Windows 10: Clone a Windows 11 external SSD installation to internal ssd partition of Steam Deck

Let me describe what I currently have and what I would like to do. I have my Steam Deck set up with Windows 11 installed on an external SSD. When I want to use Windows on my Steam Deck, I shut down the Deck, plug in the SSD, start up, and I'm running Windows.Here's what I want to do. Using the disk repartition software on the Steam Deck, I want to shrink the SteamOS partition and create a new partition. Then, I'd like to clone my Windows external SSD setup and install it on that new partition. Is that possible, and is it worth doing? Would I be better off with a fresh internal Windows ins

:)

 

Moving to SSD. Clone or not to clone?

I kinda agree with you, but on a wholr, do not. While I have done things a bit differently than this specific situation, by installing Windows directly to the SSD, and cloning after, my testing shows that there are no issues doing this, very little that can go wrong, provided your system is stable.

There are certain features that must be disabled in this situation, like auto defrag and such, but even with a fresh install to the SSD, you need to take steps to ensure that you SSD performs properly, regardless of how the data got there.

Arming yourself with a bit of knowledge can go a long way.

Installing the latest chipset driver, and the RST Tools, will ensure optimal performance of the SSD. but rather than taking my advice, I suggest the OP takes a look here:

http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/sand...7-and-ssds-to-clone-windows-or-reinstall.aspx

Install A Solid State Drive In Your Notebook

Keep in mind, also, Digibucc, that many retail drives include software and such that very specifically is to be used to ttranser the OS from an existing mechanical drive to an SSD, and if there really was alot fo issues stemming from the cloning process, they would not have packages like that, simply to eliminate tech support costs. While not the optimal option, cloning is NOT a bad thing, as long as you take the nessecary steps.

 

boot from cloned ssd installed on cd drive

Mahesh,

I do not know what is wrong because I do not know anything about the cloning tool you used. I suspect that the missing element might well be the MBR - this needs to be included as it is the MBR that the computer looks to in order to identify the disk to
boot from.

Note that my SSD did not end up with those two additional partitions before the boot partition:-

• Mine just has the System reserved partition before the boot partition. Your first one was probably called the System reserved partition on your original HDD but has lost its name in the cloning - that makes me doubt the success of the cloning procedure/tool.
• I don't know what the original purpose of that 16MB RAW partition was.

• I followed the procedure suggested by the regular forum contributor JWStuart at
  
  How to move from a smaller SSD to a larger SSD. I know that JWS was changing SSDs rather than replacing an HDD with an SSD but the procedure was still generally applicable.
  
• I used
  Acronis TI to restore a system image to the SSD. It was bootable straightaway. [Acronis have always provided a free 30 day trial version that you might wish to use]
• I used
  MiniTool Partition Wizard to set up "partition alignment" / "partition offset" but that was definitely used in setting up afterwards [the SSD booted beforehand with no problems].

The only sensible suggestion I can make is that you repeat the whole procedure using JWS's guide and basing it on a system image of your HDD that is restored to the SSD.

You might also benefit from changing the title of your question [click on the blue
Edit control just underneath the question]. If you call it something like
Cloned SSD does not boot then you are more likely to attract the attention of those skilled in this subject such as JWStuart.

Best of luck,

Denis

 

Unable to Boot to Windows 10 after Cloning old SSD to new SSD

Hi,

I'm not using the SATA ports. I'm using M.2 with the SSD, and the external SSD is connected to my PC using USB. My MB only has only one M.2 socket, so I can only plug in one SSD at a time. (I bought a wrong adapter that doesn't work with NVMe) So I cloned
my old SSD to an external SSD (Samsung M3 Portable SSD), and then swapped the old one, cloned the external SSD to my new SSD.

I tried AOMEI too, but the free version does not come with disk clone functions. I would probably try Macrium Reflect as suggested above. Thank you!