Installation
I'm relaxed about you doing the SSD swap without me being "on-call", but would suggest the Install process is started when I'm available on the forum - I only need to fit that round the daily exercise.
Remember, your laptop is going to be unusable during this process, so have another device (or phone?) ready for reading the instructions/ taking you through the steps (or print them).
- Turn off the laptop
- Swap the HDD and SSD over (SSD to end up in the laptop - put the HDD on one side - in the caddy would be safe)
> Full instructions as per the Lenovo Manual link here www.mrmemory.co.uk/downloads/memory-configurations/114961.pdf (page 37 and on) to be carefully followed - as above, read it on your phone (or print it now) as you won't be able to use the laptop.
- With the laptop off, plug the Windows install USB in
- Put it on mains power
- Power up - if you're anything but unlucky it will boot to Windows installation USB automatically (give it a minute). If it does, skip the next bounded (====) section
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- If instead it boots to a boot device menu, choose the USB device (should be obvious from the name) and skip the rest of this bounded section
- If it seems to hang, (give it a minute or two) we'll use the boot menu method you tested in the preparation phase.
- Power off and back on (laptop power button) whilst, as it powers, up repeatedly hitting F12 (or Fn + F12 if your keyboard requires). I hit the key(s) about every second from the moment I power on. You'll recognise the boot menu it if it works!.
- (If that doesn't bring the boot menu, turn off and try again a few times - timing is fairly critical)
- If/when it ultimately boots to a boot device menu, choose the USB device (should be obvious from the name).
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The install process from here has varied over the years - I think this maps (pretty well) to the latest.
- At the first (currently displayed) Windows Install screen, check and confirm your language settings.
- Next Screen "Install Now"
- Accept the licence terms
- For the Activation Screen, click "I don't have a Product Key" (We'll activate later)
- Choose Windows 10 Home (it has to be the version that was previously installed for licence reasons, and, on the offchance it offers x64 or x32, you want x64)
- Click on "Custom Install Windows Only....."
- In "Where do you want to Install Windows?"
>Check all the disk space is shown as "unallocated" (after the deletion you did it should be so)
>But ....If there is/are partitions there, select and delete each one
>Click "New"
>It should default to presenting a size that is the full disk space, quick check of that, then "Apply"
> You should have two or more partitions created. Select the really big one (c930GB) if it isn't already selected by default, and click "next"
- It will churn away doing its final setup and personalisation - the prompts are good, but individual preferences make it impossible for me to script. Just follow the on-screen instructions BUT in advance note the few specific bits just below. It may reboot again several times.
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- It will want/need to connect to your network, so you will need your WiFi SSID & password
- The "Sign in With Microsoft" should use your Microsoft Account ID that is associated with your existing WIN10 licence
- I answer no to (or decline) any and all of the nags to share data in some way with Microsoft - your choice (and they can be adjusted later anyway).
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Ultimately, after you've responded to all the prompts, and maybe an odd extra reboot, it should take you to your new home screen, and you have Windows back!
There are a few obvious post-installation checks to do (Activation Status, Driver Status, etc), but these aren't difficult, and I'll post those next after we've got here.
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