I have done this multiple times and never had a problem.
1. Download and install "Macrium Reflect Free edition"
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
2. Physically install your new SSD
(It must be at least as large as your existing drive), restart the machine, and make sure Windows recognizes it. It will have a new Letter "D:" or something like that. You may want to format it but don't worry about partitions. Macrium does all that.
CLONE YOUR EXISTING DRIVE
3. Start Macrium Reflect. It should default to the "Create a Backup" tab, showing your existing Hard drive's partitions at the top in a series of blue boxes. Beneath this, is the new SSD Drive's partitions blue boxes. (Probably empty)
4. Click on the "
Clone this disk..." link under your system partitions.
5. Click on the "
Select a disk to clone to..." link.
6. Select your new SSD by clicking on the blue box. Look for the tiny label for "SSD" somewhere in there.
7. Click on the "Delete Existing partition" link. This affects only the new drive, not your original.
8. Respond logically to the following messages until the cloning procedure starts. (I can't list them here for you, or I'll clone my 2nd drive as I write this.) This takes up to a couple of hours, depending on how much data is on the original drive.
9. When finished, shut down the machine.
10. Physically remove your original, unchanged (Only copied to your SSD) data drive.
11. Start the machine, take a breath, and before you can exhale, you can log on to Windows! (Almost)
12. Rename your new SSD's C:\ name to whatever you like.
12. Wait a few weeks or so until you're convinced that everything works. Then, you may re-install the original drive and re-name it as a backup, or re-format it as a data drive with the letter of your choice. You may also store it offsite in your garage, car, etc. as an emergency backup in case your computer is stolen or destroyed. I clone my SSD about once a month back to the hard disk and store it in the garage in a plain, brown wrapper in case of disaster. Windows will start in any new machine with the customary warning from Microsoft that it needs activation since your hardware has changed.:pcguy: