Dell SSD upgrade

Hi all,
Looking for some advice on whether I can upgrade a laptop to use a TeamGroup GX2 SATA 6 Gb/s 512GB 2.5"drive.

This drive was originally installed this drive in my ASUS N61JQ Laptop. I painstakingly installed everything, and a while later the laptop died. I've put the TeamGroup drive into a USB adapter case and I can read all the files, so I'm pretty confident that the drive is okay.

I have the opportuninty to get a Dell Latitude E3570 at a pretty good price, and would like to know if I could swap over the SSD from my ASUS to the Dell, because it has everything already set up on it, and with Windows 10 version 1909.

I initially thought I might be able to just change over the drives, and I'd be back on the air again. However, looking on the net I'm getting a lot of conflicting information from:

1. It won't work

2. It may work but not well

3. It may boot but will require you to meticulously go through the Device manager and check that all the drivers are valid and up to date.

Option 3 I'm happy to do, but is someone able to advise what the likely outcome will be, or a procedure to try that would yeild a favourable outcome?

Look forward to hearing your opinions

Regards

Reggie49

If the Dell laptop has a legit activated license for Windows 10, I'd probably do a clean install of Windows 10 on it, using whatever hard drive you wanted.

If you are averse to a clean install, you could put the Teamgroup drive into the Dell and see what happens, assuming both the Dell and the Asus have the same Windows licenses (both Win 10 Home or both Win 10 Pro). A clean install would eliminate tearing your hair out and aggravation. Depends on your frustration tolerance. Not sure you can accurately gauge the likelihood of major frustration, but simply swapping drives is said to be pretty tolerable under Windows 10.

I've never done it personally.

Do both drives have GPT/UEFI installations?

stick it into new pc and see if it boots, if so then do an inplace upgrade, it will keep all your programs files folders settings and give you a fresh new copy of the latest windows 10.
You can use the media creation tool website and 'upgrade my pc'
I have done this several times.

The two major roadblocks that will prevent just using the SSD from the old computer in the new computer:

1. Legacy BIOS (CSM) v. UEFI. Both computers should be set for the same type of booting. The drive can be converted to work, though, if needed.

2. SATA drive controller mode: IDE v. AHCI v. RAID. Ideally, both computers SATA controllers should be set for AHCI. If you had to switch modes for some reason, this would normally need to be done on the old computer to set Windows up for the switch when put into the new computer.

Usually it is only one or both of the items above that will keep you from just moving the drive to the new computer and booting it up. Windows 10 is very good at adapting to new hardware when moved to a new computer.

I would give it a shot. However, you will probably, at a minimum, have to install the model specific sound driver. Also if it uses MaxxAudio (many Dell's do) you will need that for the audio jack/jack detection to work. This is a common sound problem fix on the Dell forums.

Support for Latitude 3570 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell US

Thanks for the replies guys, although from what I'm reading the suggestions are in most cases way above my ability.

IGNATZATSONIC said: If the Dell laptop has a legit activated license for Windows 10, I'd probably do a clean install of Windows 10 on it, using whatever hard drive you wanted.

How do I establish what the license number is as I presume it means Going to Microsoft and wanting to download a fresh copy - Yes? Or is the license able to be found on the laptop?

If that's in the too hard basket how does this sound for a work around, I clean as much of the crap of the Dell laptop as I can, make sure it has the latest updates done, Install my Office program, use Macrium reflect to create a system image of the Dell, format the TeamGroup GX2, and swap the drives out and restore the image to the new SSD?

Is that a possibility?

Cheers

Reggie49

If the Dell has a legit license and it is activated, you don't need the "license number"....it's already kept on Microsoft's activation servers. You'd just make new installation media using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool and then use that to do a clean install.

But I have no idea if the Dell has a legit license.

I'd at least just stick the Teamgroup drive into the Dell and see if anything catches fire.

If it works well enough to boot and get up and running, you're probably home free.

If it doesn't, go to plan B, whatever that might be.

You can fiddle with Macrium if you want, but if you are a greenhorn, it's got a learning curve that you'll have to climb. It isn't rocket science, but it may be more frustrating and take more hours to climb that curve than a non-Macrium idea.

Lot's of folks will tell you how easy Macrium is and point you to tutorials. Zip, zip, zip and you're done. Presto-matic.

There's hundreds of posts on this forum over the last year or two saying that ain't so. I use it myself and like it, but it isn't like falling off a log, particularly the restoration aspect.

Unfortunately, you are dealing with laptops.....which means that drive-swapping isn't as easy as on desktops. That may be all the more reason to go to a clean install that doesn't involve drive-swapping. I have no idea of your skill level on prying open a laptop.

Thanks for your reply ignatzatsonic,
I'm a born fiddler, happy to have a go at most things providing I get the right information. I've put the SSD into my Asus laptop and did the install and all the programs and stuff only to have the laptop have a terminal malfunction.

So I was hoping it would be minimal hassle to install the newer SSD drive with all my stuff into the Dell, which apparently it seems, is not going to be an easy proposition.

What is of real concern are your comments about Macrium. I posted here earlier about a good backup and restore program, and have now got my head around how to do full and differential system images, thinking if something goes wrong, I can be confident about at least being able to return things to the way they were. Now I'm not that sure!

One thing for sure, if that time ever eventuates, I'm not going to be a very happy camper if the Restore fails to work.

Reggie49

Reggie49 said:

What is of real concern are your comments about Macrium. I posted here earlier about a good backup and restore program, and have now got my head around how to do full and differential system images, thinking if something goes wrong, I can be confident about at least being able to return things to the way they were. Now I'm not that sure!

Macrium is HIGHLY reliable.

But, I assume you've never actually made or restored images. Is that correct?

If so, you have to assume it will take a net of X hours and Y frustration to do what you want to do with Macrium.

Versus A hours and B frustration dealing with a clean install.

Versus M hours and N frustration dealing with a drive swap.

No one here knows how big X, Y, A, B, M, and N will be in your specific case.

Not even you.

How big they are is to be determined.

I'd like to point you to the fewest hours and least frustration, but I'm not sure what that would be.

A clean install is generally a good idea, subject to you having a valid Windows license. No hardware swapping. No Macrium. Requirements would be a small USB flash drive and downloading and running software to make that flash drive bootable.

That could take one person an hour or less and the next person days of anxiety and dozens more questions--depending on aptitude and personal nature. If your licenses are good, this would have a very high success rate.

On the other hand....a drive swap might be simpler if you are handy with a pry bar and screwdrivers. But the failure rate might be higher even if you're handy and you could wish you'd gone with a clean install instead.

Macrium-related solutions would probably be my last choice, although it's certainly a program you should use after the smoke clears on your immediate problem.

Just my take. Others will differ. No reason you can't try various solutions. Very high likelihood you can solve this one way or another.

If you decide to go for the drive swap option the Dell 3570 manual tells you how and is available as a pdf, or on-line.

https://www.dell.com/support/manuals...1e6&lang=en-us