I currently have a Lenovo Y580 Laptop that has a HDD as the primary drive. I want to add an SSD (mSATA) and use the SSD as the primary drive and the HDD as secondary. Is there a way to do a fresh install of Windows on the SSD using the OEM Windows 7 key (i.e. the one on the sticker on bottom of your laptop)? I've combed through a few tech forums but am getting conflicting info. Thanks for your help!
Yes, you should be able to activate using your product key that is on the sticker. Sometimes online activation will fail and you'll have to call in via the automated system.
As long as you are installing the OEM version of the OS from that manufacturer you shouldnt have any issues, if you do, call microsoft, they will make it work.
Thanks for the replies. Once I install the mSATA, the only thing I need to do (via BIOS settings) is have the computer boot from the mSATA instead of the HDD correct?
Exactly. I cannot see why, but you might also have issues installing the OS on an mSATA device. You might have to load drivers, but honestly, in this day and age it's probably going to go off flawlessly. It could be that the mSATA port is directly wired into the same hardware as your onboard drive, so Windows won't even be able to tell its connected in a different manner. Have fun!
I thought so, but I wasn't 100% sure. I can't see why you would because conceivably the onboard hard drive is on SATA as well. Plus, Windows 7 natively supports SATA, so it's got that going for it. That's nice.
Yeah, that was the problem with Vista is the non-native SATA support made drivers a nightmare in the first year or so. They learned their lesson and put in many generic drivers in Windows 7, 8 and Server 2012.
Am late to the game I would consider plugging the mSATA drive in and disconnect the other drive and install the OS like normal. I think if it is a newer BIOS, you might not need to do any settings in the BIOS but if not work, you may have to set the BIOS to detect the drive. Maybe. When it is installed, re-plugged the other drive in and then you can boot from either drive, using the BIOS to choose. Good luck
It's been a while since I've done this, but I think you have to specify which one is master and which one is slave. If it's a newer board, calcium's advice should work. You might need to have CD rom support to load SATA drivers, but I think newer Windows should've taken care of that already.
No Drivers needed, the only time you will need drivers is for a controller or raid card. I just installed a new Samsung EVO 250GB SSD over the weekend, was exactly the same as any other old hard drive.
