I'm looking to upgrade my mom's Lenovo IdeaPad 330 since it's running pretty slow. I plan on adding a Crucial 500GB SSD and some new RAM to improve performance. While the RAM installation seems straightforward, I'm not sure how to make the SSD the boot drive after I install it. Specifically, what steps do I need to take to transfer everything and ensure Windows runs from the SSD instead of the existing hard drive?
1 Answer
To make the SSD your boot drive, you'll first need to install it alongside the HDD. Once that's done, you can use cloning software like Macrium Reflect or Clonezilla to transfer your OS from the HDD to the SSD. If you're just adding the SSD as a second drive, make sure you're selecting it as the boot device in the BIOS after the installation. Just restart your laptop and enter the BIOS settings (usually by pressing F2 or Delete during startup), and change the boot priority to the SSD.
Make sure to set the SSD as a second drive in BIOS even if you're seeing both. Sometimes it needs a prompt to recognize it as the boot drive. It's an easy step that can save you headaches later!