How to boot off old SSD

AkiraKurusu · Oct 7, 2022

I just got a new laptop (Asus ROG Strix Scar 17), but it's running Windows 11 on the M.2 NVME SSD it came with; however, I'd like to use my own M.2 NVME SSD that has Windows 10, along with all my files and stuff, from my older laptop.

I did try to boot straight off my SSD, but it didn't boot - just kept blue-screening with "unbootable drive" error. Is there a way I can rectify this, so I can just continue with all my stuff on Windows 10?

KleinesSinchen · Oct 8, 2022

AkiraKurusu said:
I just got a new laptop (Asus ROG Strix Scar 17), but it's running Windows 11 on the M.2 NVME SSD it came with; however, I'd like to use my own M.2 NVME SSD that has Windows 10, along with all my files and stuff, from my older laptop.

I did try to boot straight off my SSD, but it didn't boot - just kept blue-screening with "unbootable drive" error. Is there a way I can rectify this, so I can just continue with all my stuff on Windows 10?

My Windows knowledge is more than a bit rusty (XP times). Maybe everything I say below that line is outdated garbage. At least I tried... gathering some random leftover pieces information from the depth of my wrecked brain.

Please clarify: Is this really a Windows bluescreen (or an error message by the UEFI)?
I do know that Windows XP - in contrast to Linux - would often not survive "waking up" in a different machine and throw a bluescreen due to not having loaded the correct (or just generic) drivers for GPU, HDD (SATA bus), chipset...
Also had this problem on Windows 7 at least once.
No idea if Windows 10 is still unable to deal with something like that.

Assuming this is a Windows bluescreen due to hardware change (unbootable drive does NOT sound like this and made me think of an UEFI error rather than a Windows bluescreen):

For cloning Windows installation at university for student machines, we always ran "sysprep /generalize" before writing the HDD/SSD to an ntfsclone image. This worked for making it at least somewhat hardware independent. Make sure to read about this before just doing sysprep (and you should create a full image of the SSD before -- just in case something goes wrong).

DinohScene · Oct 8, 2022

I'd honestly say stick with what's in there now and connect your old NVMe to a external device to copy your data back.

Hayato213 · Oct 8, 2022

AkiraKurusu said:
I just got a new laptop (Asus ROG Strix Scar 17), but it's running Windows 11 on the M.2 NVME SSD it came with; however, I'd like to use my own M.2 NVME SSD that has Windows 10, along with all my files and stuff, from my older laptop.

I did try to boot straight off my SSD, but it didn't boot - just kept blue-screening with "unbootable drive" error. Is there a way I can rectify this, so I can just continue with all my stuff on Windows 10?

You can't boot drive from another computer

KleinesSinchen · Oct 8, 2022

Hayato213 said:
You can't boot drive from another computer

Really?
Is that new due to UEFI boot method and this small partition on boot devices?
It was possible to swap a HDD on BIOS based computers. Did this so many times.

In any case it should be possible to restore a Windows image to an new computer when taking care of the UEFI boot partition. I never really got into learning that stuff. It must be possible to migrate a whole system somehow. If it makes sense over just migrating user data and reinstalling software is another question.

impeeza · Oct 8, 2022

The old SSD is for another computer, the UEFI configuration, certificates, drivers and windows files are associated to the old computer, on newer configurations the boot and system files are encrypted to the hardware to avoid temper with them. as stated you best option is copy/migrate the files and user profile (ProfWiz of forensIT is you pal)

If you don't like Win11 you could reinstall Win10 on the new computer.

I personally hate the new start menu so I do use ExplorerPatcher which allow LOTS of explorer and menu start customization
https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher

JaapDaniels · Oct 8, 2022

Most likely your old windows installation was OEM, you'll need the old hardware first to find the registration key of your windows, and unlink it to that hardware (reverse to trial mode)...
For OEM license is linked to only one system at a time, and nowadays this isn't ignored but registrated, so ms will not allow you to symply reuse it on your new system.
Now you can reuse this trial windows version on your new hardware (but you might have to link the boot somehow, i'm not sure how to do that)
See:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...a-new-pc/758e4b3e-f25b-4a0f-bf9f-3c77eaf43a5a
You should be able to reuse your OEM key, but since you're violating the license agreement of OEM...

Just know that it will deliver almost no advantages over windows 11, just it looks different and settings are on different locations.

Hayato213 · Oct 8, 2022

KleinesSinchen said:
Really?
Is that new due to UEFI boot method and this small partition on boot devices?
It was possible to swap a HDD on BIOS based computers. Did this so many times.

In any case it should be possible to restore a Windows image to an new computer when taking care of the UEFI boot partition. I never really got into learning that stuff. It must be possible to migrate a whole system somehow. If it makes sense over just migrating user data and reinstalling software is another question.

He just going to get bluescreen since the hardware and the driver doesn't match

Sypherone · Oct 8, 2022

Without digging deeper, i might think it should work. But for the moment i cant tell. If not tryed already, try to get in safe mode. As last idea if nothing works, Microsoft has a tool to extract all user stuff and migrate to new PC.

Found this for Win 10:
If you had originally upgraded from a retail Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license to the Windows 10 free upgrade, yes, you can.

If Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 came preinstalled with your computers motherboard, what is known as a an OEM license, then you cannot.

Hayato213 · Oct 8, 2022

KleinesSinchen said:
Really?
Is that new due to UEFI boot method and this small partition on boot devices?
It was possible to swap a HDD on BIOS based computers. Did this so many times.

In any case it should be possible to restore a Windows image to an new computer when taking care of the UEFI boot partition. I never really got into learning that stuff. It must be possible to migrate a whole system somehow. If it makes sense over just migrating user data and reinstalling software is another question.

Only if the motherboard match with what the drive is looking for, if it doesn't it will just bluescreen and crashes. He probably has oem license

fringle · Oct 8, 2022

Hayato213 said:
You can't boot drive from another computer

Hayato213 said:
Only if the motherboard match with what the drive is looking for, if it doesn't it will just bluescreen and crashes. He probably has oem license

That's odd since earlier this year I swapped my kids hard drives around between their PC's with Windows 10 and everything went pretty smooth. One Motherboard is an MSI A88X-G45 Gaming and the other was an MSI GD65 Gaming. While the motherboards look very similar one is an AMD and the other Intel. I was thinking it wasn't going to work but to my surprise it all worked without a problem or any reinstall.

The only other real difference besides the CPU was the video cards, one had a GTX 770 and the other a GTX 960.

How to boot off old SSD

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