HELP. Changing to SSD On My HP Probook

I'm sure you're probably expecting this newbie reply so.... How do I go about cloning the old HDD? Is there a way of having them both plugged into the laptop at the same time to do so or is there other equipment needed outside of the laptop needed for this to be done? Thanks so much for your timely reply too!

Yes, that can be done with the right program if you have both connected. It could well be your new disk comes with one or with an url to download one from the maker.

If not, Clonezilla is open source and free, Acronis is not free, and http://www.easeus.com/disk-copy/index.htm is free also.
Be sure you copy the right way. If you choose the wrong way, your overwrite everything on your HDD with nothing. Then you have 2 empty disks.

https://www.google.com/search?q=clone+disk might help.

Personally, I'm planning to clone my (small, old) SDD with Windows 7 to a new (larger, faster) one before I upgrade to Windows 10 on that new SSD. I already have Acronis for the occasional image backup, so I'll start with that program for the cloning job.

I'll give a nod to Apricom's disk clone kit. It's under 30 bucks on amazon.

Instead of cloning, you can create an image of the original disk. You'd need the software of your choice that offers it but most that clone (other than some that come with HDs) will create compressed images of your system drive. You'll need an external drive of sufficient capacity to contain the image. Generally the image size will be on the order of 1/2 the size of the occupied space on the original drive. You will need to be able to boot the imaging utility and follow the instructions to create the image. Once done, boot to windows and verify that the image exists. If successful, your next step will be to exchange the old and new hard drives. You boot the imaging utility again and restore the saved image to the new hard drive so it is a two step process. I don't recommend cloning to an external drive and trying to put that into a PC. It may or may not boot. The imaging process has always worked for me. If this works, you now have three copies of the system disk in case something goes awry and you need to undo the work. You have the old hard drive, the new drive and the image. Good luck.

Sorry for the delay in answering... all of the responses to my question have been very enlightening thanks so much! I'm still left wondering how I should proceed given my unique situation as I do not want to screw things up. The laptop that I am attempting to replace the hard drive in is a HP Probook 6550b and I've learned that there is no way of connecting my new SSD and the hard drive at the same. So, I'm trying to figure out how this will work. If someone could please tell me is there is free cloning software that will allow me to upload all of the data from my laptop's original hard drive to the cloud and after I swap out the hard drive for my new SSD to download all to it?