How to clone a drive?

[danforz]

Hello all,

 

My current SSD is full. I purchased a new 1TB SSD. I don't want to re-install my life over again (I downloaded the Windows 10 update anyways, so I don't have a CD). I need to clone the C: drive from my 256GB SSD and make my new 1TB SSD the new C: drive. 

How do you recommend I do this? Is there software that assists? 

Thanks guys,

Daniel 

[ARikozuM]

Macium Reflect.

[NoobCase]

Aomei partition assistent. 

[GBR6000]

Nvm

[Enderman]

You shouldn't clone.

It's not good for the OS or the drive.

 

Clean installing windows is the proper way to do it to avoid all kinds of issues, and you don't need your CD to do it.

http://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

[NoobCase]

11 hours ago, Enderman said:

You shouldn't clone.

It's not good for the OS or the drive.

 

Clean installing windows is the proper way to do it to avoid all kinds of issues, and you don't need your CD to do it.

http://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

Got some links to back up that statement? Besides the ssd drivers might be different in this case nothing else changes. I have a really hard time imagining how this could be particularly bad for either driver or OS. 

[Enderman]

8 hours ago, NoobCase said:

Got some links to back up that statement? Besides the ssd drivers might be different in this case nothing else changes. I have a really hard time imagining how this could be particularly bad for either driver or OS. 

Well, I can personally tell you that in the 3+ years I've been here I've seen people have "issues after cloning" posts at least once a week.

You can also look up "issues after cloning" on google and there are millions of results, people asking for help on forums because something isn't working right after the clone.

Even in the reviews for samsung SSDs, 99% of the negative reviews are people who tried to clone/migrate and it didn't work.

 

Problems include:

-no boot

-hang at login screen

-laggy performance in windows

-occasional freezes

-high disk usage

-windows updates failing to install

-programs not working as expected

-some other stuff

 

The reason is because cloning isn't always perfect and can result in messed up partitions, flipped bits, etc...

And a single flipped bit is enough to corrupt a whole OS.

Cloning is also bad because all previous issues with the OS are also copied over to keep building up. Many people cloning haven't clean installed in years, and it is very needed.

Another issue is that when cloning from a hard drive to an SSD it is possible windows recognizes the new SSD as the old HDD and performs cleaning functions on it which degrade lifespan. WD themselves recommend to not clone.

 

Overall, it is bad practice, a lazy way of avoiding a clean install which is actually not that hard.

With the high possibility of problems in the future you can actually save time by doing a clean install in the first place instead of cloning and having to do a clean install in the future when you see stuff isn't working right.

 

And yes, if you look through thousands of posts from people having issues after cloning, a clean install is almost always the only way to fix those issues.

 

[NoobCase]

1 hour ago, Enderman said:

Well, I can personally tell you that in the 3+ years I've been here I've seen people have "issues after cloning" posts at least once a week.

You can also look up "issues after cloning" on google and there are millions of results, people asking for help on forums because something isn't working right after the clone.

Even in the reviews for samsung SSDs, 99% of the negative reviews are people who tried to clone/migrate and it didn't work.

 

Problems include:

-no boot

-hang at login screen

-laggy performance in windows

-occasional freezes

-high disk usage

-windows updates failing to install

-programs not working as expected

-some other stuff

 

The reason is because cloning isn't always perfect and can result in messed up partitions, flipped bits, etc...

And a single flipped bit is enough to corrupt a whole OS.

Cloning is also bad because all previous issues with the OS are also copied over to keep building up. Many people cloning haven't clean installed in years, and it is very needed.

Another issue is that when cloning from a hard drive to an SSD it is possible windows recognizes the new SSD as the old HDD and performs cleaning functions on it which degrade lifespan. WD themselves recommend to not clone.

 

Overall, it is bad practice, a lazy way of avoiding a clean install which is actually not that hard.

With the high possibility of problems in the future you can actually save time by doing a clean install in the first place instead of cloning and having to do a clean install in the future when you see stuff isn't working right.

 

And yes, if you look through thousands of posts from people having issues after cloning, a clean install is almost always the only way to fix those issues.

 

I clone hdd to ssd and ssd to ssd on a regular basis.  (twice a month roughly) using either symantec ghost or the build in cloning function of my icy box and never seen any of those issues.  Granted...  My sample size is considerably lower than the combined internet. 

 

I bet you half of those issues is user related. Cloning an already faulty OS or several years old installation should hardly be blamed on the Cloning it self. 

 

Some of the issues you mention sounds very plausibel whilst others again could light as well be a 100 other things,  not necessarily carried  over from the old system. Others again could just as well ve fixet with a reclone instead of a fresh install. 

 

When all that is said I do highly agree that the fresh install is preferrable but in many cases it might not be an option. 

 

A better option  is in fact doing a system backup and the resterende the backup to the new ssd. 

 

@danforz have a look at aomei partition assistent or aomei backupper. Both are highly usefull tools and will sit your needs just fine. 

[NoobCase]

5 hours ago, Sharon_hsy said:

It's partition assistant i think....

yups... as you can see on the port I have a lot of auto correct errors when using the phone... there's quite a few danish words in there