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Install SSD drive in dual boot without re-installing Windows 7

My PC has dual-boot option between Windows XP Pro and Windows 7 Ultimate, how do I install 120 GB SSD Drive for Windows 7 without re installing Windows 7.
The Windows 7 partition has 80 GB full, so I can move to SSD. I want to move Windows 7 to SSD and boot.
Current Partitions. I have O/S CD's for both.
B: FAT32 (System, Active, Primary)
C: NTFS , (Windows 7) (Boot)
D: NTFS, (Windows XP)

I have attached Disk Management snap-shot from Windows Management Console. (SSD not yet installed)
I noticed, drive B (FAT32) has all boot loading files:-
boot.ini
ntdetect.com
bootmgr
ntldr
No other partition has these files.
C:(Win3kSrv) has Windows 7
D:(WinXPro) has Windows XP.

Seth Simmons

The Windows 7 partition has 80 GB full

according to the screenshot, C has about 136gb used

Vakils

ASKER

I have trimmed it down to 90 GB. Thanks for pointing it out.

Vakils

ASKER

Sorry trimmed to 80 GB

Gary Case

It's complicated by the fact that your OS's aren't installed in their own partitions -- they're in extended partitions in the same physical partition. The boot partition (B:) is a primary partition, but all of the OS partitions are simply logical drives in the same physical partition.

IF your boot manager supports it, you could simply clone the Windows 7 partition to a single primary partition on the SSD, and it should boot fine. The actual boot will still start with your current drive (through the boot manager on B:), but it will quickly switch to using the SSD when you've selected Windows 7.

If your boot manager doesn't support that, I'd recommend switching to one that does (e.g. Boot-It BM).

Gary Case

Note also that the ability to clone the OS partition to an SSD is not only dependent on the amount of data on the drive being less than the size of the SSD; but it also depends on whether or not the software you use to move it will do a dynamic resizing, which is needed to allow you to clone a 505GB partition to a much smaller 120GB SSD.

Vakils

ASKER

I cloned C partition to SSD using EaseUS ToDo Backup, partition cloning.
I cannot disconnect C as it is extended partition.
Should I mark SSD as active, remove Windows from C, and set Bios to boot from SSD.
Will that work?

noxcho

Should I mark SSD as active, remove Windows from C, and set Bios to boot from SSD.
Will that work?

No. It will not boot. Your Boot data is located currently on B: partition. And if you simply copy C: and change the boot order then it will not find that data.
You need to find on B: Boot folder and BootMgr file. These are normally hidden protected data. Thus enable viewing hidden and system files in file options.
As you copy the Boot folder and BootMgr to C: drive on SSD then change the partition on SSD drive to Active and only then change the boot order in BIOS so that your SSD drive would be the first one to boot. This way it must work.

Vakils

ASKER

As you copy the Boot folder and BootMgr to C: drive on SSD

Do I have to assign C drive letter to SSD? Can you please elaborate?

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

noxcho

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Vakils

ASKER

Worked! Excellent solution.
Thanks.

noxcho

Thanks for feedback!