Need to move Windows 10 to new hard disk with drivers

Hi everyone,

I have a custom-built windows machine that I now need to sell. It has a number of different components, and the original driver CD's are no longer with me. I would like to move the installation to a new hard disk that I have bought for this purpose (in order to not pass on my old drive to a stranger, even if I've wiped it clean with Window's Restore tool).

I know that I can do a clean install of Windows with a bootable USB that can be made here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

But doing this doesn't include all of my drivers, so that's a no go. Can I easily add drivers to the bootable USB?

Thanks!
David

Welcome to TenForums @riverteeth

Look at this tutorial...

Backup and Restore Device Drivers in Windows 10

Hi folks

@Bree

I think the OP would find it far simpler and much less error prone to image and restore his Windows system to new HDD.

@riverteeth

why not image old HDD and restore to new one --then alter partition size with any of the partition managers out there. Image to a USB, boot stand alone restore (from Macrium free) and restore image to new HDD. Then use a bootable partition manager to re-size your restored Windows partition to the size you want.

Macrium free IMO is the best for imaging HDD's --- although there are other free options.

For bootable stand alone partition manager use something like GPARTED - boot it up and just re-adjust size of your "C" partition to what you want on your new HDD. Then in the BIOS set the boot to boot from the new HDD unless you've physically swaped the HDD's (or SSD's).

"Seemples --no need to backup drivers or anything - Your Windows will be exactly as before on a new HDD - with activations etc all preserved".

Q.E.D

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

why not image old HDD and restore to new one...

Because @riverteeth's concern is security. While a Macrium image won't contain any data from sectors marked as unused, it does contain all the deleted file names in the ntfs MFT. Any undelete software can read them. Nothing can be restored of course, but the names themselves may give away personal information. Here is a scan of a Macrium Image I recently restored to a VM....

Hi there
@Bree

Just re-format the HDD properly or use any software to write 'X'00's on every sector and then use intelligent restore which only restores non deleted sectors.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

Just re-format the HDD properly or use any software to write 'X'00's on every sector and then use intelligent restore which only restores non deleted sectors.

It's not the deleted sectors which are the risk (Macrium doen't restore them). It's the deleted file names which will still be in the MFT that may reveal personal information. If the OP is going to reformat the HDD properly then reinstall Windows we get back to the original problem...

riverteeth said:

.... doing this doesn't include all of my drivers, so that's a no go.

@Bree is right. Export the drivers using the dism /online /export-driver command. Clean install Windows 10 to the new hard drive. At the first OOBE screen after Windows install is done, enter audit mode by press ctrl+shift+F3. Then re-install the needed drivers from the exported drivers. Then in the sysprep window shutdown the computer to OOBE mode and it's ready to sell/give away.

That is how you would accomplish what the OP wants to accomplish.

On a computer I was going to sell or give away that is exactly what I have done, but I didn't worry about buying a new hard drive. If the new owner wanted to get any information off the wiped clean old hard drive using forensic recovery tools, they can have at it. And SSDs are much more difficult to forensically recover data from than hard drives, after they have been through a secure erase.

Thanks to Bree and NacyLCDR for those in-depth comments. Security is my concern, which is why I bought a new 500GB HDD ($20) to sell with the computer, keeping my old drives with me.

NacyLCDR, my next quesion was going to be about installation, so I was happy to see your first paragraph. I'll try that... seems a bit above my skill set, but we'll see! If anyone knows of a tutorial with pictures of this, I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks!