G75vw Best Buy - converting 1TB drive into secondary drive and using an SSD for boot?

[ericewalton]

How to replace original drive with SSD and then use original drive as secondary?
Hi -

I am going to get my G75VW Best Buy version pretty soon and I am excited. I researched a bit and found the the 1TB 5400RPMdrive puts a significant bottleneck on the performance of the computer. So I went ahead and bought a Crucial 128 GB SSD SATA 6Gbit/sec drive.

I want to replace the 1TB 5400RPM drive with the new SSD. The SSD came with a kit that I can apparently externally hook up to the computer through USB and then insert a DVD and it will transfer everything from the 1TB drive that came with the Asus onto this new SSD.

Assuming this works, I want to then remove the 1TB drive, and replace it with the SSD. I figure at this point I will turn the computer on and see if it works. Does anybody have any suggestions about this, like is there something I need to know about the process or is it as straightforward as Crucial says it is?

From there, I want to use the 1TB drive as a secondary drive, but I am very confused at how to do this. Can I simply just put that 1TB original drive into the other hard drive slot? Since the two drives are totally identical in terms of content on them, how does the computer know which drive to boot Windows from? I am new to this so sorry for my ignorance. Do I need to worry about this BIOS thing I am reading about?

I am guessing someone might suggest that I format the original drive 1TB before trying to use it as a secondary drive. However, I am worried about this, because I dont know what happens if the computer turns out to be defective after a couple of weeks and I need to return it.

Also, I thought I would point out that my goal is to use this for both gaming and music (Pro Tools, Reason). So I plan to store all my music files on the secondary drive (the 1TB one). I was wondering, however, if I should plan to install games on the SSD drive or the original 1TB drive that I am now using as a secondary drive?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[dstrakele]

Here are a couple of threads that discuss this type of upgrade:

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread...le-ssd-install

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread...D-installation

[john_from_ohio]

Assuming this works, I want to then remove the 1TB drive, and replace it with the SSD. I figure at this point I will turn the computer on and see if it works. Does anybody have any suggestions about this, like is there something I need to know about the process or is it as straightforward as Crucial says it is?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Dunno about steps from crucial ... personally I would recommend starting by burning the 3 recovery DVDs.

I installed my SSD by then pulling out the original drive ( setting it aside ) and using the 3 recovery DVDs to re-install everything onto new SSD. This gives you ( eventually takes a fairly long time ) a clean "from factory" log back into Win 7 authenticated type system.

Eventually ... maybe ... after a while stick the original drive back in ... ( mine remains out but I stuck in a different 1 TB drive ( samsung ) that was formatted ) ... so my os drive is C: and D drive is 1 TB drive.

Lots of different ways to do it ... may have to go into BIOS ( F2 on reboot ) at times to force startup boot drive.

[MarshallR@ASUS]

Personally I would plug both drives into a spare PC and use a disk imaging software to copy the HDD to SSD - all partitions, all data. This is non-destructive to the HDD data and it's the fastest method. Then plug in the SSD and attempt to boot the G75 - let Windows update the drivers for the SSD. Once you've confirmed the SSD works, format the HDD and then plug that in too. Then your system won't get confused by two MBRs.

[Wolffie80]

How to replace original drive with SSD and then use original drive as secondary?
Hi -

I am going to get my G75VW Best Buy version pretty soon and I am excited. I researched a bit and found the the 1TB 5400RPMdrive puts a significant bottleneck on the performance of the computer. So I went ahead and bought a Crucial 128 GB SSD SATA 6Gbit/sec drive.

I want to replace the 1TB 5400RPM drive with the new SSD. The SSD came with a kit that I can apparently externally hook up to the computer through USB and then insert a DVD and it will transfer everything from the 1TB drive that came with the Asus onto this new SSD.

Assuming this works, I want to then remove the 1TB drive, and replace it with the SSD. I figure at this point I will turn the computer on and see if it works. Does anybody have any suggestions about this, like is there something I need to know about the process or is it as straightforward as Crucial says it is?

From there, I want to use the 1TB drive as a secondary drive, but I am very confused at how to do this. Can I simply just put that 1TB original drive into the other hard drive slot? Since the two drives are totally identical in terms of content on them, how does the computer know which drive to boot Windows from? I am new to this so sorry for my ignorance. Do I need to worry about this BIOS thing I am reading about?

I am guessing someone might suggest that I format the original drive 1TB before trying to use it as a secondary drive. However, I am worried about this, because I dont know what happens if the computer turns out to be defective after a couple of weeks and I need to return it.

Also, I thought I would point out that my goal is to use this for both gaming and music (Pro Tools, Reason). So I plan to store all my music files on the secondary drive (the 1TB one). I was wondering, however, if I should plan to install games on the SSD drive or the original 1TB drive that I am now using as a secondary drive?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Here is what i did:

If you download win 7 home premium from one of theese sites:

64 bit:
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent..../X15-65733.iso

32 bit
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent..../X15-65732.iso

You need to download and make a copy of your system drivers as well on a usb/dvd.
Drivers etc you can find if you go to -> http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Gaming...75VW/#download

Open hdd cover. you need to take out original hdd. replase it with your ssd. (it need to be put into slot1)
(do not put in original drive before you have finished installing windows or you will get a error upon win install.)
After install you are free to insert your original mecanical hdd (put it in secondery slot)
Then upon finished win 7 install. Install all you intel, vga driver etc..

Voila!

[BrandeX]

Your links are broken.

[FearlessG1]

Here is what i did:

If you download win 7 home premium from one of theese sites:

64 bit:
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent..../X15-65733.iso

32 bit
http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent..../X15-65732.iso

You need to download and make a copy of your system drivers as well on a usb/dvd.
Drivers etc you can find if you go to -> http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Gaming...75VW/#download

Open hdd cover. you need to take out original hdd. replase it with your ssd. (it need to be put into slot1)
(do not put in original drive before you have finished installing windows or you will get a error upon win install.)
After install you are free to insert your original mecanical hdd (put it in secondery slot)
Then upon finished win 7 install. Install all you intel, vga driver etc..

Voila!

64 bit:
http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-58997.iso

32 bit:
http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-58996.iso

[FearlessG1]

after reading on this it sounds like it may be a bit difficult using the download links above to reinstall windows with our OEM cd key. Can someone post up an OEM Asus Windows 7 cd for download?

[PILGRIM]

after reading on this it sounds like it may be a bit difficult using the download links above to reinstall windows with our OEM cd key. Can someone post up an OEM Asus Windows 7 cd for download?

Try this Windows Home Premium with Integrated ISO from G74's Drivers and Apps thread
by JRd1st: http://msft.digitalrivercontent.net/win/X17-24209.iso

[theriddler]

I did the same thing. 1TB as secondary and a 120GB intel SSD for boot and games. WOrks great. The intsall was a pain in the ass for me and took a few hours to figure out but well worth it.