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I bought a new computer (ASUS G551JM) with a hard disk drive (1TB 7200 RPM), but I want to transfer the OS (and everything else) onto my Samsung EVO 840 (500GB). However, when I purchased the SSD from Samsung, I did not purchase the laptop kit.

I'm wondering whether I can clone the OS from the hard disk drive onto my SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 (32GB), and then onto the SSD.

My ultimate goals are to save $120 by not buying another copy of Windows 8.1 and to retain all the pre-installed drivers and software from ASUS.

Giacomo1968
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TechEnthusiast
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  • what is your c: drive size? i mean used space size. – Haplo Nov 01 '14 at 07:29
  • My laptop is still in the mail, but I suspect it'll be less than 32GB. If I'm mistaken, I apologize. – TechEnthusiast Nov 01 '14 at 07:31
  • Why not simply use the software installed on Windows 8.1 to make a recovery image (from memory its can easily fit on a USB key or 2 DVD's - its about about 6 gigs), then replace the drive and use the USB key ? If my understanding is correct, I expect that like Dell, ASUS will use an OEM disk which does not require validation - but even if you do requre a key there are lots of free tools you can run on your existing install to extract your Windows key from the registry. [ I recently did something a bit similar with a Dell laptop I bought ] – davidgo Nov 01 '14 at 07:34
  • then i would suggest imaging your C: partition to Sandisk drive then you could restore it to SSD. Similar to what @magicandre1981 suggested but you wouldn't have to buy additional equipment. – Haplo Nov 01 '14 at 07:34
  • Thank you, Davidgo and Haplo. When I tried to create installation media for Windows 8.1 on my current ASUS laptop, the Windows 8.1 Setup program did not accept the product key that I had extracted with Belarc Advisor and, therefore, I could not create a bootable USB flash drive with the installation media on it. Nonetheless, would I simply need to install the SSD and then boot from a USB that has the image of my C: partition? – TechEnthusiast Nov 01 '14 at 08:05
  • I just realized that I may have caused some confusion. I referenced my current ASUS laptop because my new one is also an ASUS, and Davidgo mentioned the possibility of needing a product key to validate Windows. I'm assuming that I will go through the same problem on my new ASUS laptop--that is, if I attempt to use the Windows 8.1 Setup program to reinstall/transfer/clone (not sure which one is the most appropriate term) Windows 8.1 onto either the USB or the SSD. – TechEnthusiast Nov 01 '14 at 08:21
  • You should edit your question then. I don't know if cloning the disk would keep activation information since your hardware will change. I think you should try it out though. Not much to lose. – Haplo Nov 01 '14 at 11:26
  • The hardware will stay the same. I plan to "transfer" Windows 8.1 from the new computer's HDD to the SSD. – TechEnthusiast Nov 01 '14 at 12:05
  • Would this whole process be easier if I just buy Windows 8.1 again and visit ASUS' website to download all the software for my laptop? – TechEnthusiast Nov 01 '14 at 12:11
  • Windows ties the activation to the motherboard's hardware ID, which is checked upon the first run of Windows Update, so as long as the motherboard isn't changing, the activation won't be an issue. Windows natively supports capturing a WIM of the OS and re-deploying it to a different drive via Dism (a laptop upgrade kit isn't needed and it's less efficient than using Dism directly) – JW0914 Aug 04 '23 at 12:05

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If no one suggest you anything better you always can try to use Windows backup. To be honest never tried it for Windows 8.1, but theoretically should work (at least there is no risk to try it)

Aleksandr Chehrov
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Forget about the 32gb USB stick - simply clone the main drive directly to the SATA SSD via the cable using the easeus software. Key will get transferred with the image. Swap the 1TB hdd with the SSD then boot. Should startup fine.

JohnnyVegas
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I've used an USB 3.0 to SATA adapter to connect the SSD to my laptop:

enter image description here
(example, not the one I used).

Now I used EaseUS Partition Manager to clone the HDD to the SSD. When this is finished I removed the HDD from my Laptop and added the SSD.

Now you can use the SSD and put the HDD into an external USB3.0 HDD enclosure.

magicandre1981
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  • Thank you for your reply. The SSD 840 EVO 2.5-inch SATA 500GB also comes with a laptop-kit version that includes the Migration Software, USB3.0 to SATA Cable, and Drive Spacer. However, I purchased only the internal SSD, so I don't have the USB3.0 to SATA Cable. Would it be possible to use my SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 (32GB) as the intermediary hardware instead? – TechEnthusiast Nov 01 '14 at 07:29
  • I think the 32GB drive is too small. Such a cable is not that expensive. – magicandre1981 Nov 01 '14 at 07:37
  • Yes, it's not expensive. However, before spending an additional $20 or $30 on a USB3.0 to SATA Cable, I want to try to find a few alternatives. – TechEnthusiast Nov 01 '14 at 08:09
  • If you had that cable i would say use it, but if you have not, that Sandisk drive would be a lot more handy imho. – Haplo Nov 01 '14 at 11:16