Adding an SSD to your PC will offer a major upgrade in terms of speed and responsiveness. Read our article as to why you should add one if you’re still not sold on getting one. Here’s what you need to do in order to add one to your desktop.
Check your current configuration first
It’s no use adding an SSD if you’re running Windows XP with 512MB of RAM (like my parents in 2017). If your machine isn’t too old you should then only consider adding one. You should also check if you aren’t already sporting an SSD by downloading Speccy and seeing what kind of drives you have. It will say ‘SSD’ next to the drive if you already have an SSD.
Pop open your PC case
Most desktop computers come with a slot to add a few more drives. You’re gonna have to get a bit adventurous here and open your case to confirm if you have an open slot or not.
The bays where the SSD should go in are on the right. If you have an open bay, you should be ready for an upgrade. These bays are 3.5in wide. Most SSDs are 2.5in wide, though, so it’s likely you’ll need a mounting bracket to fit one in your computer, like the one below. Do a search online for one if you need to buy one.
What you’ll need at this stage: a mounting bracket and a SATA style SSD.
Installation
You have to physically install the SSD now. This is either to be easy or a bit challenging depending on your tech ability.
In a nutshell, you have to install the SSD into an open bay and connect it via the SATA cables.
If you have no idea what any of that means, have a look at the video below.
Video courtesy of YouTube channel Babbling Boolean.
Moving Windows
Now comes a tricky part: your SSD is empty and the old hard drive still has everything. You have two options here: move over the Windows OS to the SSD or reinstall it to the SSD. If you have a small SSD, you have to do the latter.
Move your OS
I have used the EaseUS Partition Tool to move the OS to the SSD before. It’s easy to use and a case of just clicking a few things and waiting. They have a concise breakdown on their instruction page. There are other tools to use, just do a Google search, ‘move windows to SSD’, and you’ll see some programs.
Once the program is finished, you’ll have Windows on your SSD. If you see the error ‘Destination drive too small’, you’re probably going to do a reinstall.
Reinstall Windows
Don’t fear this option. It’s actually better than transferring the OS because some files may get corrupt or the Windows move used a lot more space than it should have. Download Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool and run it. It will download Windows to a USB drive which will reinstall the OS directly after a boot up to your PC. You don’t have to worry about license keys as Microsoft automatically detects that Windows was previously installed.
If you’re unsure about booting from the USB and installing Windows on the SSD, the previous video covers the process.