Windows 10: Cloning to SSD

First question here on 10 forum but used 7 forum lots. Anyway I am trying to clone the HDD? reduced partion to 450GB so as to be less than theSSD on my laptop. Trying to clone to a Samsung EVO 850 500GB. I have used the Samsung migration software and a version of EaseUS both give same error ie OS cannot be found. Now I think it is because the MBR is not being copied or if it is something is going wrong with it. This version of 10 was a free upgarde from8.1 for which I had a recovery stick but I have nothing to do the same on 10.
Am I missing something obvious here?

Thanks

:)

 

Clone a 1 Tb drive to a 512 Mb SSC

Hi Vaughn,

You can
clone larger HDD to small SSD with a professional disk cloning software as long as the used space is smaller than the SSD. You will not worry it will clone the unused space unless you use sector by sector clone mode.

I suggest you to clone your HDD to SSD with AOMEI Backupper, if the used space is larger than the SSD, you can clone only the OS to SSD and keep the HDD as data storage. This software is very easy to operate.

 

From one hard drive to another

Try AOMEI Backupper Standard, a freeware. It has a feature called System Clone, which will clone OS to SSD. it will check if the ssd has enough space for the clone. As long as your ssd have enough space for the data on the
system drive(C: drive), it will successfully clone your OS to your ssd. more detials:

http://www.backup-utility.com/clone/migrate-operating-system-to-ssd.html

 

Are you cloning the partition or the disk??

You can also just clean install windows 10 to that PC / SSD - since you already have digital entitlement..

 

Hi
I am attempting to clone the C partition only. Not sure how I can do a clean install to the SSD as it is the only drive on the laptop.

 

I was never successful cloning my hard drive to a new Samsung SSD. I tried both the program on the Samsung disc, my Macrium Reflect Cloning process and another cloning program. Never got it going. I finally did a "disc image" (backup) of the hard drive to the drive I used for backups. I then "restored" to the SSD and success.

We did some testing on the Win 7 forum with one of our "gurus" and the conclusion was cloning is a hit or miss. Works for some and not others.

One other thought on cloning. When You clone you copy everything, data, bad sectors and blank areas on the drive. If you do an image you only get the actual data, not bad blocks, blanks, etc.

 

Jack is right. Cloning is a hit and miss. It is at the physical level and not at the logical level. Use imaging and it should work.

 

Hi,

I am getting confused about the best way to proceed for replacing Lenovo yoga 500's HDD with a new SSD. I've thought about it and read a few forums etc, but still not sure. If I simply remove the HDD and replace it with a blank SSD, how would I get the laptop to boot? Do I perhaps download a Win 10 ISO onto a usb stick and try to install it onto the installed SSD? I had thought of cloning HDD to external SSD, then swapping, then doing clean install of windows 10. There's nothing much on the laptop so far apart from browser, so I don't mind and would prefer clean install.

Finally, the Yoga 500 was sold to me as Win 10, but it seemed like they had done the upgrade from 8.1, so there was a few driver conflicts etc therefore I did fresh Win 10 install.

Any advice or comments would be gratefully received, thanks.

 

You get the laptop to boot from a Windows 10 install USB flash drive or DVD. If you are going to clean install anyway, there is no reason to clone first.

 

Thanks for the prompt and helpful reply.

 

How does that work on a laptop. I have no disk to do an image too only my HDD and the SSD

 

Not sure how I get a usb sorted so as I can boot from it.

 

The easiest way is to let the Media Creation Tool create a USB flash drive. Option 1 here:
USB Flash Drive - Create to Install Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

 

I'm not sure about other laptops, but on Lenovo yoga 500 there is a small button next to the power button which needs paper clip or similar to push. This then brings up boot menu, and I assume it will show the usb as an option if it is loaded with Windows 10 ISO.

 

Followed a "Brink " method to do a clean install. Picture 1 is the USB stick after creation, picture 2 is the SSD after the system says everything has gone well. Though it has not as it just loops around trying to install windows 10 onto the SSD.