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How to turn your SSD into a boot drive for your new or existing computer
The boot drive is the most important of all the drives on your PC as it contains the operating system. Whether it's a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), it'll contain everything your computer needs to boot. SSDs are generally faster and more reliable than HDDs or something like a USB drive, so it's recommended that you use one of the newer SSDs as a boot drive on your computer. Seriously, swapping out your old spinning hard disk drive for an SSD is one of the best upgrades you can make to speed up your computer. Not only will it boot the operating system faster, but even the programs installed on the OS drive will launch quicker. There are plenty of ways to create a boot drive and use a new or existing SSD as a boot drive, and the following steps will get you started.
How to make an SSD boot drive without reinstalling everything
Easily transfer an existing OS installation from your old drive
Whether you're upgrading from an old HDD or picking up a better SSD, you can simply transfer your existing Windows installation to the new drive without reinstalling everything. This process essentially involves cloning or producing an exact copy of your Windows installation drive, complete with all the installed programs, files, and settings. You can then migrate everything to the new drive, saving a lot of time and effort. This may sound like a tedious process, but it only takes a few minutes.
Prerequisites to creating an SSD boot drive
- SSD: The first thing you'll need is, well, an SSD itself. Make sure you pick the right form factor for your computer. It should have enough capacity and fit the space the operating system will occupy.
- Cloning software: There's no shortage of software out there to copy and migrate your operating system over to the new drive. First, check with your drive's manufacturer. Those with a Samsung SSD, for instance, can use Samsung Magician Software. Alternatively, you can also use third-party utility tools like Macrium Reflect or EaseUS Disk Copy for cloning your SSD, as I did for this particular tutorial.
- Install and plug in both drives: Make sure you have both your old and new drives plugged into your system before initiating the process. Those installing an M.2 SSD need to slot it into the M.2 slot on the motherboard. SATA SSDs, on the other hand, need to be plugged into the motherboard using a SATA cable. SATA SSDs also need power to run, so you'll have to run a 15-pin SATA cable for it from the PSU as well.
With all the prerequisites out of the way, you are now ready to begin the OS migration process. I'll be using Macrium Reflect for this particular tutorial. It's the same program we used in our guide detailing the steps to clone your HDD to an SSD, too. It offers all the essentials along with a 30-day free trial, so it's good for those who are trying a utility like this for the first time.
: Why Are Computer Drives Smaller Than Advertised? (ThioJoe)
Cloning your existing boot drive
Follow the steps given below to clone your existing boot drive to create a new one.
1. Run Macrium Reflect as an administrator.
2. Select the drive of your choice and choose Clone this disk…
3. Click on Select a disk to clone to… and pick the SSD you installed earlier as the destination disk.
4. If your SSD has a different storage capacity than your existing drive, click on Copy Partitions, select Shrink or extend to fill the target disk, and then press Finish.
5. Choose OK when prompted to create a backup definition file.
6. Press Continue on the Confirm Override pop-up window to begin the cloning procedure.
Set the SSD as the boot drive
Now that you have copied the OS files to the new SSD, you can use it as a boot drive from the BIOS menu. Follow the steps mentioned below to set the SSD as the boot drive:
1. Restart your computer.
2. Tap the Del key repeatedly during the startup sequence to enter the BIOS. This could be different for your PC, but it'll usually say which key to press on the startup screen.
3. Navigate to the Boot tab or something similar in the BIOS menu of your motherboard.
4. Choose the SSD you configured earlier as the Boot Option #1.
5. Save the changes you made to BIOS and exit it to reboot your system.
Your system should now boot into your existing operating system using the SSD you just installed. This process is great for those who are simply upgrading to a new SSD from an older drive and want to retain their installation.
How to make an SSD boot drive for new computers
If, however, you just finished building a new computer and are planning to use your new SSD as a boot drive for a fresh Windows installation, all you have to do is create installation media and use it to install a fresh copy of Windows on your SSD.
Creating installation media
The first thing you need to do is create installation media with the operating system. You'll need an empty USB flash drive that's at least 8GB in size, a separate computer that's already functional with a working OS, and an active internet connection to download the OS files. Follow the steps below once you have all the prerequisites in place:
1. Head over to the Windows 11 download page and look for the section called Create Windows 11 Installation Media.
2. Click the Download now, and run it when it's done downloading.
3. Click Accept to accept the license terms.
4. Select USB flash drive before clicking Next.
5. Change the default language of your OS if you need to, and click Next.
6. Windows 11 will begin downloading, and files will be transferred to your flash drive.
Installing Windows
Now that you have a Windows installation media, it's time to install Windows 11 on your PC and set up your SSD as a boot drive:
1. Plug the USB drive into the PC on which you want to install Windows 11 and power it on.
2. Your new PC will automatically boot from your USB flash drive by default, as there is no boot drive in it yet.
3. You'll now see the installation screen. Select the language and click Next.
4. Enter the product key if you have one or select I don't have a product key.
5. Select the correct version of Windows from the list and click Next.
6. Accept the license agreement and select Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).
7. Select your SSD from the list to turn into a boot drive, create partitions if you want to, and click Next to install Windows.
You'll be guided through the Windows 11 out-of-box experience (OOBE) and then taken to Windows. The SSD you selected during the installation is now your default boot drive, which you can change easily via the BIOS menu in the future if you need to.
Speed up your PC by upgrading the boot to an SSD
Turning an SSD into a boot drive for a computer, as you can tell, is fairly simple. The process itself can be a bit tedious, especially if you are planning to retain your existing OS installation, but it's easy to set things up and get going once you have all the prerequisites in place. Upgrading the boot drive of your computer to an SSD is a great way to speed up your PC, so it's recommended that you start with this simple upgrade before spending more money on other hardware components. If you're wondering which SSD to buy for your PC, then consider the option highlighted below.
