Problems upgrading SSD and RAM

[anonymous-user]

Hi folks, I’m trying to eke out a few more years life from an old laptop I use in my workshop. It’s a 5 year old HP with 8 GB RAM and 500GB hard drive. I used crucial to run a scan and as the old HDD only had around 180GB on it I went for a 500GB SSD and 16GB RAM. The laptops only used for YouTube in the workshop and zwift for my turbo trainer.

Apart from the fact it’s taken 35 days for the items to arrive I’ve now received them and followed the crucial install videos. It directs me to clone the new SSD using a USB to SATA cable using acronis. I’ve done that, fitted the new SSD and RAM but now when booting have a message saying ‘repairing disk errors’. It’s been on that for 4 hours now.

A quick google suggests I shouldn’t have followed crucial’s advice and should have cloned the new SSD after fitting it inside the laptop and attaching the HDD to the USB to SATA cable. There’s lots of criticism for crucial’s advice online.

Any ideas on what to do please? Leave it? Try again? Burn it and buy a new one?

[AlexC1981]

If you have access to another PC, go to the Microsoft website and use their media creation tool to download a fresh copy of Windows 10 onto a USB memory stick.

Restart your laptop with the USB stick inserted and use the tool to wipe the SSD and install a totally fresh copy of Windows 10. If you already had Windows 10 on the laptop before, you don't need to worry about licences or keys.

If you have any files on your old hard drive that you want, you can put it in a USB external caddy. These caddies are only £10 and always handy to have around for backing up stuff.

[xeny]

For older laptops you pretty much have to have the SSD on the USB connection as they won't necessarily boot windows from an external hard drive, and I've never had problems with that approach.

I'd be tempted to swap the drives back and format the SSD from the windows install, and possible install the Crucial monitoring tool in your current Windows install to check the SSD's health.

Where did you order from that delivery took 35 days to arrive? Amazon have 500GB MX 500s in stock for next day delivery.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks Alex, that makes sense. I take it I need to instruct the machine to boot from the USB? Is that in bios or will it just know?

While I’m at the point, I actually only cloned the disk as an easier option. Ideally I’d prefer a completely fresh install as I have no files I’d like to keep. I take it this route will achieve that?

[anonymous-user]

xeny said:

For older laptops you pretty much have to have the SSD on the USB connection as they won't necessarily boot windows from an external hard drive, and I've never had problems with that approach.

I'd be tempted to swap the drives back and format the SSD from the windows install, and possible install the Crucial monitoring tool in your current Windows install to check the SSD's health.

Where did you order from that delivery took 35 days to arrive? Amazon have 500GB MX 500s in stock for next day delivery.

Direct from crucial memory after hearing their name whenever these questions arise. Looking at the reviews, they’ve been st for about 6 months.

So are you suggesting keeping the hdd in and attaching the ssd via usb at the same time?

[AlexC1981]

sebdangerfield said:

Thanks Alex, that makes sense. I take it I need to instruct the machine to boot from the USB? Is that in bios or will it just know?

While I’m at the point, I actually only cloned the disk as an easier option. Ideally I’d prefer a completely fresh install as I have no files I’d like to keep. I take it this route will achieve that?

I like a fresh installation. Cloning an old drive feels like putting on yesterday's underpants after a shower!

Yes. It might give you can option to repair, or wipe and reinstall. You might need to use the tool to create a new partition, but it should be fairly self explanatory if you follow the on screen instructions.

It will probably automatically boot from the USB, but if it doesnt you need to find the key to press during boot that lets you choose a temporary boot device. Google suggests on HP laptops it's either Escape, F10 or F9.

[mmm-five]

Used to order mine direct from Crucial but since Brexit, everything has become more painful (especially returns, where you 'may' be liable for import duty & taxes on the replacement, considering you ordered it from a UK website/company and sent the RMA back to a UK address) and I've been ordering from Amazon/ebuyer instead since beginning of this year.

[sociopath]

AlexC1981 said:

sebdangerfield said:

Thanks Alex, that makes sense. I take it I need to instruct the machine to boot from the USB? Is that in bios or will it just know?

While I’m at the point, I actually only cloned the disk as an easier option. Ideally I’d prefer a completely fresh install as I have no files I’d like to keep. I take it this route will achieve that?

I like a fresh installation. Cloning an old drive feels like putting on yesterday's underpants after a shower!

Yes. It might give you can option to repair, or wipe and reinstall. You might need to use the tool to create a new partition, but it should be fairly self explanatory if you follow the on screen instructions.

It will probably automatically boot from the USB, but if it doesnt you need to find the key to press during boot that lets you choose a temporary boot device. Google suggests on HP laptops it's either Escape, F10 or F9.

I did a clean install from a USB and its by far the best and quickest option. Gives you the option to delete the partitions on the ssd so you don't need to worry about what you've done to it previously.

One note, when it gets to its first reboot during install, don't miss the timeout! Take the USB key out before it restarts otherwise you'll end up with multiple installs.
I'm now running win 10 on ssd and 16gb on a 10-ish year old laptop, works fine and nice quick on start up now

[Mr Pointy]

sebdangerfield said:

Thanks Alex, that makes sense. I take it I need to instruct the machine to boot from the USB? Is that in bios or will it just know?

While I’m at the point, I actually only cloned the disk as an easier option. Ideally I’d prefer a completely fresh install as I have no files I’d like to keep. I take it this route will achieve that?

If you don't need to keep any of your old programs or files a fresh install is the best way to go. Put the new SSD into the PC & use the Windows 10 Media Installer created on a USB stick to install Win 10 onto the SSD. Here's a couple of links which might help: one is the Media Installation Media link to Microsoft & the other is a guide to the process. Note I haven't tried this recently but it should still work & there are plenty of other guides online if you search..

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/...
https://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-inst...

You'll need to make the USB stick bootable (Google for instructions) & set the PC BIOS Boot list to include USB, it doesn't have to be at the top but it needs to be in the list.

[anonymous-user]

Folks, thankyou so much for the help. I’ll go for a clean windows install. The only USB I have is an encrypted one for work. I assume that won’t work? I do have an external HDD though, will that work?

[Greenmantle]

sebdangerfield said:

Folks, thankyou so much for the help. I’ll go for a clean windows install. The only USB I have is an encrypted one for work. I assume that won’t work? I do have an external HDD though, will that work?

yep clean install every time. If you have the Windows 10 License key then there is no issue. Create a bootable pen drive using rufus and copy the windows 10 iso on to it.

[Mr Pointy]

sebdangerfield said:

Folks, thankyou so much for the help. I’ll go for a clean windows install. The only USB I have is an encrypted one for work. I assume that won’t work? I do have an external HDD though, will that work?

No, that USB drive probably won't work & I've never tried it from a HDD. You should be able to get a USB stick tomorrow:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDCZ50-128G-B35-C...

Be careful about buying USB sticks as there are a lot of fakes around. Stick with reputable brands & preferably delivered by Amazon.

[Glosphil]

I bought a device from 7dayshop. Two slots take SATA HDs or SSDs. Press a button & slot 1 is bit copied to slot 2 producing a clone copy. Cost around £20-£25 if I remember. Also has a USB connection to enable 1 or 2 HDs or SSDs to be connected externally to a computer.

Device is made by Blueendless. Can be bought for less than £20.

[AlexC1981]

The USB stick only needs to be 8GB so a cheap one from the supermarket would do.

If you have an SD card from an old camera or smartphone and a USB card reader that might work. I've used one to install linux and the installer treated it as if it was a normal USB memory stick. Windows usually sees them as USB sticks.

Or the old fashioned way of burning a DVD.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks all. I’ll grab a usb today and try that. It’s had windows on previously but it’s an old machine from work so I don’t have the key. I’ll see if it works. I assume if it doesn’t I can then just enter my card details to get it registered?

[Mr Pointy]

sebdangerfield said:

Thanks all. I’ll grab a usb today and try that. It’s had windows on previously but it’s an old machine from work so I don’t have the key. I’ll see if it works. I assume if it doesn’t I can then just enter my card details to get it registered?

Is there a sticker on the bottom of the PC? If not Windows may still find the key to activate itself.

[anonymous-user]

Yes, there’s a windows sticker underneath. That might make things easier if it can authenticate the software.

Im watching the match with my dad then I’ll see if I can get a usb locally and give it a go. I’ve got six encrypted usbs but none of them have the option to remove the encryption! Daft really to not own something so common!

[jet_noise]

sebdangerfield said:

xeny said:

For older laptops you pretty much have to have the SSD on the USB connection as they won't necessarily boot windows from an external hard drive, and I've never had problems with that approach.

I'd be tempted to swap the drives back and format the SSD from the windows install, and possible install the Crucial monitoring tool in your current Windows install to check the SSD's health.

Where did you order from that delivery took 35 days to arrive? Amazon have 500GB MX 500s in stock for next day delivery.

Direct from crucial memory after hearing their name whenever these questions arise. Looking at the reviews, they’ve been st for about 6 months.

So are you suggesting keeping the hdd in and attaching the ssd via usb at the same time?

Oh joy. I'm awaiting an SSD for my desktop as the old drive expired. I don't recall any delivery estimates when I placed my order but ordering from an apparently UK site stating Royal Mail 24 as shipping service didn't ring any alarm bells.
Looking at the parcel tracking it started in Prague on the 15th, and has spent 2 days in the Hague clearing customs having journeyed via Pulheim.

[anonymous-user]

That’s pretty much exactly what mine did. It then stayed in Greenford for three weeks then turned up. It’s couriered by spring, who I’d never heard of previously. When I complained I noticed all of the recent poor reviews.

[anonymous-user]

Just wanted to update the thread and pass on my thanks again for the help from everyone.

I bought a flash drive this morning and just put a fresh install of windows on the laptop, it's like Alex said earlier, it's like I've got a clean pair of pants on now!

I had a little trouble with the bios requesting an admin password but when I realised I could still go to the boot menu it was all sorted. The old laptop almost feels too quick for the workshop now!