Replace bad HHD with SSD

[ruko]

My SATA hard drive went belly up and I want to replace it with a SSD. Do the connections match? I know I’ll have to download Windows 10 and pay for license. Is there anything else to worry about?
Thanks

[Malnutrition]

What motherboard do you have? Custom built machine or store bought, please list entire PC specs in order for us to help you.

[Malnutrition]

@Pyro @PeterOz @Bruce

[Pyro]

SATA HDD = SATA SSD.

Assuming it’s not an old school IDE drive it should just be an unplug and replug situation.

You should see two cords, a longer bar with a notch that goes to the PSU and a shorter one that goes to the motherboard.

If you have a prebuilt machine (Dell, HP, Etc.) it should automatically activate Windows when you go to install it- the key is stored physically on the motherboard as part of the system information.

[PeterOz]

This is the sata connections and as pyro mentioned windows 10 will activate no need to buy a new copy.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=loLGk7%2Ff&id=03AAD765AAEE587F1E9B1F1C8C5767A67932099C&thid=OIP.loLGk7_f_6YVRZj2gypnEQHaEJ&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi0.wp.com%2Fwww.alphr.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F01%2Fsata-ssd-connections.jpg%3Fw%3D690%26ssl%3D1&exph=387&expw=690&q=ssd+connections&simid=608042545065231014&form=IRPRST&ck=9237C35E6C4B44F2E3D449D810CC8471&selectedindex=0&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0&vt=0&sim=11

This might help also.
Reinstall Win 10 Fresh Install

Make sure you only have the one (1) drive you want to install windows on connected.

Download the win 10 tool run it to recreate the flash drive – Must be minimum 8GB

Download Windows 10

Watch this video
How To Install Windows 10 From USB - YouTube

In the video at 2:35 Where to install Windows. Highlight each partition and delete.

Then install on the unallocated space.

In the video at 2:54 you will notice it restarts the computer.
When you are doing this and you get to that point Remove the usb stick whilst it is restarting.
Also if you want to setup a local account instead of logging in with a Microsoft account
Turn off your wireless network and or remove the network cable.
This point is 3.32 in the video - Choose I don’t have internet.
If you want to log in with a Microsoft account then leave the network as is.

Before doing any install, it is a good idea to go to the support page for your system. Download the drivers you are going to need i.e. chipset, sound, video, wireless, etc. Whilst Win10 has a lot of native drivers, Microsoft drivers are designed for ease of use and are NOT designed for any type of performance. Store these drivers on another usb or you can even just make a folder on your install usb when you are finished making the install usb. Copy the drivers into that folder.

When you are finished with the Windows install, then install your drivers.

[ul]
[li]Chipset or Motherboard[/li][li]Sata or hard drive[/li][li]Video adapter[/li][li]Network interface card (NIC)[/li][li]Audio[/li][li]Touchpad[/li][li]Any other hardware drivers needed for your particular model.[/li][/ul]
Reboot after installing the drivers

[Bruce]

+1 with what they all said

I’d only add, splurge a bit and get a good brand SSD, like Samsung.
skimping on cheaper brands usually bites you on the bum down the track.
and go for at least 512MB or 1TB capacity.
you can always add a secondary SATA HDD later if more storage is needed.

[Bruce]

@ruko - still with us?

[phillpower2]

No feedback from the OP, closed.