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Is moving Windows 10 SSD from old Dimension 9200 to new XPS 8930 possible?
I have an old Dimension 9200 which I'm trying to upgrade to possibly an XPS 8930.
Is it possible to simply move (a cloned copy of) my old SSD from the Dimension desktop and put it into the XPS 8930 to have it boot-up in the new desktop? I was going to save the Windows 10 install that comes on the primary HD which comes with the XPS 8930.
The old SSD has a 64-bit Windows 10 Pro install (I had upgraded the old Dimension 9200 box with 64-bit Windows 10 Pro)..
I realize I may need various drivers for the new XPS box onto the old SSD.
How would I go about doing this? There are many programs which I need from the old SSD, which is why I'd like to save the old drive.
-TIA :)
Tesla1856
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March 27th, 2018 22:00
Yes, the XPS-8930 would be much faster if it booted from a SSD and Windows-10 64bit was installed on it as C:.
No, that is not how you do it.
You inventory the software on the Dim-9200.
- Name & Version
- Find install disks
- Find Serial number or keys
It sounds like the SSD was C: inside the Dim-9200. You would completely erase the SSD and then install it in the XPS-8930. Use it however you want.
You re-install the programs normally/properly into the XPS-8930.
That old Windows-10 license from the Dim-9200. If it's retail-purchased, you can use it on a different machine. If it's somehow OEM - I'm suppose to tell you it's tied to that machine to stay legit.
dlpx
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March 27th, 2018 22:00
Thanks for your response.
I'd probably not be able to erase the SSD, I'll likely simply put it in as a secondary disk inside the new XPS. There is too much data which I'd like to save, I may have to install some of the key programs which I'll use periodically onto a new spare (NVMe) SSD which I presently have. I was hoping to somehow see if the old Windows 10 SSD would boot in the new XPS (with appropriate driver installs) but that may not be feasible.
The Windows 10 Pro license was part of the upgrade from Windows 7, I created an install disk, I am not sure how to find the install key for it. Worst case, I'll just go ahead and buy a new 64-bit Windows 10 pro license.
Just curious though ... Windows 10 comes pre-installed on a 1TB non-SSD drive. Would I be able to clone it onto my new SSD with it and use it to boot my new XPS?
Thanks for the tips!
Tesla1856
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March 27th, 2018 22:00
1. Data-files can be copied and saved anywhere.
2. If a Window-7 key was used to upgrade-to and Activate Windows-10, it will do so again later. When you start a clean Windows-10 install, enter that key. However, like I said ... I'm obligated to tell you that OEM keys are tied to the original machine.
3. The Windows-10 key for the XPS-8930 is stored in the motherboard's BIOS. You can read the key (with the proper tools) but you don't need to. If you Nuka-Pave this machine, Windows-10 Installer will see this serial-key and allow install. Later, it will Activate automatically as Legit.
Vic384
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March 28th, 2018 07:00
"Just curious though ... Windows 10 comes pre-installed on a 1TB non-SSD drive. Would I be able to clone it onto my new SSD with it and use it to boot my new XPS?"
Yes, you can clone the 1 TB HDD to your new NVMe SSD, but after cloning you will need to disconnect the HDD or boot using F12 since you can only have one bootable drive. Once everything is working you can re-initialize the HDD to use as backup data storage, by re-connecting the HDD and booting the NVMe with F12. I found it simpler to boot from rescue media created with Macrium Reflect free edition and using Diskpart from a Command Prompt. Just be careful you are re-initializing the correct drive.