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    Re-installing Windows 7 on a hard drive swap with no disc?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by cmor, Oct 19, 2011.

  1. cmor

    cmor Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am picking up a used Sager NP8170, and when it shows up I am hoping to swap in a Crucial M4 128gb ssd. It has a 500gb hdd in there now which I will be able to move to the second hard drive slot in the laptop. How do I reinstall the boot os on the new drive without a disc? Is it possible to somehow use the recovery partitions on the old drive?
     
    cmor, Oct 19, 2011
    #1
  2. tijo

    tijo Sacred Blame

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    You're better off doing a clean install on a SSD. You can grab the windows 7 ISO and "burn" it to flash drive to install it from there. It will install in like 10-15 mins and then all you have to do is install your drivers and programs.
     
    tijo, Oct 19, 2011
    #2
  3. cmor

    cmor Notebook Enthusiast

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    That sounds great, but how do I grab the win 7 iso?
     
    cmor, Oct 19, 2011
    #3
  4. pmassey31545

    pmassey31545 Whats the mission sir?

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    pmassey31545, Oct 19, 2011
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  5. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    You may want to check that you have the necessary drive cage, cabling and connector to actually use the second HDD bay as you want.

    Seems like some/most manufacturers don't include these $0.50 parts to save on their costs. Hope your's is not one of them.

    To test/see with your single drive now: simply remove the (bare) drive from Drive Bay 1 to Drive Bay 2 and see if you see it in the BIOS. If you can, you should be good to go.
     
    tilleroftheearth, Oct 20, 2011
    #5
  6. cmor

    cmor Notebook Enthusiast

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    cmor, Oct 20, 2011
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  7. KLF

    KLF NBR Super Modernator Super Moderator

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    The one that says "SP1 Integrated" has already Service Pack 1 in it, so you don't need to install it separately afterwards...
     
    KLF, Oct 20, 2011
    #7
  8. cmor

    cmor Notebook Enthusiast

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    I tried the above but couldn't activate, I assume because all I have is an OEM key I pull off the original install using some software. Any other thoughts?
     
    cmor, Oct 22, 2011
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  9. KLF

    KLF NBR Super Modernator Super Moderator

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    Yep, the factory install key isn't even supposed to work like that.

    Correct key is in the COA sticker under your laptop.
     
    KLF, Oct 22, 2011
    #9