I bought a MSI GE60 Apache Pro the specs are listed on my profile if you need to know more. So I voided the warranty immediately to install the SSD and haven't been able to take advantage of it yet which is greatly disappointing. The msata drive is a 256GB Samsung EVO SSD and I used Samsung's cloning software to clone my HDD to the SSD, I don't know if there is a better program yall can recommend or if that one is fine. But I cloned the hard drive just fine as far as I can tell and then I reboot and go into the bios and I can only select Boot from hard drive it does not specify which one. Then through watching you tube videos there is another option in the bios that is supposed to let me pick one and in the videos it works it shows 2 different drives but when I do it they both just say windows boot manager. I tried picking the 2nd windows boot manager assuming that would be the ssd and windows wouldn't load when I rebooted the circle thing just spun and spun so I figure that is not it because I tried it again to try and trouble shoot it.
I can normally figure things out if I keep playing with it but this has got me stumped so I need help from the Good Ole Tek Syndicate Forums You guys are the best THANK YOU in advance and if any screen shots are needed let me know ill do whatever it takes to clone it and not have to do a fresh install because there are to many drivers to hunt down MSI website does not have up to date drivers and you have to hunt them down and there are quite a few msi and intel specific programs needed to optimize the laptop.
Also I almost forgot I called Samsung trying to get help and the guy I spoke to said I have to update the bios which I did and it didn't work. so like I said and screen shots or need any more info don't hesitate I'm on a mission to figure this out.
(Also if I posted in the wrong place please do not delete just move me to the right place THANK YOU)
im trying to clone without losing my data don't want to do a fresh install I mean I could try the options he says to uncheck in the beginning don't know if that will help
Yeah I tried and I don't have any of those options look at the pictures I posted that's no help
You can clone the whole drive, but not just Windows. Even if you could clone just Windows, you would have to reinstall everything anyways because all the other programs won't be in the location Windows will think it is (your SSD would be the new C: drive, and it will think all programs are in C: but they would be on the HDD which would now be the D: drive). Basically you either clone the whole drive or you start fresh, and since you can't clone the whole drive since you don't have the space, you have to reinstall Windows and all your programs.
I definitely have enough space to clone the whole drive. I know its possible I did it on my desktop a while ago it was just simpler and all I did was have to select it in the bios and it became the c drive and when I booted Windows had to repair and that was it. There has to be a way to do it I will reinstall all my programs if I have to I just absolutely do not want to hunt down all the drivers. I can not remember what its called but isn't there a program that lists all your programs in a txt file so you can reinstall them all. Do you guys know what it is?
Ok so update I tried using a new program called clone drive and for some reason couldn't get it to work the tried one called backup todo and I cloned according to instructions tried unplugging the HDD so only the SSD was plugged in and it would boot straight to bios ugh it seems the Samsung program is the best even tho when you clone with it, it says that its 10 GB less than it should be still looking for a solution I know someone can help me I might move the topic to laptops because I think I will get more views and help.
Did you look at the pictures I posted? its not there. Windows reads it I'm having trouble cloning and finding it to boot from. Did you not read my post?
Your post is hard to read to be fair. Paragraph's, punctuation and structure would encourage more people to read. Seeing a cluster-fuck of tech text is enough to even put the most hardcore LOTR's fan off.
Also, I never said you had to install from scratch; I didn't. I used the video linked above to get the UEFI to see the drive as a boot drive, then cloned and booted perfectly.
You didn't think it through anyway, there's easy way round this. Just create an image backup using Windows. Then install your mSSD, install a fresh copy of windows, then restore the backup from USB / DVD or whatever. The only trouble you are having as far as I can see is getting the BIOS to boot from the drive.
Also, did you try both Windows Boot Manager options?
Yeah I tried both and It was late last night when I wrote it Ill try to fix it and word it better. What programs did you use. Also I didn't know what part of the video you were trying to show me sorry didn't mean to offend if I did. Any help at all is appreciated. Also if I make a back up what will I have to reinstall if anything? Sorry stupid question just have never made a back up before.
I actually don't think I did a bad job punctuating it. I added some spaces and reworded a part or two. I'm kinda getting upset with it and if I cant figure it out soon. I'm going to take it to a local computer shop which I absolutely would hate to do. But I spent $200 on a SSD and not even using it is upsetting.
Like I said and in the pictures, I updated bios, and then I can't select the ssd the pictures show that when I try to pick a drive it just says windows boot manager for both drives im creating a back up now and going to do a fresh install of windows on the ssd and will report back to see if it works. People still please comment I need all the help I can get Ive never ran into this problem before I don't understand why its not showing the drive labeled in the bios.
Maybe MSI did it to prevent you from trying to upgrade it yourself I don't know but it is really bothering me.
I made a usb using the direction straight from microsoft and now cant get it to boot from it changed the boot order and it still booting from the hard drive this is getting frustrating Ive never had this much trouble with something so simple.
UPDATE: So I made a back up of everything on a external hardrive Then I made a Windows boot flashdrive and installed a clean install of windows on it and got it to boot then I unplugged the HDD and it wouldn't boot to windows at all just went straight to bios So I got it to boot to the clean install of windows I formatted the HDD then I used the restore from iso to use my back up on to the SSD well I tried it twice each time taking about 2 hours and both times the restore went back on to the HDD instead of the SSD On top of the when I go into the bios where it said windows boot manager and its only showing one slot there now instead of 2 this has me totally stumped.
I know there has to be a way to do this I just don't believe I have to manually reinstall everything maybe cloning wont work but the damn back up should have.
I can't turn UEFI off these are my options and when I switch to legacy the BBS option disappeared And see the second windows boot manager option disappeared I'm so confused with this Also I'm pretty sure where it says Windows Boot Manager is where I'm supposed to select the hard drive boot order but for some reason its not listing the names of the drives and there's only 1 there now when there was 2 if you look at the first pictures I posted
What I don't understand is even with a clean install of Windows it won't boot from the SSD when I remove the HDD It just goes to the bios but when I had Windows installed on both not all the times but a couple times it gave me the option to pick which partition to boot from. It just doesn't make sense to me at all I just have to figure this out I won't let this beat me. I desperately need help I wish I could directly message @Logan or @Wendell for advice.
And then do have a completely formatted HDD and have Windows only installed on the SSD and to restore from back up it goes onto the HDD instead of the SSD and Windows and all my programs and files are exactly the way it was. So that proves that it can be done for those saying it can't be. It is just figuring out how to make it work properly.
