• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Cloning my boot drive - How do I go about it?

Joined
Oct 20, 2012
Messages
394 (0.09/day)
Location
Where ever the wind blows
System Name PATATAS-3XTR3M3
Processor Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling Phanteks Glacier One 240MP
Memory 32gb (16x2) G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600mhz
Video Card(s) Asus ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti UV:850@1850
Storage Boot Drive: ADATA XPG SX6000 256gb, Storage Drive: 1TB Samsung 980 x2
Display(s) Lenovo G27Q-20
Case Lian Li O11D Mini
Audio Device(s) Samson SR850 connected to a Focusrite Scarlett Solo
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse Logitech G Pro X Superlight
Keyboard Akko MOD006, Durock POMS
So I bought myself a new M.2 ssd to replace my boot drive. As much as I could just reinstall windows and reinstall everything again its kinda a hassle to setup everything for my work and how some of my preferences are setup (photoshop and drawing tablet driver optimizations and etc) A friend of mine told me to look into cloning my boot drive that way i don't have to setup everything again.

is cloning relatively easy? or should I just do a windows installation from scratch.

Many thanks in advance!
 
Joined
Dec 18, 2005
Messages
8,253 (1.24/day)
System Name money pit..
Processor Intel 9900K 4.8 at 1.152 core voltage minus 0.120 offset
Motherboard Asus rog Strix Z370-F Gaming
Cooling Dark Rock TF air cooler.. Stock vga air coolers with case side fans to help cooling..
Memory 32 gb corsair vengeance 3200
Video Card(s) Palit Gaming Pro OC 2080TI
Storage 150 nvme boot drive partition.. 1T Sandisk sata.. 1T Transend sata.. 1T 970 evo nvme m 2..
Display(s) 27" Asus PG279Q ROG Swift 165Hrz Nvidia G-Sync, IPS.. 2560x1440..
Case Gigabyte mid-tower.. cheap and nothing special..
Audio Device(s) onboard sounds with stereo amp..
Power Supply EVGA 850 watt..
Mouse Logitech G700s
Keyboard Logitech K270
Software Win 10 pro..
Benchmark Scores Firestike 29500.. timepsy 14000..
download macreum reflect.. its free...

trog
 

1000t

New Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2019
Messages
25 (0.02/day)
I cloned a drive once, few years ago. I used live linux distro and dd command to clone the installed linux OS from HDD to new SSD of similar, but slightly lower capacity. Unfortunately, I don't remember anymore how I did it. There are two possibilities:
  • resize the partitions to fit if necessary and clone whole device,
  • do it partition by partition.
I think I did it the first way, but I'm not sure. But it worked.
 

TheLostSwede

News Editor
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
16,001 (2.26/day)
Location
Sweden
System Name Overlord Mk MLI
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE with offsets
Memory 32GB Team T-Create Expert DDR5 6000 MHz @ CL30-34-34-68
Video Card(s) Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phantom GS
Storage 1TB Solidigm P44 Pro, 2 TB Corsair MP600 Pro, 2TB Kingston KC3000
Display(s) Acer XV272K LVbmiipruzx 4K@160Hz
Case Fractal Design Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) Corsair Virtuoso SE
Power Supply be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W
Mouse Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Keyboard Corsair K70 Max
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/5za05v
Install the M.2 drive, use cloning software...
I'd recommend https://www.miray.de/products/sat.hdclone.html
Then reboot the system, set the M.2 drive as the boot drive and check everything is there.
HD Clone can do the repartitioning on the fly after after it has cloned the drive.
 
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
12,280 (2.37/day)
Location
Oregon
System Name Juliette // HTPC
Processor Intel i7 9700K // AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
Cooling Noctua NH-U12 Black // Stock
Memory Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s) ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
Storage Samsung 970 EVO NVMe 1Tb, Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB // Samsung 1Tb SSD
Display(s) ASUS VP348QGL 34" Quad HD 3440 x 1440 // 55" LG 4K SK8000 Series
Case Seasonic SYNCRO Q7// Silverstone Granada GD05
Audio Device(s) Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 // HDMI to Samsung HW-R650 sound bar
Power Supply Seasonic SYNCRO 750 W // CORSAIR Vengeance 650M
Mouse Cooler Master MM710 53G
Keyboard Logitech 920-009300 G512 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro // Windows 10 Pro
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Messages
7,800 (3.13/day)
System Name Best AMD Computer
Processor AMD 7900X3D
Motherboard Asus X670E E Strix
Cooling In Win SR36
Memory GSKILL DDR5 32GB 5200 30
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse 7900XT (Watercooled)
Storage Corsair MP 700, Seagate 530 2Tb, Adata SX8200 2TBx2, Kingston 2 TBx2, Micron 8 TB, WD AN 1500
Display(s) GIGABYTE FV43U
Case Corsair 7000D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Corsair Void Pro, Logitch Z523 5.1
Power Supply Deepcool 1000M
Mouse Logitech g7 gaming mouse
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Windows 11 Pro 64 Steam. GOG, Uplay, Origin
Benchmark Scores Firestrike: 46183 Time Spy: 25121
Macrium Reflect it is free and it works

Install the M.2 drive, use cloning software...
I'd recommend https://www.miray.de/products/sat.hdclone.html
Then reboot the system, set the M.2 drive as the boot drive and check everything is there.
HD Clone can do the repartitioning on the fly after after it has cloned the drive.

Frig I loved that program I didn't know they added support for M2 drives. Is it still possible to change the C drive when cloning with this one too?
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2005
Messages
6,875 (1.02/day)
Location
USA
System Name Computer of Theseus
Processor Intel i9-12900KS: 50x Pcore multi @ 1.18Vcore (target 1.275V -100mv offset)
Motherboard EVGA Z690 Classified
Cooling Noctua NH-D15S, 2xThermalRight TY-143, 4xNoctua NF-A12x25,3xNF-A12x15, 2xAquacomputer Splitty9Active
Memory G-Skill Trident Z5 (32GB) DDR5-6000 C36 F5-6000J3636F16GX2-TZ5RK
Video Card(s) EVGA Geforce 3060 XC Black Gaming 12GB
Storage 1x Samsung 970 Pro 512GB NVMe (OS), 2x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB (data 1 and 2), ASUS BW-16D1HT
Display(s) Dell S3220DGF 32" 2560x1440 165Hz Primary, Dell P2017H 19.5" 1600x900 Secondary, Ergotron LX arms.
Case Lian Li O11 Air Mini
Audio Device(s) Audiotechnica ATR2100X-USB, El Gato Wave XLR Mic Preamp, ATH M50X Headphones, Behringer 302USB Mixer
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex Platinum SE 1000W 80+ Platinum White
Mouse Zowie EC3-C
Keyboard Vortex Multix 87 Winter TKL (Gateron G Pro Yellow)
Software Win 10 LTSC 21H2
Samsung data migration works nicely

I use this one. Its a great program, very fast and easy to use, but, unless I am mistaken, it is only for supported Samsung consumer drives.
 

TheLostSwede

News Editor
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
16,001 (2.26/day)
Location
Sweden
System Name Overlord Mk MLI
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE with offsets
Memory 32GB Team T-Create Expert DDR5 6000 MHz @ CL30-34-34-68
Video Card(s) Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phantom GS
Storage 1TB Solidigm P44 Pro, 2 TB Corsair MP600 Pro, 2TB Kingston KC3000
Display(s) Acer XV272K LVbmiipruzx 4K@160Hz
Case Fractal Design Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) Corsair Virtuoso SE
Power Supply be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W
Mouse Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Keyboard Corsair K70 Max
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/5za05v
Frig I loved that program I didn't know they added support for M2 drives. Is it still possible to change the C drive when cloning with this one too?

Yeah, all the same features as before, just more and better features. Obviously not free, but it has never failed me once.
 
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Messages
7,800 (3.13/day)
System Name Best AMD Computer
Processor AMD 7900X3D
Motherboard Asus X670E E Strix
Cooling In Win SR36
Memory GSKILL DDR5 32GB 5200 30
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse 7900XT (Watercooled)
Storage Corsair MP 700, Seagate 530 2Tb, Adata SX8200 2TBx2, Kingston 2 TBx2, Micron 8 TB, WD AN 1500
Display(s) GIGABYTE FV43U
Case Corsair 7000D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Corsair Void Pro, Logitch Z523 5.1
Power Supply Deepcool 1000M
Mouse Logitech g7 gaming mouse
Keyboard Logitech G510
Software Windows 11 Pro 64 Steam. GOG, Uplay, Origin
Benchmark Scores Firestrike: 46183 Time Spy: 25121
Yeah, all the same features as before, just more and better features. Obviously not free, but it has never failed me once.

Nice I will get this one when I get home today
 
Joined
Oct 20, 2012
Messages
394 (0.09/day)
Location
Where ever the wind blows
System Name PATATAS-3XTR3M3
Processor Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling Phanteks Glacier One 240MP
Memory 32gb (16x2) G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600mhz
Video Card(s) Asus ROG STRIX RTX 3080 Ti UV:850@1850
Storage Boot Drive: ADATA XPG SX6000 256gb, Storage Drive: 1TB Samsung 980 x2
Display(s) Lenovo G27Q-20
Case Lian Li O11D Mini
Audio Device(s) Samson SR850 connected to a Focusrite Scarlett Solo
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse Logitech G Pro X Superlight
Keyboard Akko MOD006, Durock POMS
Yeah, all the same features as before, just more and better features. Obviously not free, but it has never failed me once.
I don't need to buy it if I plan on just using it one time right? How about using Macrium Reflect, is that another good software as well? The drive will arrive (if seller is correct) hopefully tomorrow. and how long does the cloning process take? Can I still use the PC normally as it clones the drive?
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
19,366 (3.72/day)
Benchmark Scores Faster than yours... I'd bet on it. :)
What everyone else said... I use EaseUS software... works like a charm (and free).

You can use your PC while you clone... and for how long, that depends on the size of the drives and data. With NVMe to NVMe it should be quick regardless... I wouldnt imagine over an hour for a stuffed full 1TB drive.
 

TheLostSwede

News Editor
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
16,001 (2.26/day)
Location
Sweden
System Name Overlord Mk MLI
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE with offsets
Memory 32GB Team T-Create Expert DDR5 6000 MHz @ CL30-34-34-68
Video Card(s) Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phantom GS
Storage 1TB Solidigm P44 Pro, 2 TB Corsair MP600 Pro, 2TB Kingston KC3000
Display(s) Acer XV272K LVbmiipruzx 4K@160Hz
Case Fractal Design Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) Corsair Virtuoso SE
Power Supply be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W
Mouse Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Keyboard Corsair K70 Max
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/5za05v
I don't need to buy it if I plan on just using it one time right? How about using Macrium Reflect, is that another good software as well? The drive will arrive (if seller is correct) hopefully tomorrow. and how long does the cloning process take? Can I still use the PC normally as it clones the drive?
There's a free version, just very slow in comparison, as it has a speed limit. But there's also the other alternative, if you know what I mean...
I have no idea about the other software, never used it.
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
3,817 (0.81/day)
Location
in a van down by the river
Processor faster than yours
Motherboard better than yours
Cooling cooler than yours
Memory smarter than yours
Video Card(s) better performance than yours
Storage stronger than yours
Display(s) bigger than yous
Case fancier than yours
Audio Device(s) clearer than yours
Power Supply more powerful than yours
Mouse lighter than yours
Keyboard less clicky than yours
Benchmark Scores up yours
What everyone else said... I use EaseUS software... works like a charm (and free).

Is that Crucial's cloning software or am I thinking of Acronis?
 
Joined
Oct 3, 2019
Messages
246 (0.15/day)
System Name Ryzen 1
Processor Ryzen 5800X
Motherboard MSI B550 Gaming Plus
Cooling Scythe Fuma 2
Memory 32GB Patriot Viper 3600 CL16
Video Card(s) AMD RX 7800 XT 16GB
Storage SSD's
Display(s) HP X32 32" 1440p 165Hz
Case Phanteks P400A
Power Supply Superflower Leadex III 750w
ddrescue is a free option as it comes with pretty much any linux distro. The catch is the new drive has to be bigger than the old drive. It's a bit advanced as it's all command line. You can download clonezilla (also linux) but more user friendly. I'm not sure if they've kept that up to date or not.

Acronis 11 or higher is by far easiest way. Try finding a free copy of True Image HD.

Here's clonezilla's most recent stable release https://osdn.net/projects/clonezilla/downloads/71563/clonezilla-live-2.6.3-7-amd64.iso/
 
Joined
Jan 1, 2019
Messages
404 (0.21/day)
I use the WD version of Acronis. It needs a WD disk to install but after that it's no problem. I have lots of WD disks so I am not worried.

Acronis can copy the boot disk of any rig to another disk. With a dual M.2 motherboard its trivial to copy SSD drive.
 
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
1,204 (0.73/day)
Location
Canada
System Name New compy
Processor AMD Ryzen 5800x3D
Motherboard MSI MPG x570S EDGE MAX WiFi
Cooling Noctua NH-D15S w. FHP141 + Xigmatek AOS XAF-F1451
Memory 32gb G.Skill Ripjaws V Samsung B-Die Dual Rank F4-4000C16D-32GVKA
Video Card(s) ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 4070ti
Storage 17tb (8+4tb WD Black HDD's, 2+2+0.5+0.5tb M.2 SSD Drives) + 16tb WD Red Pro backup drive
Display(s) Alienware AW2518H 24" 240hz, Sony X85K 43" 4k 120hz HDR TV
Case Thermaltake Core v71
Audio Device(s) iFi Nano Idsd Le, Creative T20 + T50, Sennheiser HD6Mix
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 1000w
Mouse Logitech G502 Hero custom w. G900 scroll wheel mod, Rival 3 + Rival 3 wireless, JLab Epic Mouse
Keyboard Corsair K68 RGB + K70 RGB + K57 RGB Wireless + Logitech G613
Software Win 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/s2y7ny
I don't need to buy it if I plan on just using it one time right? How about using Macrium Reflect, is that another good software as well? The drive will arrive (if seller is correct) hopefully tomorrow. and how long does the cloning process take? Can I still use the PC normally as it clones the drive?
I used macrium and it took about an hour and a half to clone my hdd onto an ssd (about 185gb). When using macrium, drag each partition from your main drive to the clone drive leaving the big one for last. I watched videos while it did its thing.
 
D

Deleted member 185158

Guest
Don't really need any cloning software. W7 and up you can create a system image right in windows.
Relatively easy to do and it works just fine. I've used it several times myself.


Most people prefer other software for cloning, just a preference thing imo.
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
Messages
2,960 (0.90/day)
Location
Long Island
Use the migration tool that comes with the SSD (download from site)
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
3,439 (0.71/day)
Processor AMD 5900x
Motherboard Asus x570 Strix-E
Cooling Hardware Labs
Memory G.Skill 4000c17 2x16gb
Video Card(s) RTX 3090
Storage Sabrent
Display(s) Samsung G9
Case Phanteks 719
Audio Device(s) Fiio K5 Pro
Power Supply EVGA 1000 P2
Mouse Logitech G600
Keyboard Corsair K95
Been using clonecd iso for years.
 
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
626 (0.18/day)
You don't want cloning, you want imaging.
Cloning is to create a bootable disk with the installed OS.
Image is to create a snapshot that you can install (restore) to any disk.

Use Macrium Reflect and create images regularly, say every fortnight, so you always have a recent one.
 

Kursah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
14,666 (2.30/day)
Location
Missoula, MT, USA
System Name Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition | Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor R7 5800X @ Stock | i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 | Stock Cooling
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v | 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB | CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage 4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD | 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s) Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 | 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software Windows 11 Pro x64 | Windows 11 Home x64
+1 to Macroum Reflect. Works great for this application and backups in general. And you can do both with the free version.
 
Top