I just installed a new 2TB Gen 4 x4 NVMe SSD in my wife's laptop, which previously had a 250GB SSD. She plays The Sims with a ton of mods, but after replacing the SSD, I'm now seeing a 'Hard Disk not found Boot Device Error.' I thought it would be straightforward—just plug it in and go! Do I need to install Windows again using a USB drive, or is there something else I should do? Any advice would be appreciated because right now, she can't even play her game!
5 Answers
Yeah, if you removed the drive with Windows on it, it won't boot up. You need to install Windows again or clone the old SSD over.
If the new SSD is blank, you'll definitely need to install Windows and all the games from scratch. Make sure to save her game files from the old drive before you do that!
Reinstalling Windows isn't the best route; cloning is the way to go. If you want to do it yourself, just put the old drive back in, get a USB m.2 enclosure, download Clonezilla, and follow these steps to clone the drive. It'll let you use the full size of your new SSD without losing anything.
You can use Rufus to create a bootable USB with Windows once you download the ISO from Microsoft's site. Don't forget to disable secure boot in the BIOS/UEFI for it to boot from the USB! Then you can reinstall Windows and afterward re-enable secure boot.
Bringing the laptop to a shop to clone the old SSD to the new one is a good idea. This way, you won't lose any data, and it'll save you from dealing with installation issues later on. Just plug the new SSD back in afterward, and you should be good to go!
Yeah, and this will help avoid any further headaches. Less hassle altogether!