip - 'Windows 10 can't create a recovery drive' is one of the most commonly occurred errors while creating the recovery drive to install Windows 10.

Install Windows 10 On New Hard Drive Without Usb

In fact, there are multiple ways to install Windows 10 operating system on a new blank hard drive. But this page comes with a unique method, it is not about a clean install through a Windows recovery drive or a Windows installation media. Instead, it is the easiest for Windows 10 installation on a new hard drive among all, by transferring system with EaseUS Windows backup software with a few clicks.

Easiest: Install Windows 10 on A New Hard Drive

Prepare what you will need

1. A Windows 10 computer/laptop.
2. Download EaseUS Todo Backup on your Windows 10 machine.
3. Connect your new hard drive to the computer and make sure that it's correctly recognized by the computer.
4. A USB storage device with enough free disk space for keeping the system image.

With all the necessary materials prepared, now let's begin.

Step 1. Create an emergency disk on a healthy computer

To save your time and energy, we'd like to suggest you create an emergency disk to a USB or external hard drive rather on a healthy computer with EaseUS Todo Backup.

1. Connect an empty USB flash drive or external hard drive with over than 100GB space to your PC.
2. Run EaseUS Todo Backup and click 'Tools > Create Emergency Disk'.

3. Choose USB as the disk location to create the emergency disk which will help you boot computer when it fails to boot or restore the system to dissimilar new PC.
4. Click 'Proceed'.

Step 2. Create a Windows system image backup for restoring to dissimilar hardware

1. Run EaseUS Todo Backup on the healthy computer and click 'System Backup' on the left pane.
2. Choose the Windows OS and specify the USB flash drive which contains the emergency disk as the destination disk to save system image.
If you are worried about data loss issue by saving the system image to the emergency disk drive, you may also save system backup to another empty external hard drive with over 100GB free space.

This will help you create a full backup of the whole Windows system and all installed programs, applications on your C drive to the selected device.

3. Click 'Proceed' to start creating a system backup image to the target device.

Step 3. Boot the dissimilar hardware/computer from EaseUS Todo Backup emergency disk

1. Connect the USB flash drive or external hard drive with emergency disk and system backup image to the new computer.
2. Restart PC and press F2/F8 to boot into BIOS.
3. Change boot drive and set the computer to boot from the EaseUS Todo Backup emergency disk.
Then you'll enter EaseUS Todo Backup main interface.

Step 4. Transfer and recover the system to dissimilar hardware or new computer

1. On EaseUS Todo Backup main window, click'System Transfer'.

2. Select the system image on your drive and click 'OK' to continue.

3. Specify the disk to save system image and tick 'System Transfer' in Advanced options, click 'OK' to save changes.
Then click 'Proceed' to start transferring system and even some installed programs on system C: drive to the new hardware computer now.

Step 5. Restart PC with transferred system
1. Change boot sequence in BIOS to set the computer to boot up from the drive with the transferred system.
2. Save all changes and restart your computer.
3. Update all drive drivers and programs to ensure all things will work just fine on the new computer.

Here you can directly back up Windows 10 OS on your computer with EaseUS Todo Backup.

The Windows 10 upgrade process drags old files, settings, and programs from your previous Windows system to your new one. Microsoft allows you to get an entirely fresh system by performing a clean install.

This is particularly useful if you’ve purchased a new Windows 10 PC and it includes manufacturer-installed bloatware you don’t want. Or, you may need to perform a clean install on a computer without an existing Windows system after installing a new hard drive. Of course, you’ll miss out on the good pre-installed apps, like the free DVD player program that comes with many PCs. However, you can always install VLC to get DVD playback or use one of the more fully featured Windows Media Center alternatives.

RELATED:Windows 10 is Out Today: Should You Upgrade?

Previously, Microsoft forced users to upgrade to Windows 10 before they could start fresh and do a clean install–which was annoyingly complicated and time-consuming. Now, things are much easier, since you can activate Windows 10 with a Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 key.

Jun 01, 2018  A quick Google search reveals that Windows 10 users often experience a number of VPN-related issues. Here’s another Windows bug that you may face when trying to connect to a VPN from the system tray menu. The symptoms are as follows: you select a VPN connection. Jul 03, 2019  Fix Common Windows 10 VPN Issues 1. Ensure that your regular network connection is working. Check configuration settings and login credentials. Verify that your router is VPN compatible and that any VPN related settings are configured. Change Servers. By diagnosing your connection Windows 10 will fix some of the common VPN errors. To do that, follow these steps: Press Windows Key + X and select Network Connections from the menu. When Network Connections window opens locate your VPN connection, right. Windows 10 vpn not connecting.

Option One: Create Installation Media and Install Windows from Scratch

RELATED:Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 ISOs Legally

New

The classic method of performing a clean install is still our go-to option with Windows 10. You just need to download and create installation media, either on a DVD or a flash drive, and install it from there.

Download the Windows 10 media creation tool from Microsoft. This tool will download the correct Windows 10 installation files for your system, and help you create an installation DVD or flash drive. Start it up and select the “Create installation media for another PC” option to create installation media.

Be sure to select the correct type of installation media for the copy of Windows 10 that’s licensed for your PC — Windows 10 Home or Professional. (If “Windows 10” is the only option, you can safely use that and it will detect what version you want.) You should also choose your language and select whether you want the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows here. Most people will want the 64-bit version, but you can create installation media that includes both, and the installer will automatically select the most appropriate one when you use it to install Windows on a computer.

Install Windows 10 On New Hard Drive Dell

Install Windows 10 from the installation media like you would any other operating system. Restart your computer with the USB drive or DVD inserted, and boot from that device. This may require you change a setting in the BIOS, access a boot menu, or use the “Use a device” option in the advanced startup options on a modern Windows 8 or 10 device that includes UEFI firmware instead of the traditional BIOS. Select “Install Now” once the Windows installer starts.

Next, you’ll see the activation screen. What you do here depends on your situation:

  • If you’ve never installed and activated Windows 10 on this computer before, you’ll see the activation screen. Enter your Windows 10 key here. If you don’t have one, but you have a valid 7, 8, or 8.1 key, enter it here instead.
  • If you’ve ever installed and activated Windows 10 on this computer before, click “I don’t have a product key”. Windows will automatically activate once it’s installed.

The second situation works because of how Windows 10 activates PCs. When you install and activate Windows 10 on a system for the first time, the installer confirms that you have a “genuine Windows” system installed and registers your hardware with Microsoft’s servers. After that, you shouldn’t have to enter that key again on the same PC–Microsoft will recognize your hardware the next time you install Windows 10 on that machine, confirm it’s registered, and automatically activate itself.

Go through the setup process normally until you see the “Which type of installation do you want?” screen. Select the “Custom” option to ensure you’re performing a clean install and not an upgrade install.

Partition your system drive however you like. If you just have a single Windows partition, you can tell the installer to overwrite it. If you have many partitions, you could delete them all and tell Windows 10 to install itself in the unallocated space.

Install Windows 10 On New Hard Drive And Format On My Laptop

After you log into your new, cleanly installed Windows 10 system, it should automatically activate itself after you connect to the Internet.

To ensure it activated correctly, open the Start menu and click on Settings. click the Update & Security button, and go to the “Activation” tab.

Verify that you see “Windows is activated” here. Also, note the edition of Windows 10 you have installed — either Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro. Most people will receive the Home edition as part of the free upgrade from 7 or 8, but you’ll get Windows 10 Pro if you previously had a Professional edition of Windows 7 or 8 installed.

When we reinstalled Windows 10 Pro on our computer, it activated immediately. But, if Microsoft’s activation servers are overloaded, so it may take some time before your system activates. If it’s not activated, you may see information here that can help you activate.

Some people report having to reboot several times, while others have just waited. The following command can force an activation to occur if it’s not happening automatically after going through the steps above. First, open an Administrator Command Prompt by right-clicking the Start button or pressing Windows Key + X and selecting Command Prompt (Admin). Type the following command and press Enter:

slmgr.vbs /ato

Many people report having to run this command several times. if you see an error message, try rebooting and running it again, wait and run it again, or just wait and let Windows activate automatically. Microsoft’s servers may be overloaded at the moment you’re trying to activate.

Option Two: Perform a Reset and Remove Everything

If you’ve already upgraded to Windows 10 and want a fresh install, there’s an easier method. You can use the Reset feature to reset your Windows 10 system back to a fresh state. If you installed Windows 10 yourself, this should give you a fresh Windows system in no time.

Inpaint

There are a few caveats, however: this method isn’t ideal for every situation. If you purchased a computer that came with Windows 10, for example, this will likely bring back the bloatware that came with your Windows 10 PC. (There’s a way around this, but we’ve yet to test it ourselves.)

In addition, some people have reported that it won’t fix some system corruption issues, in which case you’d want to perform a real clean install using Option One above.

To reset your Windows 10 PC, open the Settings app, select Update & security, select Recovery, and click the “Get started” button under Reset this PC. Select “Remove everything.” This will wipe all your files, so be sure you have backups.

Microsoft’s free upgrade offer depends on your PC’s hardware so it may not activate properly if you’ve swapped out hardware inside your PC. You may need to call Microsoft and complete the phone activation process, explaining what happened, if you changed the PC’s hardware after taking advantage of the offer. The phone support line can give you an activation code that will allow you to activate Windows 10, even if it won’t activate automatically. However, you may have to provide additional information.

Technically, the free Windows 10 upgrade (as well as OEM copies of Windows and pre-installed copies of Windows 10) aren’t supposed to be transferred to a separate PC. But often, the phone activation process will let you do it anyway, so it’s worth a shot.

Image Credit: Brett Morrison on Flickr

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