Replace old HDD with SSHD

[trevortron]

The o/h's old-ish laptop has started making funny noises, it sounds like the HDD is screeching occasionally. The machine is actually quite a nice HP Elitebook running Win7 x32 and to be fair it has worked flawlessly since new. I would like to replace the old drive before it dies.
I've seen a new WD 750 + 16GB SSHD for £50 which seems a fair price, and I would like to replace the old one before it dies.
Nothing on the old drive is irreplaceable but I would prefer to copy the original o/s (with all the correct drivers) to the SS part of the new drive and use the mechanical part for storage.
Is this possible, (not too difficult) or am I better to do a clean Win7 install?

Any advice appreciated, TIA.

 

[spud1966]

check this thread out m8

Make copy of Windows XP install

 

[little_pob]

Word to the wise; the user can't dictate what goes on to the solid state section of an SSHD. The firmware of the SSHD decides for you.

 

[trevortron]

Word to the wise; the user can't dictate what goes on to the solid state section of an SSHD. The firmware of the SSHD decides for you.

Wow, that's clever. And gives me a bit of peace of mind. My application is somewhat simpler than the Xp/7 dual-boot in the video, so hopefully it'll go smoothly.

 

[herka]

The fresh install of any Win product is always get some plus performance for some days/months.
If can be able there are no problem with the hdd cloning.
If you can attach the new hdd to the laptop, then you can copy your data's first to the hdd place, then you can shrink the drive C: to 16 GB (if that's enough-I think its too small for a Win) then a simple cloning can make the trick (ex.: CloneZilla).

 

[fus10n]

MiniTool Partition Wizard | Best partition magic alternative for Windows PC and Server found this is good for cloning to ssd's better than some other ones I've tried. A few clicks and it clones specifically configured for ssd's..

 

[bpbx]

For what it's worth to you: DRBL is pretty seamless, free, and I personally use it for all my disk-to-disk, disk-to-image, and vice-versa operations.

If you want to check it out:
Link --> Download DRBL

... remember to TRIM your SSD after cloning. It's going to boot terribly (but still better than your spinny-drive) on the first subsequent, post-clone boot, so just remember to TRIM it. Some over-provisioning is also beneficial to both life and performance.

 

[dragor]

if budget allows go for ssd. seen to many sshd fall over.
aim for samsung evo range or pro if you want to splash out.