Clone old HDD onto SSD

The_Mowgs

The_Mowgs

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I have a friend that installed a new ssd into his laptop but wants to clone all of the old data back onto the new ssd, even windows.

Is such a thing possible? The last batch of Windows keys on the sticker underneath the laptop has been ripped off over the years so I dont think I would be able to reinstall Windows.
 
tried this exact thing this past weekend -- problem is the after cloning. the laptop cant boot from the SSD. google it, its a known issue. had to do a clean install and just copy anything else over.
 
*SynergyX* said:
tried this exact thing this past weekend -- problem is the after cloning. the laptop cant boot from the SSD. google it, its a known issue. had to do a clean install and just copy anything else over.
Click to expand...
Ive cloned about 5 HDD to SSD, all of them were fine.

You messing up mdr vs gpt?
 
Johnatan56 said:
Ive cloned about 5 HDD to SSD, all of them were fine.

You messing up mdr vs gpt?
Click to expand...

im not an i.t person -- all gibberish to me. all i know is the clone was successful the files were exactly them same but it wouldnt boot from the ssd. so just did a clean install. worked.
 
*SynergyX* said:
im not an i.t person -- all gibberish to me. all i know is the clone was successful the files were exactly them same but it wouldnt boot from the ssd. so just did a clean install. worked.
Click to expand...
Use the partition software recommended. Think it stops you if you are using gpt (or mdr, keep forgetting. It's 3 quick googleable cmd commands to swap it), will also handle the entire file transfer etc. For you.
 
SykomantiS said:
Macrium Reflect is another option that I've used on occasion.
Click to expand...
This is the best to use for freeware. If you are going from a bigger HDD to a smaller ssd there are videos on YT showing how to do it. It's one small sector you need to manually move and it'll work. It's a pain but can be done. I've recently moved my laptop over to an ssd so it's pretty fresh in my mind.
 
If it's a WD hard drive you can download a WD-branded version of Acronis (I think). I did that when I shifted my laptop to an SSD and everything was just peachy.

I'm told that there's an equivalent for Samsung, though I don't know about the other brands.
 
Easeus ToDoBackup is also great for a system clone.
Used it countless times with various brands, Kingston, WD, Mushkin, etc. and no issues whatsoever.
 
Dairyfarmer said:
Don't all ssd's come with cloning software? If not they should have on their website.
Click to expand...
If it's a Samsung SSD, then there's free software on the Samsung website. The Samsung wizard was the only thing that worked when I needed to clone my SSD to a NVME drive
 
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