Cloning your OS drive question

[Gravemind]

Setting aside the risks of failure of cloning a hard drive to an SSD, there's one question I have that isn't a simple search engine query away;

 

When I clone my drive with the OS on it, and put the new drive into a brand new system to retain as many settings and whatnot, I know it will complain about not being activated/being pirated etc., but can I use a brand new Windows key or is that installation permanently tied to my laptop motherboard even if I take the new drive and put it in a new system?

 

It would still be a Windows 7 64bit Home Premium key either way, but will it not accept a new key? Or does Windows 7 not care as long as it's a good key?

[Guest]

It's just Windows activation. Installation should be fine and you can keep everything. Only Windows key/license is tied to your motherboard

[samiscool51]

don't clone with software, use a physical clone, it's better and reduces the risk of it failing since it just copys the binery data, not the files, making it safer

[Gravemind]

Just now, samiscool51 said:

don't clone with software, use a physical clone, it's better and reduces the risk of it failing since it just copys the binery data, not the files, making it safer

Not what I really asked, and can you explain the differences to me and possibly what you'd recommend? I've never cloned before and want this to work.

 

 

3 minutes ago, dexxterlab97 said:

It's just Windows activation. Installation should be fine and you can keep everything. Only Windows key/license is tied to your motherboard

So even though the new drive will think it's supposed to be in another computer, a brand new product key will work just fine even in a new system?

[samiscool51]

software can only copy the files and requires a restart to complete it's job

the psychical drive cloner can read the drive on a bit level reducing the risk of a file not getting copied 

[Gravemind]

1 minute ago, samiscool51 said:

software can only copy the files and requires a restart to complete it's job

the psychical drive cloner can read the drive on a bit level reducing the risk of a file not getting copied 

Gotcha. Can you recommend a program to do the second option, then? Or do I need hardware for it, cause I won't have time or the money for any more equipment.

[samiscool51]

there are great drive cloning software, but a would recermend hardware, mainly because you can use it again, some have more advanced features like letting you see whats on the drive

but if you are going to use software, check if you have enough SATA ports, otherwise the cloning can't take place

yet another win for the drive cloners

[Gravemind]

Just now, samiscool51 said:

there are great drive cloning software, but a would recermend hardware, mainly because you can use it again, some have more advanced features like letting you see whats on the drive

but if you are going to use software, check if you have enough SATA ports, otherwise the cloning can't take place

yet another win for the drive cloners

My laptop has two full size and working bays for hard drives. I would take my backup drive out of the 2nd slot and put the SSD in there for the cloning process. The new system it would go in has more sata ports than places to put a drive so that's not a concern.

 

What software would you recommend? Everything on the host drive would have a safe backup outside of the system, so even if a few files or programs go missing then it's not a big deal. I just want to keep my Windows installation and a couple important programs installed without losing setting or having to import files to them again, etc.

[Gravemind]

18 minutes ago, dexxterlab97 said:

It's just Windows activation. Installation should be fine and you can keep everything. Only Windows key/license is tied to your motherboard

So even though the new drive will think it's supposed to be in another computer, a brand new product key will work just fine even in a new system?

 

And what software would you recommend? I've seen more clone programs than grains of sand on a beach.

[Electronics Wizardy]

17 minutes ago, Gravemind said:

Gotcha. Can you recommend a program to do the second option, then? Or do I need hardware for it, cause I won't have time or the money for any more equipment.

You can clone it just fine in software and it will do the exact same thing, but it will also allow you to shrink a partition and clone to a smaller drive, something that a hardware cloner can't do. 

 

 

Also I have cloned lots of drive and never had a issue with activation.

[Gravemind]

2 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

You can clone it just fine in software and it will do the exact same thing, but it will also allow you to shrink a partition and clone to a smaller drive, something that a hardware cloner can't do. 

 

 

Also I have cloned lots of drive and never had a issue with activation.

So even though the new drive will think it's supposed to be in another computer, a brand new product key will work just fine even in a new system?

 

The host drive will be 500gb and the new SSD will be only 240, but it'll be less than 150~gb of data so that should be fine.

 

What software would you recommend?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Gravemind said:

So even though the new drive will think it's supposed to be in another computer, a brand new product key will work just fine even in a new system?

 

The host drive will be 500gb and the new SSD will be only 240, but it'll be less than 150~gb of data so that should be fine.

 

What software would you recommend?

Key should still work. Id clone it and see if it complains. If it doens't complain then don't worry about it

 

Id use something like macrum reflect. 

You can also use dd and linux if you want.

[Gravemind]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

Key should still work. Id clone it and see if it complains. If it doens't complain then don't worry about it

 

Id use something like macrum reflect. 

You can also use dd and linux if you want.

Alright, sweet. I've just heard some horror stories of people trying what I'm trying, and the new drive sees it's in a new system, thinks it's being pirated and deletes itself.

 

So I should be fine most likely? Just clone it and get a new key so I can keep using my laptop? Stellar.

[Electronics Wizardy]

5 minutes ago, Gravemind said:

and deletes itself.

It won't do this.

 

In windows 10 all it will do is show a watermark and keep you from changing the desktop picture.

 

Just clone it.