[Solved] How to Move Operating System to Another Drive Without Reinstalling Windows and Apps

Author: Linda Updated on Dec 27, 2021 To Disk/Partition Clone | User Guide

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

This page offers a detailed tutorial guide on how to move your operating system to another drive without reinstalling Windows or your applications. We will walk you through preparing your computer with some tools before relocating the OS, and also provide subsequent tips on setting up your computer to boot from the new disk.

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Download an excellent System Migration Software - Hard Disk Cloning Tool

How do I transfer my operating system to a new hard drive?

"I want to copy my Windows system drive to a new one and have my computer 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 system partition with free partition manager software. But what if your system drive is full?

Usually, expanding the overall capacity of a computer by adding a new disk is a solution. However, using the new disk as a second data drive is not the optimal approach. It's wiser to migrate the entire operating system disk to the new one and switch system disks.

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

Disk Clone Tools - The Best OS Migration Utilities

Certainly, you don't want to spend a lot of time and effort reinstalling the operating system and all your applications on the new drive. Unlike data, installed programs can't simply be moved to another drive by pressing Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.

Cloning the entire system drive to a new one迁移到更大的磁盘上，可以将Windows operating system, installed applications, and disk data all move to the larger capacity drive.

For this, you need a professional disk cloning software to help you. AOMEI Partition Assistant can easily help you migrate the system to a new hard drive.

To ensure a smooth operating system disk migration, please activate the tool in advance as the Pro version. Click the button to get the activation key immediately:

Featuring an intuitive interface, it enables users of all levels to transfer OS to new hard drive or SSD for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP without reinstalling OS and applications.

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

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

Please follow the procedure for migrating the operating system to the new disk, and then set up the operating system on the new disk to be bootable.

Check your hard drive

One important thing! Make sure the new disk is the same size or larger than the original disk. Otherwise, the migration will fail. You can delete temporary files to free up disk space.

And your computer is not infected with a virus, and the operating system is not corrupted.

2. Preliminary Work

1. A new SSD (with a capacity greater than the used space on your old hard drive) 2. A screwdriver 3. A USB 3.0 to SSD/2.5-inch SATA adapter 4. Download disk cloning software - such as Disk Copy utility

Note: We also show the necessary tools in our video tutorial.

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

Step 1: Download, install, and run the Disk Copy utility on your computer.

Click “Disk Mode,” then select the hard drive you want to copy or clone. Click “Next” to continue.

Step 2: Select the target disk.

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

If prompted to erase the contents of the target disk, click OK.

Step 4: Check and edit the disk layout.

If the target disk is an SSD, please check the option “Target drive is SSD”.

Click “Continue” to begin the hard drive cloning process.

#4. Setting Up Windows OS Boot from New Hard Drive

Once the clone is complete, you'll need to perform one more step: configure your computer to boot the operating system from the new drive.

Step 1: Restart your computer and press F2/F12/Delete to enter BIOS.

Step 2: Enter the boot settings and change the boot order to set the system to boot from the new hard drive.

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

Reboot your computer, and you will find that nothing has changed: the operating system starts up as usual, applications work as they should, and your data is safely stored on disk.

The only difference is that you've swapped the drive, so you can now wipe its contents and use it as a second data drive.

Conclusions

On this page, we detail a complete process guiding you to switch your system disk to a new hard drive or SSD without reinstalling the OS and applications by using a disk cloning tool.

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