How to install an SSD in your PC
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Unscrew and remove the sides of your computer’s case. Some have latches holding the sides in place, which must be pushed open. Make sure you have clear access to the motherboard’s SATA ports and hard disk bays.
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Place the SSD into its mounting bracket or a removable bay, line it up with the holes underneath, then screw it in. You can buy a 3.5- to 2.5in adaptor bracket for a few pounds or simply use a single hole in a 3.5in bay in your PC.
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Connect the L-shaped end of a SATA cable to the SSD, and the other end to a spare SATA port (SATA 6Gb/s ports are blue). Connect a SATA power cable to the SSD. For a fresh Windows installation, disconnect any other hard disks inside your PC.
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Insert a USB drive or DVD with Windows 10 and turn on the PC. Press F12 to see the boot menu and select the USB or DVD. Follow the instructions to install the operating system on the SSD. Once the installation is complete, you can put other hard drives back in the PC.
Obviously, all your old files and Windows installation will still be on your old disk. You can copy your documents, videos, music and pictures across to their respective folders on the SSD, but it’s best to leave most of your files on the hard disk to avoid using up the limited space on your SSD.
There are numerous ways to tell your new Windows installation that your documents and other files are on a different hard disk. With Microsoft’s OS, the most elegant method is to use its libraries feature. Create a folder on your hard disk: for example, e:/docs. Right-click the folder in Explorer, scroll down to the Include in library option, then choose the Documents library from the list. Next, copy any documents from the My Documents folder to the new one. You can do the same for movies, music and pictures, keeping your files close at hand without them residing on the SSD.
When it comes to software, it makes sense to install those programs you use most often on the SSD, so that they benefit from its speed. When space becomes too tight, or you don’t need the extra speed, install new applications on your old hard disk by specifying where to store the files during the installation process. If you leave the settings at their defaults, programs will always be installed to the same drive as Windows.