Replace Hard Drive with a SSD drive - or wipe drive and reinstall?

HereToday

Grumpysally said:

HereToday said:

Grumpysally said:

OP, I hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread, but co-incidentally, I have just this week replaced my HDD with a SSD on my 6+ years old Acer Aspire and had come on here looking for advice.
It's a Samsung 870 EVO 500mb. To replace a 1TB HDD.  I downloaded the Samsung data migration to my laptop and copied everything from my HDD. Then replaced it with the SSD. Everything is working OK and is faster, but nothing like as fast as I expected having watched various YouTube videos. Should I try reinstalling windows 10? I did reinstall it fairly recently in an effort to speed things up. I was also considering putting in extra RAM.
Intel Celeron Processor N2840
4GB DDR3 L Memory
Thanks

Forget about cloning hard drive in this instance. Only a minimal clean install will do with that processor. You can also increase RAM to 8 GB to squeeze the last bit of performance out of it. But that processor is the bottle neck.

I thought as such. Would increased RAM be worth the time money and effort or should I put the money towards my future laptop purchase fund? Its a bit like old cars, knowing when to stop throwing good money after bad
Forget about cloning hard drive in this instance. Only a minimal clean install will do with that processor.  I'm not sure what this means . 
Thanks

Depends on whether it needs 1 x 8GB or 2 x 4GB. a 4GB module is around £13.

JohnB47

HereToday said:

Grumpysally said:

HereToday said:

Grumpysally said:

OP, I hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread, but co-incidentally, I have just this week replaced my HDD with a SSD on my 6+ years old Acer Aspire and had come on here looking for advice.
It's a Samsung 870 EVO 500mb. To replace a 1TB HDD.  I downloaded the Samsung data migration to my laptop and copied everything from my HDD. Then replaced it with the SSD. Everything is working OK and is faster, but nothing like as fast as I expected having watched various YouTube videos. Should I try reinstalling windows 10? I did reinstall it fairly recently in an effort to speed things up. I was also considering putting in extra RAM.
Intel Celeron Processor N2840
4GB DDR3 L Memory
Thanks

Forget about cloning hard drive in this instance. Only a minimal clean install will do with that processor. You can also increase RAM to 8 GB to squeeze the last bit of performance out of it. But that processor is the bottle neck.

I thought as such. Would increased RAM be worth the time money and effort or should I put the money towards my future laptop purchase fund? Its a bit like old cars, knowing when to stop throwing good money after bad
Forget about cloning hard drive in this instance. Only a minimal clean install will do with that processor.  I'm not sure what this means . 
Thanks

It means just erase everything currently on the drive by running a clean install to it.

This process requires another PC with internet access, and a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of storage space. The data on the USB flash drive will be erased to create the Windows 10 bootable flash drive.

Creating the Windows 10 USB flash drive

1. Visit the Microsoft Media Creation Tool website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
2. Click Download Tool Now.
3. Save the Application.
4. Plug your USB Flash Drive into the PC where you saved the application.
5. Run the Application.
6. Accept the EULA
7. Select Create installation media for another PC and click Next.
8. Choose the correct settings for your version of Windows 10

• Language (Country)
• Windows 10
• 64-bit (x64)

Click Next.Select USB Flash Drive and click Next.Select the Flash Drive and click Next.

Allow the application to complete. You will be prompted when it is finished and has successfully created the bootable drive.

Reloading Windows with the Media Creation Tool:

1. Press and hold the Power key for five seconds to turn off your computer.
2. Plug in the USB Drive that contains the Media Creation Tool files.
3. Power on the system and begin tapping the F2 Key to enter the BIOS.
4. In the BIOS, use the arrow keys to navigate to the Main menu item at the top.
5. Use the down arrow to highlight F12 Boot Menu and press Enter.
6. Highlight Enabled and press Enter.
7. Press the F10 key and press Enter to save the changes and exit. The system will reboot immediately.
8. As soon as the system begins rebooting, press the F12 key repeatedly to enter the Boot Manager.
9. Select the USB HDD and press Enter. The Windows Setup environment will launch.
10. Select your Language, Time and Keyboard, then click Next.
11. Click Install Now.
12. Accept the license terms and click Next.
13. You will be prompted with choices:

• Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings and applications. This option should work for most users and should save most personal files. If you attempt this and run into errors, we suggest the next option.
• Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) This option allows you to determine the location where you want to install Windows. Using this option will erase all personal data.

Follow this guide if it helps: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/clean-install-Windows-10/  You need to choose to delete ALL of the existing partitions during the installation.

These instructions seem more fulsome than your first post, then you seemed to quote something specific to Toshiba in your second post. This one seems to combine the two. Thanks for this. Much to think about.

poppellerant

If you did a clean installation of Windows to your hard drive, it might feel faster at first.  But as you install programs and install the inevitable Windows Updates every few weeks, it will just slow down almost the point where it is now, if not the same.  So you're really just on a hiding to nothing if you continue to use your hard drive.

Instead I would get an SSD drive and leave the data on your hard drive in tact and untouched.  This way you will have the peace of mind of being able to drop in your hard drive if you need to recover a file or program.

In terms of buying an SSD, you state that you use 324GB.  When a 500GB SSD is formatted, you will be left with around 465GB of useable space for Windows, programs, etc - leaving about 141GB of free space.  Of course this will probably be much more with a clean install, but that's almost 1/3 of free space - not too clever or healthy with SSD drives.  SSD drives live much longer the more free space they have.  Of course a 500GB will be perfectly usable, but for longevity I would recommend a 1TB SSD.  If you want some further reading on the subject, see here and here.

One final note and is that to make sure that your BIOS has been updated the latest version.  We can help with this if you can post the make and model of your laptop.

JohnB47

poppellerant said:

If you did a clean installation of Windows to your hard drive, it might feel faster at first.  But as you install programs and install the inevitable Windows Updates every few weeks, it will just slow down almost the point where it is now, if not the same.  So you're really just on a hiding to nothing if you continue to use your hard drive.

Instead I would get an SSD drive and leave the data on your hard drive in tact and untouched.  This way you will have the peace of mind of being able to drop in your hard drive if you need to recover a file or program.

In terms of buying an SSD, you state that you use 324GB.  When a 500GB SSD is formatted, you will be left with around 465GB of useable space for Windows, programs, etc - leaving about 141GB of free space.  Of course this will probably be much more with a clean install, but that's almost 1/3 of free space - not too clever or healthy with SSD drives.  SSD drives live much longer the more free space they have.  Of course a 500GB will be perfectly usable, but for longevity I would recommend a 1TB SSD.  If you want some further reading on the subject, see here and here.

One final note and is that to make sure that your BIOS has been updated the latest version.  We can help with this if you can post the make and model of your laptop.

Thank you. Further good advice I think. Regarding the BIOS, I posted my laptop's details in my first post. Is there more info needed? 

poppellerant

JohnB47 said:

poppellerant said:

If you did a clean installation of Windows to your hard drive, it might feel faster at first.  But as you install programs and install the inevitable Windows Updates every few weeks, it will just slow down almost the point where it is now, if not the same.  So you're really just on a hiding to nothing if you continue to use your hard drive.

Instead I would get an SSD drive and leave the data on your hard drive in tact and untouched.  This way you will have the peace of mind of being able to drop in your hard drive if you need to recover a file or program.

In terms of buying an SSD, you state that you use 324GB.  When a 500GB SSD is formatted, you will be left with around 465GB of useable space for Windows, programs, etc - leaving about 141GB of free space.  Of course this will probably be much more with a clean install, but that's almost 1/3 of free space - not too clever or healthy with SSD drives.  SSD drives live much longer the more free space they have.  Of course a 500GB will be perfectly usable, but for longevity I would recommend a 1TB SSD.  If you want some further reading on the subject, see here and here.

One final note and is that to make sure that your BIOS has been updated the latest version.  We can help with this if you can post the make and model of your laptop.

Thank you. Further good advice I think. Regarding the BIOS, I posted my laptop's details in my first post. Is there more info needed? 

Somehow I completely missed that, sorry.  I knew I should have double checked first, but I didn't remember see it being posted so merely assumed it hadn't been!

The closest laptop I can find is the Satellite L50-C-1XP, but this isn't a Satellite Pro.  Perhaps if you posted the serial number, it would accurately pinpoint your laptop.

When updating the BIOS, it has to be for that particular model.  You can't just update with any BIOS to see if it works, as it could do more damage than good - potentially to the point of rendering your laptop useless.

JohnB47

Thanks. Sorry for the confusion - it's not a Pro. Perhaps I was thinking about my even older laptop.
The label on the bottom says Satellite L50-C-1XP Serial number is XF178705C.
If I look at 'about' in Settings it says:

Device name LAPTOP-L7UTCSDN

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-5005U CPU @ 2.00GHz 2.00 GHz

Installed RAM 8.00 GB

Device ID AE8A1A90-35E3-4128-82F1-5CB5680986DE

Product ID 00325-80283-29792-AAOEM

System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

I won't be able to reply to any further posts until tomorrow.

Cheers.

HereToday

JohnB47 said:

HereToday said:

Grumpysally said:

HereToday said:

Grumpysally said:

OP, I hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread, but co-incidentally, I have just this week replaced my HDD with a SSD on my 6+ years old Acer Aspire and had come on here looking for advice.
It's a Samsung 870 EVO 500mb. To replace a 1TB HDD.  I downloaded the Samsung data migration to my laptop and copied everything from my HDD. Then replaced it with the SSD. Everything is working OK and is faster, but nothing like as fast as I expected having watched various YouTube videos. Should I try reinstalling windows 10? I did reinstall it fairly recently in an effort to speed things up. I was also considering putting in extra RAM.
Intel Celeron Processor N2840
4GB DDR3 L Memory
Thanks

Forget about cloning hard drive in this instance. Only a minimal clean install will do with that processor. You can also increase RAM to 8 GB to squeeze the last bit of performance out of it. But that processor is the bottle neck.

I thought as such. Would increased RAM be worth the time money and effort or should I put the money towards my future laptop purchase fund? Its a bit like old cars, knowing when to stop throwing good money after bad
Forget about cloning hard drive in this instance. Only a minimal clean install will do with that processor.  I'm not sure what this means . 
Thanks

It means just erase everything currently on the drive by running a clean install to it.

This process requires another PC with internet access, and a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of storage space. The data on the USB flash drive will be erased to create the Windows 10 bootable flash drive.

Creating the Windows 10 USB flash drive

1. Visit the Microsoft Media Creation Tool website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
2. Click Download Tool Now.
3. Save the Application.
4. Plug your USB Flash Drive into the PC where you saved the application.
5. Run the Application.
6. Accept the EULA
7. Select Create installation media for another PC and click Next.
8. Choose the correct settings for your version of Windows 10

• Language (Country)
• Windows 10
• 64-bit (x64)

Click Next.Select USB Flash Drive and click Next.Select the Flash Drive and click Next.

Allow the application to complete. You will be prompted when it is finished and has successfully created the bootable drive.

Reloading Windows with the Media Creation Tool:

1. Press and hold the Power key for five seconds to turn off your computer.
2. Plug in the USB Drive that contains the Media Creation Tool files.
3. Power on the system and begin tapping the F2 Key to enter the BIOS.
4. In the BIOS, use the arrow keys to navigate to the Main menu item at the top.
5. Use the down arrow to highlight F12 Boot Menu and press Enter.
6. Highlight Enabled and press Enter.
7. Press the F10 key and press Enter to save the changes and exit. The system will reboot immediately.
8. As soon as the system begins rebooting, press the F12 key repeatedly to enter the Boot Manager.
9. Select the USB HDD and press Enter. The Windows Setup environment will launch.
10. Select your Language, Time and Keyboard, then click Next.
11. Click Install Now.
12. Accept the license terms and click Next.
13. You will be prompted with choices:

• Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings and applications. This option should work for most users and should save most personal files. If you attempt this and run into errors, we suggest the next option.
• Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) This option allows you to determine the location where you want to install Windows. Using this option will erase all personal data.

Follow this guide if it helps: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/clean-install-Windows-10/  You need to choose to delete ALL of the existing partitions during the installation.

These instructions seem more fulsome than your first post, then you seemed to quote something specific to Toshiba in your second post. This one seems to combine the two. Thanks for this. Much to think about.

These instructions are not for you.

HereToday

poppellerant said:

If you did a clean installation of Windows to your hard drive, it might feel faster at first.  But as you install programs and install the inevitable Windows Updates every few weeks, it will just slow down almost the point where it is now, if not the same.  So you're really just on a hiding to nothing if you continue to use your hard drive.

Instead I would get an SSD drive and leave the data on your hard drive in tact and untouched.  This way you will have the peace of mind of being able to drop in your hard drive if you need to recover a file or program.

In terms of buying an SSD, you state that you use 324GB.  When a 500GB SSD is formatted, you will be left with around 465GB of useable space for Windows, programs, etc - leaving about 141GB of free space.  Of course this will probably be much more with a clean install, but that's almost 1/3 of free space - not too clever or healthy with SSD drives.  SSD drives live much longer the more free space they have.  Of course a 500GB will be perfectly usable, but for longevity I would recommend a 1TB SSD.  If you want some further reading on the subject, see here and here.

One final note and is that to make sure that your BIOS has been updated the latest version.  We can help with this if you can post the make and model of your laptop.

I think that you have missed the point of the OP having built up to 324 GB over five years.
So one can expect that it will be five years before the new 500 GB SSD will have 324 GB of data on it, unless you are assuming that the OP will move all of the data from the old drive to the new.

Secondly, you are overstating the case for free space on an SSD. Your article is using research from 2012 and even then it states that it isn't necessary for some drives where the controller is optimised for I/O efficiency.

Bottom line: The average consumer doesn't care and won't notice. 

Samsung Magician software for EVO drives offer the option of overprovisioning and suggest 10%. This can help to prolong the life of the drive. But either way, the average consumer won't notice and doesn't care about it.
I am using an old Integral SSD way past it's warranty date; more than 90% full. No issues.

I say stick with a 500 GB SSD; it's more than enough for the OP. No need to get into esoterica on this board, unless the subject calls for it.

JohnB47

HereToday said:

JohnB47 said:

HereToday said:

Grumpysally said:

HereToday said:

Grumpysally said:

OP, I hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread, but co-incidentally, I have just this week replaced my HDD with a SSD on my 6+ years old Acer Aspire and had come on here looking for advice.
It's a Samsung 870 EVO 500mb. To replace a 1TB HDD.  I downloaded the Samsung data migration to my laptop and copied everything from my HDD. Then replaced it with the SSD. Everything is working OK and is faster, but nothing like as fast as I expected having watched various YouTube videos. Should I try reinstalling windows 10? I did reinstall it fairly recently in an effort to speed things up. I was also considering putting in extra RAM.
Intel Celeron Processor N2840
4GB DDR3 L Memory
Thanks

Forget about cloning hard drive in this instance. Only a minimal clean install will do with that processor. You can also increase RAM to 8 GB to squeeze the last bit of performance out of it. But that processor is the bottle neck.

I thought as such. Would increased RAM be worth the time money and effort or should I put the money towards my future laptop purchase fund? Its a bit like old cars, knowing when to stop throwing good money after bad
Forget about cloning hard drive in this instance. Only a minimal clean install will do with that processor.  I'm not sure what this means . 
Thanks

It means just erase everything currently on the drive by running a clean install to it.

This process requires another PC with internet access, and a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of storage space. The data on the USB flash drive will be erased to create the Windows 10 bootable flash drive.

Creating the Windows 10 USB flash drive

1. Visit the Microsoft Media Creation Tool website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10
2. Click Download Tool Now.
3. Save the Application.
4. Plug your USB Flash Drive into the PC where you saved the application.
5. Run the Application.
6. Accept the EULA
7. Select Create installation media for another PC and click Next.
8. Choose the correct settings for your version of Windows 10

• Language (Country)
• Windows 10
• 64-bit (x64)

Click Next.Select USB Flash Drive and click Next.Select the Flash Drive and click Next.

Allow the application to complete. You will be prompted when it is finished and has successfully created the bootable drive.

Reloading Windows with the Media Creation Tool:

1. Press and hold the Power key for five seconds to turn off your computer.
2. Plug in the USB Drive that contains the Media Creation Tool files.
3. Power on the system and begin tapping the F2 Key to enter the BIOS.
4. In the BIOS, use the arrow keys to navigate to the Main menu item at the top.
5. Use the down arrow to highlight F12 Boot Menu and press Enter.
6. Highlight Enabled and press Enter.
7. Press the F10 key and press Enter to save the changes and exit. The system will reboot immediately.
8. As soon as the system begins rebooting, press the F12 key repeatedly to enter the Boot Manager.
9. Select the USB HDD and press Enter. The Windows Setup environment will launch.
10. Select your Language, Time and Keyboard, then click Next.
11. Click Install Now.
12. Accept the license terms and click Next.
13. You will be prompted with choices:

• Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings and applications. This option should work for most users and should save most personal files. If you attempt this and run into errors, we suggest the next option.
• Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) This option allows you to determine the location where you want to install Windows. Using this option will erase all personal data.

Follow this guide if it helps: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/clean-install-Windows-10/  You need to choose to delete ALL of the existing partitions during the installation.

These instructions seem more fulsome than your first post, then you seemed to quote something specific to Toshiba in your second post. This one seems to combine the two. Thanks for this. Much to think about.

These instructions are not for you.

Ahh, sorry. Classic example of why only one persons questions should be answered on a thread.

poppellerant

HereToday said:

poppellerant said:

If you did a clean installation of Windows to your hard drive, it might feel faster at first.  But as you install programs and install the inevitable Windows Updates every few weeks, it will just slow down almost the point where it is now, if not the same.  So you're really just on a hiding to nothing if you continue to use your hard drive.

Instead I would get an SSD drive and leave the data on your hard drive in tact and untouched.  This way you will have the peace of mind of being able to drop in your hard drive if you need to recover a file or program.

In terms of buying an SSD, you state that you use 324GB.  When a 500GB SSD is formatted, you will be left with around 465GB of useable space for Windows, programs, etc - leaving about 141GB of free space.  Of course this will probably be much more with a clean install, but that's almost 1/3 of free space - not too clever or healthy with SSD drives.  SSD drives live much longer the more free space they have.  Of course a 500GB will be perfectly usable, but for longevity I would recommend a 1TB SSD.  If you want some further reading on the subject, see here and here.

One final note and is that to make sure that your BIOS has been updated the latest version.  We can help with this if you can post the make and model of your laptop.

I think that you have missed the point of the OP having built up to 324 GB over five years.
So one can expect that it will be five years before the new 500 GB SSD will have 324 GB of data on it, unless you are assuming that the OP will move all of the data from the old drive to the new.

Secondly, you are overstating the case for free space on an SSD. Your article is using research from 2012 and even then it states that it isn't necessary for some drives where the controller is optimised for I/O efficiency.

Bottom line: The average consumer doesn't care and won't notice. 

Samsung Magician software for EVO drives offer the option of overprovisioning and suggest 10%. This can help to prolong the life of the drive. But either way, the average consumer won't notice and doesn't care about it.
I am using an old Integral SSD way past it's warranty date; more than 90% full. No issues.

I say stick with a 500 GB SSD; it's more than enough for the OP. No need to get into esoterica on this board, unless the subject calls for it.

I do feel that you are downplaying the problem somewhat and frankly that's not something I'm willing to support when it comes to somebody else's data.  I've said what I think and given facts and reasons to back this up. 

Perhaps if the OP were to move large amounts of data that wasn't accessed frequently (ie: copying photos and music to another drive), that would free up enough space to make a 500GB SSD more tangible.  But we really need to know what that 324GB consists of before making assumptions.