[Resolved] How to move an operating system to another drive without reinstalling it or applications

Applies to: Move Windows 10 to new hard drive/SSD, move Windows 7 to new hard drive, move Windows 8 to new disk, etc.

This page offers a detailed tutorial guide on how to migrate your operating system to an SSD or another hard drive without reinstalling Windows or your applications. We will walk you through the steps to prepare your computer before transferring the system image to the new disk. Additionally, we will provide subsequent tips on how to boot your computer from the new drive.

Before delving into the details of the process, let's see what you need to do or use to migrate your OS to a new hard drive.

Download an excellent OS migration tool – Disk Copy.

How to Transfer an Operating System to a New Hard Drive

“I want to copy my Windows system drive to a new disk and have my PC boot from it. What's the best way to do that?”

Low disk space on system partition is a common issue that can cause your computer to run extremely slow. The most common solution is to extend the system partition. But what if you don't have enough storage space on your computer's system drive?

Usually, increasing a computer's overall capacity by adding another disk is the way to go. But using the new disk as a second data drive is not ideal. A better bet is to migrate the boot drive to another disk or a USB flash drive, and switch system drives.

So, how do you move the entire disk – including the operating system, applications, and data – to the new drive? Read on, and you'll discover reliable disk cloning software that can help you migrate your OS and data to the new disk with just a few clicks.

RELATED: How to Replace Your Windows 11/10/8/7 C Drive with an SSD

Hard Disk Cloning Tools – Best OS Migration/Moving Utilities

Certainly, you don't want to spend too much time and effort reinstalling the operating system and all your applications on a new disk. Unlike data, installed programs cannot simply be moved to another drive with a Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V operation.

Cloning the entire disk to a new drive is an all-purpose solution for moving a Windows operating system, installed applications, and disk data to a new, larger hard drive.

For this, you need professional disk cloning software to help you. AOMEI Backupper Standard allows you to transfer the operating system to the new hard drive with just a few clicks.

It's a user-friendly and versatile disk cloning software for Windows PC that enables you to clone hard drives from different manufacturers. It helps you clone systems, disks, partitions, and more, allowing you to transfer Windows from HDD to SSD without losing data. Additionally, it facilitates data migration from one computer to another and creates local backups for your hard drives. Thanks to its sector-by-sector cloning technology, it also assists in cloning a drive with bad sectors.

In addition, it can help you transfer the operating system from one SSD to another SSD and upgrade your HDD/SSD to a larger disk. To ensure a smooth system disk migration, please activate the tool as the Pro version in advance.

It features an intuitive interface that allows users of any level to move the operating system to a new hard drive/SDD without reinstalling the OS and applications, compatible with Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.

Video Tutorial: How to Transfer Your Operating System to Another Drive:

Move the operating system to a new hard drive

 

How to Move Your Operating System to a New Drive: The Complete Process

Please proceed with the operating system disk migration process and ensure that the new disk is set up with a bootable operating system right away.

1. Check your hard drive

One important thing! Make sure the new drive is the same size or larger, otherwise the transfer will fail. You can free up space by deleting temporary files.

Your computer is not infected with a virus, and your operating system is not damaged.

Preparations

• A new SSD (with a capacity greater than the used space on your old drive)
• A screwdriver
• A USB 3.0 to SSD/2.5" SATA hard drive adapter
• Disk cloning software – we'll be using Clonezilla

NOTE: We also show you the tools you need in our video tutorial.

#3. Use a disk cloning tool to transfer the operating system to the new drive

Step 1: Download, install, and run a disk cloning tool on your computer.

Click “Disk Mode,” then select the disk you want to copy or clone. Click “Next” to proceed.

Step 2: Select the target disk.

Note: If you're copying or cloning the source disk, the target disk should be at least as large as the source disk, or larger.

Step 3: Check and edit the disk layout.

If the target disk is an SSD, remember to check the box for Target disk is SSD.

Click “OK” if the program prompts you to erase data from the target disk.

Step 5: Click “Continue” to start the hard drive cloning process.

#4. Booting the Windows Operating System from the New Hard Drive

When the clone is finished, you have one more step: setting up your computer to boot from the new drive.

Step 1: Restart your computer and press the or key to enter BIOS.

Step two: Go into the boot options and change the boot order to start the operating system from the new disk.

Step 3: Save the changes, exit the BIOS, and reboot your computer.

After a patient wait, you will find that the computer boots up as usual: the operating system starts, applications run, and the data is safely stored on the target disk.

The only difference is that you can now use the old disk as a second data drive, wiping its contents clean.

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Conclusions

On this page, we introduce a complete process guiding you on how to switch system disks and migrate/transfer the operating system to a new hard drive or SSD without re-installing the OS and apps, using a disk cloning tool. It helps you move your operating system to a new hard drive in just a few simple steps without re-installing Windows, losing data, or performing a system image recovery.

In addition, it can assist you in adjusting disk partitions during cloning and create a WinPE boot disk to help you boot your computer. Simply download it to your PC to explore its practical features.

Also, remember to follow the OS drive installation instructions so that Windows can boot from the new drive. The method provided on this page can also be used to migrate the operating system to an SSD disk, such as using M.2 SSD clone software to migrate OS to M.2 SSD.

Frequently Asked Questions About Moving an Operating System to Another Drive

1. Can I move the Windows operating system from one disk to another?

Using a disk cloning software is the easiest way to migrate your Windows operating system directly and securely to another drive. An excellent OS migration tool like Disk Copy, with its powerful disk cloning and system cloning features, is a reliable choice. It helps you easily copy data from one hard drive to another without losing any information.

2. How to move the operating system from the C drive to an SSD?

If you want to clone C drive to new SSD, you need to use professional cloning software, like Disk Copy tool, to help you. It can assist you in moving Windows from HDD to SSD without reinstalling it.

3. Is it safe to clone my operating system to an SSD?

Yes, it is entirely safe to clone an operating system from an HDD to an SSD. You can use professional cloning software, such as Disk Copy tools, to clone the drive onto the SSD. Upon completion of the cloning process, the cloned SSD will become the boot drive, which you can set as the first boot device in your BIOS settings.

< strong > 4. What's the easiest way to move my operating system from an HDD to an SSD?

You can move your operating system from an HDD to an SSD by doing a clean install or system image recovery. To do this, you'll need to download the Windows ISO file from the Microsoft website and create installation media with the Windows Media Creation Tool to put Windows on the SSD. This method lets you shift the OS to the new drive, but it's pretty time-consuming and a hassle. The easiest and most efficient way to migrate your operating system to another drive is by using disk cloning software. This helps you transfer the OS to a different drive without re-installing or losing data. Cloning lets you copy everything from one drive to another without needing a new OS installation or risking data loss.