What’s the best way to move from an HDD to an SSD and make it the boot drive?

Drivers from the old installation usually aren’t something you need to manually copy. After a clean install, Windows Update will handle many of them, and you can download the latest motherboard and graphics drivers from the manufacturers. Your personal files are the important things to back up. Don’t rely on the old HDD as the only copy of photos or documents, since any drive can fail.

You can clone the HDD instead if you want the new SSD to look exactly like the old drive. Tools such as Samsung’s migration utility, if the SSD is Samsung, or another reputable cloning program can copy the system and files. This avoids reinstalling applications and configuring Windows again, but it also copies the clutter. Make sure the used space on the HDD fits on the SSD, and verify that the SSD boots successfully before wiping or changing the old drive.

“Reset this PC” reinstalls Windows on the current system and gives you options to keep or remove personal files. It isn’t the same as moving Windows to a new SSD, and it won’t automatically organize the old drive for you. For a completely fresh setup on the new drive, use installation media instead. Afterward, set the SSD as the first boot device in the firmware settings if the computer doesn’t select it automatically.

The safest approach is to back up your important documents and photos first, then install Windows fresh on the SSD. You don’t have to delete anything from the old HDD. Create a Windows installation USB with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool, shut down the computer, disconnect the old drive temporarily, and install Windows to the SSD. After Windows and the necessary motherboard and graphics drivers are installed, reconnect the HDD and copy over the files you actually want. Keep the old drive untouched until you’re certain everything important has been transferred; afterward, you can format it and use it for extra storage if you want.