Maximum PC

I am replacing my motherboard with a Asus P8Z68 Pro and adding a Patriot Wildfire 120GB SSD. I will install Windows 7 Pro 64bit SP1 on the SSD. Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit is currently installed on my WD 300GB drive and configured as my C:\ drive.

Here is where I need advice:

Can I leave the WD HDD unconnected, connect my SSD and install the new Windows 7 Pro then connect the WD HDD and maintain a dual boot system for a while while making sure everything is working properly?

Will the SSD automatically configure as C:

After things are working can I just wipe the boot sector on the old HDD and leave the data intact?

What is your advice on what programs etc. to place on the SSD and what on the HDD?

Thanks in advance.

The windows bootloader isn't going to build itself with the other HD missing and once reconnected, nothing will tell what's on the SSD that it's there and add itself to a boot menu.



Yes, and because this is yes, your old drive will cease to be C: and probably fail to boot. A repair may cure this.



Why? There's no point to deleting a boot sector on the 2nd HD.

I'm really failing to see why you need to go through all this. Maybe explaining what you are trying to accomplish by doing this because this is really just a lot of extra work.

Sorry, I didn't quite understand your answer to my first question. If I do a clean install on the SSD it will now become the C: drive? When I reconnect the HDD it will become D or F or whatever, but will not boot, but be recognized with all data intact?
The dual boot was just to be sure everything was working and have an intact working drive if it wasn't. But you are right probably an unnecessary step.
The goal was to just be able to pick, move and delete programs and files off the old HHD at my leisure rather than back up everything and restore as is.

Drive letter designation happens on first available basis and it's determined by the drives that are installed and partitioned with a MS filesystem (fat or ntfs)

With nothing holding a drive letter, then the SSD should take C: Of coarse there's always these gotchas like card readers that may take C: too...




In theory... It may also remain a C: at which point you would need to change the drive letter. In any case, the data should be intact.



What difference does it make if you're using the new to copy from the old, or the old to copy to the new? They both read NTFS.

Like furball already alluded to, this is probably not the best course of action for what you're trying to do. The best way to achieve what you are trying to do would be to create a secondary partition on the mechanical HDD. You can use Windows Disk Management to shrink the primary if you need to in order to create a second partition. Move your data to the secondary partition. Uninstall the HDD. Install the SSD, and install your OS. Once the new OS is up and running, re-connect the HDD. Head back into Windows Disk Management. Delete the primary partition on the HDD (where the OS is installed). Then extend the secondary partition to encompass the entire HDD.

This will save you the headache of boot manager, and all the issues you would run into by changing the drive letter.

Thanks guys, that makes a lot of sense. Just need to figure out now what I need to move the the new HDD partition. Will the the remaining stuff still be there? This will be my third build but still a newbe when it comes to some of the OS stuff.

Can you clarify a little? I'm not sure what "stuff" and what partition we're referring to.

...think of it as being overly concerned about what's been asked and answered a few times already.