TC-866-UR11: Exact steps to replace boot wd m.2 SATA ssd with intel m.2 PCIe ssd

G_Larry

I have a TC-866-UR11 that came with a WD 512GB m.2 "SATA" ssd. Since PCIe is about 7x faster, I want to swap the WD out for an Intel m.2 PCIe ssd I own (new). I know how to get to the m.2 drive physically on the Acer. What's the simplest way to copy/duplicate Windows 10 and installed apps to the new drive? Will this yield a "plug and play" replacement? Also they're both 512GB drives; should I buy a 1TB m.2 PCIe ssd if I do this? Thanks much to anyone with info!

brummyfan2

Hi,
Download and install Macrium reflect free, install a spare HDD in the PC, use Macrium reflect to clone the current WD SATA SSD to it, replace the 512GB M.2 SSD with either a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD or a 1TB M.2 SSD, go to BIOS and make the HDD as your first boot in Boot tab, boot with the HDD and use Macrium to clone the HDD to the new M.2 SSD.
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-clone-your-pcs-hard-drive-macrium-reflect

billsey

Or pick up an external USB case for the M.2 SATA drive. Install the new NVMe drive in the M.2 slot and the old SATA drive in the external case, then use your F12 boot menu to boot from the USB. Once you are up and running on the external follow the same process to clone the external drive to the internal and you can skip having a third drive connected.