How to install Windows 10 on a second drive [QUICK GUIDE]

Some users wonder how they can install Windows 10 on a second drive, without damaging the system. Setting up Windows 10 on the new drive is not a hard task, but requires attention. Therefore we made a guide for you to follow.

One user on Microsoft Answers forum asked a similar question:

I have a desktop computer that is running windows 10 home edition with a 1tb hard drive. I’m installing a solid state drive as a second hard drive. I want to install windows 10 home edition on this drive and make it the boot drive

Quick guide on installing Windows 10 on the second drive

1. Download the Windows ISO files

1. In order to set Windows up, you first need to download the Windows ISO file that will help you create a bootable drive.
2. To get a clean version of the Windows image you need to download it from the official Microsoft website.
3. Alternatively, you can download the Media Creation Tool and use it to download the ISO file.

2. Create a bootable Install Media

1. Now you need to use a disk burning software. We would recommend that you use Rufus for creating the bootable disc.
2. In order to create the bootable drive using Rufus, you’d have to load the image file into the software.
   
3. Select the file system to FAT32.
4. Afterward, you simply have to press the Start button.
   
5. If you still have files on your USB flash drive, you will be asked to delete them in order to proceed with the burning process.

Need to create Windows Installation Media? Here’s the fastest and simplest way to do it!

3. Install Windows

1. After having the bootable drive ready, you need to set your PC to boot from this drive.
2. Booting your PC from the Windows drive takes you to the Windows Setup.
3. Here you will need to press the Install now button. Then you will be asked to choose Language, enter the product key and select Windows version.
   
4. When you reach the point of being asked to choose between Windows Upgrade and Custom install, choose the second option.
5. Now you can choose to install Windows on the second drive. Click the second drive and then click Next.
6. This will start the Windows install process.
7. Wait for Windows to install and set up on its own. Be aware that the installer will restart the computer a few times on its own.

We hope that you found our quick guide on how to install Windows 10 on a second drive useful. If you liked this article, leave a comment in the comment section below.

Install OS on another computer and swap HDD?

I just ordered a new computer (without hard drive and OS). I also have a spare hard drive and OS (Windows 7) at home.

Can I plug the drive into my older computer, install Windows 7 on it, then simply take it out and plug it into the new computer when it arrives? Or should I wait for the new computer and install Windows with the hard drive in it?

Does it even matter?

3 Answers 3

This would not be possible under XP. However, starting with Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced a new installer mechanism that essentially takes a generic image of the operating system and copies that to a new hard drive. When booted, the operating system then configures itself to match whatever hardware it finds.

This new installer method means what you propose has a much higher likelihood of success. However, you still shouldn’t expect it to just work, for several reasons:

• Certain things are still done on first boot, and so not everything will be set up properly.
• The newly installed drive may not match everything needed by the bootloader
• You may still need to find and install drivers for your new hardware.
• Some software installations are hardware dependent. An example would be video games that install modules for both nvidia and ati graphics cards and set a configuration entry at install time telling them which module to load. There are other examples of this as well.
• The new hardware will break your activation

In other words, you’re not really saving much time. You should still expect to do just as much work after the new hardware arrives as you would if you were to install from scratch.

On the other hand, if you’ve got the time to kill it won’t hurt anything to try, and you must just get lucky enough to have everything work out.

Installing Retail Windows 10 on another computer

Hello all. I recently bought, installed and registered my Retail copy of Windows 10 Home. When the time comes, I will be installing Windows 10 on a new machine (or reinstalling on my current machine after a hardware upgrade).

My question: what do I have to do to ensure my product key transfers/activates in the future? Do I have to deregister my current computer first, then activate on the new computer later?

Replies (3) 

Normally just deleting the OS partitions is enough since running slmgr /upk to remove the Key does nothing to notify MS Activation servers but just removes it from any install you’re about to get rid of anyway. But you can do both if you want, especially if you’re not deleting the old OS partitions which is the proper way to uninstall an OS.

With retail WIndows 10 you can move it anywhere you want. At most it may require activation via phone robocall to confirm with the server that it’s only installed on that one PC, replacing the previous hardware signature in MS Activation servers

The modern way to reinstall to same hardware is to save externally a System Image Backup to reapply from Windows 10 Installation Media , Recovery drive, or System repair disc in 20 minutes. This also preserves activation.

There is more here in these steps for Clean Reinstall Windows 10

Over 100,000 helped in forums for 11 years. I don’t quit for those who are polite and cooperative.

Windows MVP 2010-21

1 person found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How to install windows on another PC’s HDD using my PC? [closed]

Want to improve this question? Update the question so it focuses on one problem only by editing this post.

Closed 6 years ago .

I work on software development from a home based office but I am also the pc and mac repair go to guy of the family (and sometimes extended family) therefore I get at least one windows installation request every month.

My colleagues at the company I used to work for (in PC support department) used to install windows directly to faulty PC’s 2.5″ and 3.5″ HDDs using the profiles of their (client’s) PC. This process used to reduce the installation time to about 15 minutes.

If anyone is aware of how to achieve this and can share the link or the process, I would highly appreciate that.

3 Answers 3

The process you’re describing from your prior employer’s IT department is generally only feasible for large organizations. This is primarily because they are able to exert a level of control over their computer systems which you cannot, as simply the «repair go to guy of the family», maintain.

Enterprise-level environments tend to be largely homogenous in terms of the hardware, software, and system configurations that are deployed. Usually, all of an organizations users are given only a handful of options from which to choose their computer hardware.

The operating systems and software installed on the computers is also largely standardized across the environment. Any deviations from the standard build are documented on a case-by-case basis, and the IT department either makes a special build image (if the software is widely, but not globally, used across the organization) or keeps the software installers ready at hand in their own repositories.

The IT department also usually keeps track of all the licensing, so they know which software keys are assigned to which computers/users. (Alternately, a Volume License may be used which will be the same on all systems.) Typically, any software which is not part of the standard build or otherwise documented by the IT department is beyond the IT department’s responsibility to support — and in many cases, against company policy to have in the first place.

The configuration of the operating systems and software is standardized much in the same way as the rest. However, most of this is usually handled automatically by enterprise management systems (e.g.: Group Policies in Active Directory) instead of being manually done at build time.

User-level data is also generally not a big concern for the desktop support personnel. In most cases, users are advised (if not required) to keep all mission-essential data on company servers instead of their own workstations. So, when a rebuild is needed, the desktop support people shouldn’t need to care too much about backing up the system first. If local user data is a concern, responsible organizations will have the end-user systems regularly sending backups to a centralized management system.

All of this starkly contrasts to the challenges faced by an at-home IT geek with when it’s time to help out the family:

• You have little to no control over what hardware you’ll be asked to support.
• You have even less control over what operating systems or software you’ll be asked to support or re-install.
• You probably don’t have all the license keys for all of the software you’ll be asked to support or reinstall.
• Chances are, whomever you’re supporting has lost some or all of the installation files and/or license keys for the operating system or software they need you to help with.
• There’s no telling what special configurations you’ll be asked to make on the operating system or software for any given user.
• Most of the people you’ll support will have their data scattered across several folders on their hard drive.
• Most of the people you’ll support probably aren’t backing up their data to an external device.

It’s not entirely hopeless, though. As some others have mentioned, there are solutions available to home users that can help alleviate some of these pains. However, be aware that there is not going to be a one-size-fits-all answer — in terms of addressing this question to a global audience, or even to a single «repair go to guy of the family». Chances are, you’ll never get to a point where even a majority of your at-home system rebuilds take up anything less than «an entire afternoon». You’ll have to adapt, with whatever tools are at your disposal, to every case as it comes to you.

Can I download Windows 8 on one computer and install it on another computer?

I just wanted to know if I could download Windows 8 on one computer and install it on another computer? As in I’ll download the setup onto my PC, but will install it on my Laptop. Could that be done? — Thanks.

Replies (12) 

* Please try a lower page number.

* Please enter only numbers.

* Please try a lower page number.

* Please enter only numbers.

Hi Karan Shetty,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft Community.

Yes you can download Windows 8 in one computer and install it in another computer.

However you can install it only in one computer, as you only have one product key. If you want to install it in other computer, you need purchase additional licenses.

To download and install it in another computer, follow the steps:

a. Use the Upgrade Assistant to qualify the PC and pay for it.

b. When the «Install Windows 8» message appears, select «Install by creating media» to create a bootable USB flash drive or an .iso (a disk image) file.

c. Wait for the Assistant to download the Windows 8 Pro installation package and create the bootable media or .iso file. The flash drive must be having 3GB or more of free space available.

d. Burn the .iso file, if that’s the path you chose, to a blank DVD.

If you need further assistance, please reply and we will be happy to help you.

3 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

Additional info ref. your query, you will need to ensure the PC and laptop are you capable of operating on the same bit system (32 bit or 64 bit), as the download will only download the bit system for the PC which it is downloaded to.

If your PC is 64 bit it will download only W8 64 bit OS.

If your laptop can only run 32 bit OS, the download will not install on laptop.

The upgrade does not allow upgrading from 32 bit to 64 bit

Can I upgrade from 32 bit OS to 64 bit OS?

Yes, but you can’t do this using Upgrade Assistant. If your PC has a 64-bit capable processor (CPU) but is currently running a 32-bit version of Windows , you can install a 64-bit version of Windows 8 Pro , but you’ll need to buy it as a DVD and perform a custom installation. If available in your country or region, you can buy Windows 8 Pro from a participating retail store. You can also buy it online from the Microsoft Store in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

2 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

One more question, I’m currently using Windows 8 RTM Build 9200 on my Laptop, so can I install the update and activate it using the procedure you mentioned above or do I need to revert to Windows 7? — Thanks.

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

My confusion now is that whether the version on sale is a full version DVD or an upgrade. The guys at Flipkart are confused and don’t really know. Secondly, I’m using Windows 8 RTM Build 9200 (Un-Activated) on my Laptop. If I buy this DVD, would I be able to do a clean install and have it ACTIVATED (a lot of people are clueless if this is possible), or would I have to revert back to Windows 7?

Would really appreciate some clarity on the same. I can’t wait to get my hands on a full version licensed copy. — Thanks.

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

If you want to use the upgrade version you need to re-install W7, it will only install on a previous qualifying (Legal) version of W7, Vista or XP.

There is no upgrade path from any pre-release version of W8 ( RP, CP, RTM.)

You can purchase a W8 Pro (OEM) version, which is used to install W8 onto PC’s without a qualifying version of Windows pre-installed.

This is the version you will need if you do not choose the upgrade path, the price of this version is approx. $140 (Aust), the upgrade versions are approx. $60 (Aust).

You link unfortunately does not work for me.

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

I’d suggest following Prakesh’s directions if you wish to download since you can do it on the laptop in question. As for the link you provided, if you scroll down to the full description of the software, under General Heading, Additional Features, it does state: «Full Package Software»

Make sure the laptop meets system requirements: