Dane Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 You should be able to do the first option - plug in SSD into one of the current HDD connections, put this HDD into another sata port - then install OS, set that as the boot device and go from there That's doing a fresh install won't it make it C:? So then if I have the other drive connected it'll also be c: until I format it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 Connect the ssd like any other disks (in a 6 Gb/s port). Connect it to a main sata port and not a sata port using a secondary controller like JMicron (usually the color of the secondary ports is different on the mb check your manual). Go to the bios and change the setting of the main controller to AHCI. Keep the setting of the secondary SATA controller to IDE if your mobo let you do that. Now there's 2 things you need to know. 1. Windows might not boot after doing so. I don't know which versions of Windows you have but do a search on google for "Switching from IDE to AHCI without re-installing Windows". You might have to do some registry editing or changing some ms config boot options for Windows to boot again. Do that before switching the main SATA controller to AHCI. 2. Your old disk drive (DVD, ...) might not work in AHCI. So if your MB doesn't have 2 sata controllers (ports will usually have different colors) you might have to keep using IDE mode. If your MB have 2 different sata controllers (most have) then you can plug the old disk drive to the secondary controller and keep this one in IDE mode in the BIOS. Might be better to keep the old HDD in IDE mode on the secondary controller if you can but not sure about it. Then keep the boot order to the 1TB HDD. Copy what you don't want on the ssd from your 1TB hdd to an external hdd. Keep on the 1Tb HDD only what you want to keep on the ssd. Then clone the hdd to the ssd using tools like AOMEI Backupper (see links above in a previous post). Go back to the bios and set the boot order to the ssd. If it works then format the HDD and copy back data from your external backup. If windows doesn't boot you can go back to IDE mode and it should boot again and you can extend your search about what you need to do to make it works in AHCI mode without re-installing. Some people recommend to install Intel Rapid Storage tech but not sure it's really needed. I highly recommend using windows 7 and above with a SSD. If I copy everything I want from the current 1tb main driver 500gig drive. Can I just forget everything in number 2 and install windows 8.1 using my flash drive? That way I don't need to clone anything. I have a few sata ports total as mentioned above. One is available. So I'll nuts plug the SSD into the 0 and move the others around. Is that fine? You have me confused about the secondary sata data port but a main one. My are color coded and numbered. Only sata 0 and sata 1 are 6gig/s. So I should be good using one of them right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 If I copy everything I want from the current 1tb main driver 500gig drive. Can I just forget everything in number 2 and install windows 8.1 using my flash drive? That way I don't need to clone anything. I have a few sata ports total as mentioned above. One is available. So I'll nuts plug the SSD into the 0 and move the others around. Is that fine? You have me confused about the secondary sata data port but a main one. My are color coded and numbered. Only sata 0 and sata 1 are 6gig/s. So I should be good using one of them right? I can't edit my post. However according to HP this is my motherboard. http://images.esellerpro.com/2131/I/123/389/1.JPG It says sata 0 and 1 are 6gig/s. However in another picture those two sata 4 and sata 5 are shown as the 2 6gig/s. Which one is correct? This is the board http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-ENVY-700-Desktop-PC-series/5358989/model/5362531/document/c03132942/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CG-88 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 That's doing a fresh install won't it make it C:? So then if I have the other drive connected it'll also be c: until I format it. I think you can make the new SS the primary and it will default to C. Then the old drive that was C wont be visible until you change the drive letter or it will be visible but get defaulted a different drive letter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 I think you can make the new SS the primary and it will default to C. Then the old drive that was C wont be visible until you change the drive letter or it will be visible but get defaulted a different drive letter Thanks, I'll try this first. Just go into disk management and right click on it and change the drive letter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaP Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 If I copy everything I want from the current 1tb main driver 500gig drive. Can I just forget everything in number 2 and install windows 8.1 using my flash drive? That way I don't need to clone anything. I have a few sata ports total as mentioned above. One is available. So I'll nuts plug the SSD into the 0 and move the others around. Is that fine? You have me confused about the secondary sata data port but a main one. My are color coded and numbered. Only sata 0 and sata 1 are 6gig/s. So I should be good using one of them right? Most MB have 2 sata controllers. Each controller have some ports "controlled" by it. In the bios you will be able to set the AHCI or IDE mode independently for each controller. Anyway this is how the mobos worked when i bought mine (5 years ago) but it might work differently now i have not build a PC since this one. Ports are usually color coded. On my MB the blues one are intel controller and the black ones (and eSata one) are JMicron controller. The JMicron controller is set to IDE and the DVD drive is plugged into one of the black port. The intel controller is set to AHCI and my SSDs are plugged into blue ports. Read the mobo manual it should be explained which ports are "controlled" by which controller. Maybe your DVD is newer than mine and works in AHCI mode but mine doesn't. I need to plug it into a JMicro sata port and set the JMicron controller to IDE for the DVD drive to work. If you re-install windows (i recommend it) then no need to care about backing up the OS. Just backup your personal files (it should already be done better be safe then sorry with important personal data) to an external drive and re-install windows to the SSD and reformat all the drives while doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaP Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I can't edit my post. However according to HP this is my motherboard. http://images.esellerpro.com/2131/I/123/389/1.JPG It says sata 0 and 1 are 6gig/s. However in another picture those two sata 4 and sata 5 are shown as the 2 6gig/s. Which one is correct? This is the board http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-ENVY-700-Desktop-PC-series/5358989/model/5362531/document/c03132942/ Oh God help us HP ... They don't even have a manual for their MBs i think. Well i guess the 6gbs ports have a different controller than the 3gbs ports. Try to find in the bios if you can set a different mode for individual ports. If not then try the DVD drive in AHCI. If you re-install you'll be able to test it anyway it's blazing fast to install windows on a SSD. The thing to know is SSD works better in AHCI mode. I think it doesn't matter for HDD (not sure i don't have any in my PC and never tried it). Some DVD drives like mine are not working in AHCI mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 Most MB have 2 sata controllers. Each controller have some ports "controlled" by it. In the bios you will be able to set the AHCI or IDE mode independently for each controller. Anyway this is how the mobos worked when i bought mine (5 years ago) but it might work differently now i have not build a PC since this one. Ports are usually color coded. On my MB the blues one are intel controller and the black ones (and eSata one) are JMicron controller. The JMicron controller is set to IDE and the DVD drive is plugged into one of the black port. The intel controller is set to AHCI and my SSDs are plugged into blue ports. Read the mobo manual it should be explained which ports are "controlled" by which controller. Maybe your DVD is newer than mine and works in AHCI mode but mine doesn't. I need to plug it into a JMicro sata port and set the JMicron controller to IDE for the DVD drive to work. If you re-install windows (i recommend it) then no need to care about backing up the OS. Just backup your personal files (it should already be done better be safe then sorry with important personal data) to an external drive and re-install windows to the SSD and reformat all the drives while doing so. No manual for this MB. Oh God help us HP ... They don't even have a manual for their MBs i think. Well i guess the 6gbs ports have a different controller than the 3gbs ports. Try to find in the bios if you can set a different mode for individual ports. If not then try the DVD drive in AHCI. If you re-install you'll be able to test it anyway it's blazing fast to install windows on a SSD. The thing to know is SSD works better in AHCI mode. I think it doesn't matter for HDD (not sure i don't have any in my PC and never tried it). Some DVD drives like mine are not working in AHCI mode. I'm going to take a guess that the ports on the far right are 6GB's if I plug it in there, is there a way to test that it is a 6gb/s? What should I look for in the bios? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaP Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I'm going to take a guess that the ports on the far right are 6GB's if I plug it in there, is there a way to test that it is a 6gb/s? What should I look for in the bios? 6x SATA 2.0 connectors (SATA 0 - 1 @ 6 Gb/s, SATA 2 -5 @ 3 Gb/s) The cool thing is sata 6gbs is sata 3 but the spec on HP website says 6 sata 2 ports yet 2 of them are 6gbs Well it's really different from bios to bios. Without a manual hard to tell. Just search for options with AHCI and IDE values in the bios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 6x SATA 2.0 connectors (SATA 0 - 1 @ 6 Gb/s, SATA 2 -5 @ 3 Gb/s) The cool thing is sata 6gbs is sata 3 but the spec on HP website says 6 sata 2 ports yet 2 of them are 6gbs Well it's really different from bios to bios. Without a manual hard to tell. Just search for options with AHCI and IDE values in the bios. Thanks, I'll poke around in the bios but not too sure what I am to look for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 So I didn't find anything in the bios. I just found out as well there is no option to boot from USB.....WHAT?! http://imgur.com/xUefRg4,o4HZaVC,DlGHadU there are some pictures from my bios. Not seeing too much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaP Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 So I didn't find anything in the bios. I just found out as well there is no option to boot from USB.....WHAT?! http://imgur.com/xUefRg4,o4HZaVC,DlGHadU there are some pictures from my bios. Not seeing too much Looks like a terribad mobo and bios. But not surprising from HP. http://i.imgur.com/o4HZaVC.jpg That's the option. But looks like it sets all the ports to AHCI. Maybe try looking in the advanced section to see if there's a second option to set other ports to IDE. Or simply try installing windows with the DVD/BD drive set to AHCI mode to see if it works. Mine doesn't but yours might works in AHCI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts