Best cloning software for SSD/HDD?

[Twister]

Hi, I have tried searching on Google for a cloning software program and found a ton of different varietys, and I have no clue which one is better then the other because I have never cloned a harddrive before in my life. My main goal here is to just get it done, with as much success as possible, and as little risk of error or failure as possible, and preferely as easy to use as possible. My most scared is that i'll click on the wrong drive and reverse, cloning the "Destination" drive to the "Original". 

 

 

I have 3 drives that need's to be cloned. There's no SSD --> HDD (mechanical) or HDD --> SSD involved.

 

Clone 1: SSD (128 GB, Brand WD) to SSD (500 GB, Brand Samsung)

Clone 2: SSD (250 GB, Brand WD) to SSD (1 TB, Brand Samsung)

Clone 3: SeaGate Barracuda 2TB (Mechanical) to Seagate Barracuda 2TB (Mechanical)

 

Note on Clone 3: The source Seagate barracuda have broken sectors and bad blocks. (A lot)

 

Additional info: 128 GB WD Green, 250 GB WD Green, Samsung 500 GB 860 EVO, Samsung 1 TB QVO 860.

 

Payment or Free?

I can willingly pay like 30$ for the software license (one-time fee), yearly fee, or monthly fee, but prefer free software aswell. But if the better option is to get a paid product, I would do that. (I would cancel subscription after one time payment have been withdraw from my account though because I don't think i'll be cloning again in a long time).

[Master Disaster]

Macrium Reflect. Its free as long as you don't want incremental backups.

[Twister]

12 minutes ago, Escanor said:

I use clonezilla its linux based tho, you can set it up with pxe to such point that it auto mounts your nas drive very easy to use once you learn to set it up with pxe network boot

Don't know what pxe or nas is, im not familar with server management or RAID, and never used linux either. 

 

If I use Macrium Reflect will it just clone the disk or will it also increase the storage capacity volume to the new disk capacity aswell, or do I need a 2ndary software for that?

[Twister]

6 minutes ago, Escanor said:

 

Network storage and pxe is a protocol for network boot one of those is ipxe that has uefi bios support macrium reflect can also be setup over the network altho i am not sure if it can auto mount a network storage

 

If you clone you need least same size disk or bigger

Free or available?

[Tan3l6]

4 minutes ago, Twister said:

 

If you clone you need least same size disk or bigger

Well, that's untrue. Or Macrium Reflect limitation.

I like Minitool Partition Wizard. AOMEI also is able to resize partitions, make them smaller if needed.

[Tan3l6]

5 minutes ago, Escanor said:

 

You can bassicly make a clone of a drive and store it for later use  so not un true, im not sure about directly cloning from drive to drive haven't used macrium reflect in a long time

OK, imaging and cloning must differ, as I added to my previous post, I have had luck of automatic resize of data partition, if the destination drive is smaller, when cloning. I think Aomei, Minitool and Macrium are probably somewhat similar, though some have different options like imaging and making bootable USB versions of the program...

[Twister]

Just a questioin, what disk should I be running the software on (clone software) or do I need a secondary computer to clone? 

[Tan3l6]

13 minutes ago, Twister said:

Just a questioin, what disk should I be running the software on (clone software) or do I need a secondary computer to clone? 

You can run it on the disk that is to be cloned from,  after tasks are set it  just needs a restart and it starts to clone after that. Just can't use OS same time.

[Twister]

11 minutes ago, Escanor said:

 

Preferably not the drive you intent to restore to

Haha! Smart!

[Twister]

Does disk need be wiped when use it for cloning or is it ok if there is some stuff on it?

[Tan3l6]

Just now, Twister said:

Does disk need be wiped when use it for cloning or is it ok if there is some stuff on it?

I think it has to be clean of partitions to clone to the destination disk.

[Twister]

Just now, Tan3l6 said:

I think it has to be clean of partitions to clone to the destination disk.

Whats the best way do it? Or I have to open windows installer again and erase it? Can I clean it in any of the mentioned above softwares or use a windows utility to clean it?

[Tan3l6]

Just now, Twister said:

Whats the best way do it? Or I have to open windows installer again and erase it? Can I clean it in any of the mentioned above softwares or use a windows utility to clean it?

The partitions can be erased from the destination disk with the partitioning/cloning software. Easiest. Though can use Windows disk management.

[Twister]

1 minute ago, Tan3l6 said:

The partitions can be erased from the destination disk with the partitioning/cloning software. Easiest. Though can use Windows disk management.

Yes I see. Thing  is I installed already Windows 10 on it and i wanted do it manually but it was too much of hassle and i wanted do a clone instead. I hope it ok to change your mind mid through

[Tan3l6]

Just now, Twister said:

Yes I see. Thing  is I installed already Windows 10 on it and i wanted do it manually but it was too much of hassle and i wanted do a clone instead. I hope it ok to change your mind mid through

Well, I'd recommend just deleting all partitions from destination disk and cloning a disk. Though it reminds me that you probably don't have to delete all partitions form destination disk, but if it is just in the middle of a fresh install, there's probably no need to keep any partitions. 

But it's totally up to you.

[Twister]

1 minute ago, Tan3l6 said:

Well, I'd recommend just deleting all partitions from destination disk and cloning a disk. Though it reminds me that you probably don't have to delete all partitions form destination disk, but if it is just in the middle of a fresh install, there's probably no need to keep any partitions. 

But it's totally up to you.

Nah I dont mind wiping it clean losing all data I put on so far. It just been some drivers and programs like CPU-z, google, and crystal disk info. Funny tho, I did a sfc scannow on new disk and it already showed up corrupt files in system on C , (new disk) and it was just a fresh windows install. Even my old (source) C dont have any errors in windows. 

 

Also my mouse cursor feels "choppy" to move in new install, and when i move it comes a squeelching noise from my PSU/disk , like its pushing limits, but on old disk its smoooooth and silent as a kitten. Ideas? (both showed OK status in crystal disk info)

[Tan3l6]

Just now, Twister said:

Nah I dont mind wiping it clean losing all data I put on so far. It just been some drivers and programs like CPU-z, google, and crystal disk info. Funny tho, I did a sfc scannow on new disk and it already showed up corrupt files in system on C , (new disk) and it was just a fresh windows install. Even my old (source) C dont have any errors in windows. 

 

Also my mouse cursor feels "choppy" to move in new install, and when i move it comes a squeelching noise from my PSU/disk , like its pushing limits, but on old disk its smoooooth and silent as a kitten. Ideas? (both showed OK status in crystal disk info)

Disk is not power hungry, so it would never overload PSU.

About choppiness ,there might be so many things to cause issues... lately i had it when HPET wasn't turned off, but it might be peculiarity of my rig.

[Twister]

2 minutes ago, Escanor said:

 

If you did not do sfc /scannow before making a clone and its corrupt the clone will obviously find corrupt files to best to do that first, then make a clone if explained this at work to where they use clones to deploy windows, it would be corrupt 100% before the time unless i made the clone image.

Why? its windows system that is corrupt, not the disk? And the windows system will be deleted anyway? I will be copying over the source drive with healthy windows to new?

 

2 minutes ago, Tan3l6 said:

Disk is not power hungry, so it would never overload PSU.

About choppiness ,there might be so many things to cause issues... lately i had it when HPET wasn't turned off, but it might be peculiarity of my rig.

and the squeelchinig sound when i move my cursor? keep in mind that the 2nd drive have never been screwed into my box, it been loose. can that be reason? and lastly should i return it and get new if issue dont resolve? i think samsung have 5 year warranty?

[Tan3l6]

1 minute ago, Twister said:

and the squeelchinig sound when i move my cursor? keep in mind that the 2nd drive have never been screwed into my box, it been loose. can that be reason? and lastly should i return it and get new if issue dont resolve? i think samsung have 5 year warranty?

Hard to tell, maybe you could record the noise? Though most problems are from motherboard (not liking something).

[Twister]

Just now, Tan3l6 said:

Hard to tell, maybe you could record the noise? Though most problems are from motherboard (not liking something).

I tried to mount old ssd again and then it became quiet again  my computer. How can i record noise? its a kinda high pitch noise so its not something i can live with. (unlike fan noise those  i can live with and have become a natural sound for me now)

[Tan3l6]

1 minute ago, Twister said:

I tried to mount old ssd again and then it became quiet again  my computer. How can i record noise? its a kinda high pitch noise so its not something i can live with. (unlike fan noise those  i can live with and have become a natural sound for me now)

Well it might be the age of HDD showing, if you don't have a microphone then there's nothing to do... if yo can live with it then I guess its "resolved"

[Twister]

Just now, Escanor said:

The corrupt files are on the disk you clone the disk including the corrupt files, unless you repair them before making the clone

Yes, to make it clear

 

Disk A is the disk i wanna clone (my old disk) , Disk B is the disk I wanna become like disk A (the new disk), disk B have the corrupt system windows files, disk A have zero problems with either windows, any software or hardware, and oh for additional input its disk B that are making the weird noise also , and runs the mouse cursor choppy and system feels clunky slow. Also temp on disk B is quite high crystal said, its 36 degrees, while the other is only 24 degrees

[Twister]

1 minute ago, Tan3l6 said:

Well it might be the age of HDD showing, if you don't have a microphone then there's nothing to do... if yo can live with it then I guess its "resolved"

whats HDD? i have a phone it has microphone? but i dont know how to put it here. No i said its NOT something i can live with. The high pitch sound make my ear drums bleed to be blunt.

[Tan3l6]

1 minute ago, Twister said:

whats HDD? i have a phone it has microphone? but i dont know how to put it here. No i said its NOT something i can live with. The high pitch sound make my ear drums bleed to be blunt.

Hard disk drive... I assumed the noise maker was regular hard drive. But all seems fine now as i conclude.

[Twister]

3 minutes ago, Tan3l6 said:

Hard disk drive... I assumed the noise maker was regular hard drive. But all seems fine now as i conclude.

its an SSD the noise coming from