Upgrading harddrive to SSD drive under Windows 8 on Lenovo IdeaPad S210

Every time when I work with a new laptop, I always like to prepare an image of the system partition using a DOS-based Ghost program.  The reason is simple: restore the system with a clean image in case of any problem.  When I worked with a Lenovo Thinkpad E420 laptop last summer, I also had to prepare a set of recovery dvds as recommended by Lenono during the initial setup.

Last week, I had an opportunity to work with a Lenono IdeaPad S210.  This new laptop did not come with any dvds or recovery program to prepare recovery dvds.  Several phone calls to Lenovo could not get me any free recovery dvds;  if you need a set, you have to pay $59 which I think is a rip-off!

My initial plan was to recover the Windows 8 product key on the laptop using a free product key finder - Belarc.  I then used my own upgrade copy of Windows 8.1 to do a clean install.  I did not know it was the beginning of several days of horrible nightmare until I eventually got it done.

My first obstacle was UEFI boot mode with secure boot enabled.  After I swapped in a SSD drive, I tried to start the install with an external usb dvd drive containing Windows 8.1 install disc.  It just could not boot up even I changed the Boot Mode from UEFI -> Legacy Support and Boot Priority from UEFI First -> Legacy First in the BIOS setup.  After some research on the net, I then realized Boot Mode and Boot Priority were not the problem.  The problem was the boot up device - dvd drive.  I got messed up because I didn't understand the whole UEFI thing initially!  As a matter of fact, that was the first time I heard about UEFI.

DVDs are formatted in NTFS which isn't compatible with UEFI for booting purposes (how strange).  If you like to use UEFI secure boot, it requires the boot media to be formatted in FAT32 with all Windows 8 install files copied onto it - a usb thumb drive.

I then went into the BIOS setup and changed the Secured Boot from Enabled -> Disabled.

During booting up, I changed the boot-up order to USB thumb drive using Fn+F12.  I then came to product key input.  First I tried the OEM key; it didn't work. I then tried my upgrade copy product key which also didn't work.  I then found out you had to create a file: ui.cfg and put it under the "Sources" folder.  The ui.cfg should have the following lines:

[EditionID]
Professional
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0

I wasn't sure if because of Retail under Channel section above, I had to use my upgrade copy product key instead of OEM key.  By this time, I was so mentally exhausted just to get the installation done and couldn't be bother to try any further.

Windows 8 drivers had to be the biggest and most pleasant surprise for me after the installation was completed.  It recognized all the drivers except one "unknown device" which turned out to be "Lenovo Power Management for Windows 8.1". For those who are curious, the boot-up time is now 7 seconds!

I might have missed some small steps here and there, but hopefully this covers the important steps that can help someone quickly do a clean install.  I myself certainly learn a little more by going through all this and that's never a bad thing.