SSD - migrate versus clean install of Windows 10 (Aspire TC-885-ACCFLi5)

Just got my Aspire up and running. Haven't installed or customized any software that wasn't OEM yet to leave as little to chance as possible.

The first thing I did was pop in a Crucial m.2 SSD. It was really easy once I found a video demonstrating how the hook side of the front panel lifts off. For being such a small case I really like it so far.

I'm wondering what the pros and cons of doing a clean install of Windows 10 on the SSD versus migrating from the HDD.

First time doing this and I imagine the odds of something going wrong in either case are small. Will one take more effort overall - it seems like Windows handles a lot of the things you had to do manually once upon a time with a fresh install?

Am I giving up anything critical in the way of Acer software I can't get again if I do a clean install?

Any other tips?

Accepted answers

tobimaru

A clean install will require the manual process of re-installing Acer software as you see fit. There are also some drivers Acer has pre-loaded that are specifically for your notebook. This can all be re-downloaded at the Acer website and manually installed.

The benefit of cloning the drive is to skip the process of re-installing drivers and software you already have. The flip side of that coin is if you truly want a trimmed and slimmed Windows, you're still keeping all of the OEM/manufacturer included "bloatware".

It comes down to how much work you want to do and how little you'd like to be inconvenienced.

billsey

Usually the biggest potential problem with a clean install vs. migrate isn't the drivers it's the missing utilities that are licensed only for the original build. Those are typically things like DVD utilities, audio enhancements, etc. They usually have a license that means Acer can't put the install images on their support site, so once you take them off there's no way to get them back on without purchasing the retail versions. One way to mitigate is to create the recovery image before taking any more steps because then you can always go back.

All comments

tobimaru

A clean install will require the manual process of re-installing Acer software as you see fit. There are also some drivers Acer has pre-loaded that are specifically for your notebook. This can all be re-downloaded at the Acer website and manually installed.

The benefit of cloning the drive is to skip the process of re-installing drivers and software you already have. The flip side of that coin is if you truly want a trimmed and slimmed Windows, you're still keeping all of the OEM/manufacturer included "bloatware".

It comes down to how much work you want to do and how little you'd like to be inconvenienced.

stroker23

Thanks for the reply. After checking out the Acer support for drivers and such I’m feeling pretty good that it won’t be too bad to get things set back up if I go clean install. I’m more confident in my ability to troubleshoot that than if something goes wrong in a migration and I don’t have to try and decide what to keep/delete from the pre-installed and can just add back as the need arises.

billsey

Usually the biggest potential problem with a clean install vs. migrate isn't the drivers it's the missing utilities that are licensed only for the original build. Those are typically things like DVD utilities, audio enhancements, etc. They usually have a license that means Acer can't put the install images on their support site, so once you take them off there's no way to get them back on without purchasing the retail versions. One way to mitigate is to create the recovery image before taking any more steps because then you can always go back.

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