New SSD Installation

Just got a new Intel SSD I want to install, A friend said he had the right cable to connect to the SSD to my laptop so I could clone the current working Hard drive onto the SSD. Low and behold he shows up with a cable that isn't what will work,.

So this is a Samsung laptop Series 3 NP350V5C with windows 8 Installed from factory, no CD ever was with the laptop .. I do have Windows Product Key for Windows 8.

I recently had to refresh windows 8 after a nightmare with windows 10. So there is only one program that is important to me - so there is nothing to loose and I can back up those files and copy them back onto the new SSD. I don't want to waste another week waiting to order the right cable for a one time use. sadly no stores around me carry one.

Question is this.

Can I Remove the Hardrive currently in the Laptop - then install the SSD and boot it up and install window 8 operating system ?
If so How and what do I need besides the Windows Product Key ?

Thanks in Advance.

If you don't have the install disk (since you say no disk came with your laptop), how would you boot the laptop and install Win 8 on the ssd? You're gonna need either a Win 8 install disk to boot from or you're gonna need a USB/Sata adapter cable to connect the ssd to your laptop in order to clone the hdd.

You need a cable like this to hook up the ssd so you can clone the existing hdd to it: USB 2.0 to SATA Serial ATA Adapter Cable For 2.5" HDD Laptop Hard Drive - Newegg.com

Sturgess said:

Can I Remove the Hardrive currently in the Laptop - then install the SSD and boot it up and install window 8 operating system ?

Click to expand...

Yes.

How to download and clean install Windows 8.1 if you have an OEM computer with UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8/8.1 product key. -> link

Professionally speaking, the best way to do what you have said you want to do, is what I did just a few months ago.

I had a standard SATA III hard drive in my Desktop PC. Then I bought a SanDisk SSD drive, also SATA III.
So I just connected the SSD to a spare power and data cable in my desktop PC and then ran a Cloning Program to
just clone the old HD to the new SSD. After that, I connected the SSD to the main SATA data cable in place of the old HD.
Nothing was lost in the process and I really love my new HD (SSD).

Trying to do a clone via a USB cable could take an awful lot of time.

Good Luck,
TechnoMage

TechnoMage said:

... Trying to do a clone via a USB cable could take an awful lot of time.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, that might be be the only option with a laptop.

Yes unless you have 2 hard drive slots? Have you looked? SATA to USB 3.0 is fairly quick USB 2.0 is very slow. If you have Macrium Reflect to do the clone with it. On the Boot USB you make will have USB 3.0 driver on it so if you have USB 3.0 you can accomplish the clone in 20 or 30 minutes depending on how much data you have to copy