Decisions, decisions. Which laptop?

[Theo]

The reasoning behind swapping out the DVD is to move the Libraries (default location Windows uses) which would keep the speed of the SSD and no noticeable drop in transfer rate when accessing the Libraries because the DVD is connected via SATA. Going to USB/Firewire is the more cumbersome/slower route.

Do the DVD swap and buy an external DVD if you need to retain an optical drive. Good old YouTube shows how simple it is - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LmQJI1Vl4g.

My personal method is:
Copy the Libraries onto a backup drive
Delete the Libraries content from C:
Clone HDD to SSD via USB
Swap HDD for SSD and ensure it boots
Install HDD to DVD converter
Format HDD
Move Libraries from SSD to HDD (C:\Users\*name* RIGHT click each Library > Properties > Location > Move)

Thanks for the help everyone.

Some questions on the above.

1. Where do I find all the libraries/
2. Will a drag and drop of all the folders on the HDD be OK to produce the clone?

Not at all sure that I am up to this...

N

[Chris M]

Theo, your best method would be - Gatwick > Brisbane > Gold Coast > Surfers Paradise. Spend the day on the beach while I do the job, night out at Platinum nightclub and return trip the next day. Easy!

With all due respect, and based on your above questions, I would call a couple of local repair shops for quotes. The job isn't particularly hard but does require a basic knowledge of how Windows operates. The difference between copying and cloning is exactly the same as twins and Dolly the Sheep. Twins may look the same, but they are not the same.

For the sake of completion, bearing in mind I have access to better tools and software than the average user, I would:
Clone the existing drive to a spare HDD so I have a fail safe way in case things go pear shaped (I use either MiniTool or EaseUS software, but there is perfectly good free software available)
IF the existing drive and all the data will fit on the SSD I clone to the SSD, physically swap the drives and job done!
IF the existing drive and all the data is larger than the SSD, I delete all Documents, Pictures, Music etc from within the Libraries (NOT the Libraries themselves)
Clone the existing drive to the SSD
Swap the existing drive for the SSD

Moving the Libraries:
Boot into Windows from your new SSD, open File Explorer and format the old HDD by RIGHT clicking the old HDD and choosing format (quick)
From within File Explorer navigate to the HDD and create your new Library folders (Docs, Pics, Desk, Downloads, Music, Video are the usual)
From within File Explorer navigate to - C:\Users\user name
RIGHT click each of the Libraries you want to move and choose 'Properties'
Click the 'Location' tab
Click 'Move'
Navigate to the corresponding folder on the HDD and click 'Select Folder'
You will be asked if you want to move the contents, say yes even though the existing folder is empty
Copy the original Library data from the first cloned drive to it's new home on the HDD

Cloning the original drive to a spare HDD is a perfect backup and relieves all the worry of something going wrong because you can simply clone it back again. It's like stepping back in time.

[handrawn]

foloowing on from what chris has said:

in windows OS 'libraries' are the places that windows has set up for you to keep your userfiles such as the 'my documents' folder - like a lot of people I save userfiles in other places and it's important to make sure these don't get overlooked

there are lots of programs to deal with disk imaging/cloning such as those mentioned and acronis true image which i use [not free] and macrium - I use acronis to make regular offline images of the whole syatem as backup - files can be extracted, or the image restored, if the OS gets infected beyond repair

as I understand it, cloning to a new computer is a seperated process whereby the the system on one computer is adapted to the system on the new computer to take account of the differences in the hardware etc as it is installed - in my experience it is never 100%

whether you attempt it yourself, or get someone else to do it, I would also strongly recommend an offline backup image is made first, and kept aside, just in case [which is what chris is refering to as 'cloning the original drive to a spare HDD' - you could use a flash drive if it is large enough and not a 'cheap throwaway', but it does need to be stored longterm somewhere where it is unlikely to get overwritten accidentaly]

[Theo]

Of course!

I was reverting to the old BBC days when the library was where you would put commonly used procedures.

N

[Chris M]

Acronis is an excellent software program, trusted and used at corporate level. Acronis is capable of imaging a drive and cloning which, as Handrawn states, is a completely different process.

Taking an image can be likened to creating a .web or .xar file. You need Xara to open the file again. Likewise if you create a drive image in Acronis you need Acronis to reimage. If your drive is brand new this means using a bootable USB or DVD with Acronis preloaded to install the image, or loading Windows and Acronis and then overwriting.

Cloning is an exact copy of the drive byte for byte (pixel for pixel keeping to the graphics theme), it alters nothing. Cloning a drive to go back in the same machine is by far the safest and quickest way Using a backup solution for everyday running is only slightly less important than your heartbeat, but it isn't the best way to swap one drive to another on the same machine. Think of a RAID setup, the most common being 'mirror' or RAID 1. This setting clones the data simultaneously to 2 identical drives. Cloning isn't a backup tool, sure it can be used as one, but it's sole purpose in life is to take ALL the data from one place and unceremoniously plonk it into another place. Everything will be in the same place, icons, programs, personal data, Google and Facebook spying cookies, even the settings you changed that now annoy you but you forgot how to change back.

[handrawn]

point taken re-clone

I have been using acronis for nigh on 15 years it is on that very short list of cannot do without programs...

[pauland]

Theo you're getting a lot of advice. I understand the process of upgrading to SSD and have done the DVD-drive SSD swap.

If you buy a new machine and play these games, please remember you may screw up your warranty too, so for that reason alone I would suggest buying the machine you want rather than a new machine to mess about with.

My wife has a Dell laptop that she always complained was slow. It was. I cloned the HD to an SSD and swapped it. She has had this machine now for several years and has not complained about the speed since the SSD was installed.

SSDs are now pretty cheap. My wife has a machine with a 240GB SSD and is nowhere near full.

Your machine is getting old, but you will be amazed at how much faster it is with an SSD. The requirements for Xara software are quite modest, so probably the SSD swap will make you happy. It's the easiest thing to try.

A 480GB drive is very cheap to buy. A 1 TB drive can be bought for circa £150. Check how much space you are actually using and will need.

I wouldn't do the DVD-drive swap-out.

Have a think. I currently use a laptop with a 500GB SSD only. I have a network drive attached via WiFi and I also supplement my storage a bit using a 128GB low-profile USB drive that is permanently plugged in.

Over the years our family has bought loads of Dell machines - they tend to be cheaper and easier to upgrade/repair than some other makes. My wife once purchased a Sony Vaio. It was super stylish and she loved it but had big issues with the power supply plug and replacement parts were problematic to source. We will never buy another.

Good luck and keep it simple. Go for an SSD clone and swap-in or buy another machine.

[handrawn]

I would agree with Paul re the invalidation of manufactures warranty; I have a laptop I swapped the HDD for SDD; that involved dismantling the laptop because the HDD was not in it's own caddy, but integral and that makes a lot of difference

one 500GB SSD is fine for that machine, I didn't swap out the DVD [which also would have meant some dismantling] - paying someone to do this has to be offset against the cost of a new compiter; new computers give you a good chance to reasses your actual need

On my main computer I have total 1TB SSD; it is fast, but not enough because I deal with a lot of uncompressed music and a lot of high res images, so I still need external [HDD] storage of several TB

it all depends what you want/need/do...

keep it simple, yes

[handrawn]

sauce!

[gwpriester]

Do they sell Keith Richard's favorite sauce in Mumbai? Just curious.