Windows install question

[Yurtles]

I've normally got a SSD for windows and a HDD for data storage in my system, but currently the SSD is away on a warranty claim. So I was wondering is it possible to install Windows 7 onto the HDD as a short term fix without losing any of the data currently on it?

Just not sure if the installer will try to format the drive or create a partition or do something else that'll ruin anything already on the drive.

[steve_rogers42]

it might be possible to install onto the drive, or create a bootable partition on the drive...

i think its possible, i just cant remember if i did it when i last installed...

[diamondd]

I've normally got a SSD for windows and a HDD for data storage in my system, but currently the SSD is away on a warranty claim. So I was wondering is it possible to install Windows 7 onto the HDD as a short term fix without losing any of the data currently on it?

Just not sure if the installer will try to format the drive or create a partition or do something else that'll ruin anything already on the drive.

as long as you've got empty space on the media HD you should be able to shrink that partition and create a new partition in the free space.

[ashman1991]

I've normally got a SSD for windows and a HDD for data storage in my system, but currently the SSD is away on a warranty claim. So I was wondering is it possible to install Windows 7 onto the HDD as a short term fix without losing any of the data currently on it?

Just not sure if the installer will try to format the drive or create a partition or do something else that'll ruin anything already on the drive.

1. Boot from Windows DVD
2. It will ask you where to install to - first create a new blank partition on the HDD (leaving the old partition there). Then select the new partition.
3. Profit.

Then when you get the SSD back, install the SSD physically, boot to Windows DVD again, DELETE the OS partition you just created, install Windows on new SSD. Even more profit.

[SaNE]

IIRC You can extend but not shrink from the windows install, you'd have to get a linux live cd and shrink the partition first

[Epic Badger]

You'll need to make some space on the HDD by shrinking existing partition(s) to create enough space for a new partition to install Windows on. Then create the partition and install Windows on it.

Top tip, you can actually copy your install between SSD/HDD really easily. Make your new HDD Windows install on a partition slightly smaller than the SSD. When the SSD comes back...

1. Use Windows 7 backup/restore to create an image of the HDD system partition.
2. Boot off Win7 DVD and restore the image to the SSD.
3. Ensure your boot priority order in BIOS looks at the SSD first.

I do it all the time (well, whenever a SSD goes pop).

Then every so often perform a system image of the SSD. If it goes pop just restore that image onto the partition you created on the HDD and boot off that. Never need to reinstall

[Treloar]

Could he set up Win 7 on a USB flash drive and run the OS from the flash drive till his SSD comes back from warranty

[Epic Badger]

As far as I'm aware there's no way to install Windows 7 onto a removable disk such as a USB flash drive. (Unless you're installing it in a VM but that won't help here).

[diamondd]

Yeah, pretty sure Windows doesn't let you.

could temporarily go for Linux though, personally that would be my preferred option.

[Epic Badger]

If I were in this situation I would...

1. Grab a copy of gparted http://gparted.sourceforge.net/ and burn to CD.
2. Use it to boot.
3. Shrink one (or more) of the partitions on the HDD to free up SSD size -1GB of contiguous space (so if your SSD is 128GB free up 127GB of contiguous HDD space).
4. Install Windows into the 127GB of space.

And use it as normal. Then when the SSD comes back...

1. Make a backup image of the 127GB Windows partition.
2. Plug the SSD in.
3. Adjust BIOS such that SSD is a higher boot priority than the HDD.
4. Boot of Windows 7 install DVD and perform a restore of the image you made in step 1 onto the SSD.

Voila, reboot, it'll boot off SSD like nothing happened.

You can then delete the 127GB partition on the HDD. Might want to leave the space there. Take regular image backups of your SSD Windows 7 partition. Then when the SSD fails again you restore the image to the HDD partition and carry on like nothing happened - albeit a lot slower. If you do restore to HDD it's worth running a defrag!!

[Tydus]

I don't think you even need to make a new partition, as long as your media partition is formatted ntsf windows should install right onto it fine leaving all your data in tact, assuming you have the space, then you simply delete after you reinstall on your new ssd. Prob easiest albeit least glamorous option.

[Yurtles]

You be right Tydus. I took my HDD over to a mates place last night and copied everything off it just in case, but there wasn't a problem to be had. Windows installed itself just fine to the drive (which remains just one big partition) without any data loss.

I figure now that I have a backup of everything that was on the drive anyway I may as well just format it when I get the SSD back and then throw the data back onto it. Nothing actually installed on the drive makes it all easy