Windows 10: New ssd clone boots from external enclosure but not when installed internally

I cloned my SSD twice now once using arconis true image for wd, and once using a dual bay external enclosure with offline cloning feature. Both times I have the same result. My laptop can boot if it is left in the external enclosure, however when transferred internally to my m2 slot it fails to boot. It's recognized in the bios boot order and ive selected it to boot in uefi.I tried alternatively to boot from arconis rescue media and to restore a back up of my old drive to the new one. The restore finished however it failed to boot as well.I also tried a fresh install of windows from my bootabl

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Laptop won't boot from external m.2 SSD in enclosure

Hello all,

I have a Lenovo Legion Y540-15IRH with Windows 11 installed. I recently purchased a WD_Black 1tb SSD to upgrade from the SK Hyinx 256gb that came installed. Western Digital offers Acronis True Image software to clone the drives for free. In the Acronis instructions it says to install the new SSD and put the old SSD into an enclosure to boot from in order to have a bootable clone. When I try to boot from my old SSD in the enclosure I bought, it fails every time. Most of the time it attempts to repair the disk for a couple of minutes and then says the repairs have failed. When I reinstall the old SSD into my computer it works perfectly.

Things I have tried:

• Setting the boot priority
  
• Turning off the secure boot
  
• Switching ports (usb-c and usb 3.0)
  

If this were a cloning issue I would go to Arconis but I haven't even gotten to that step yet. Any advice would be helpful.

Device name LAPTOP-MO5SDQG6

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz 2.59 GHz

Installed RAM 16.0 GB

System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Edition Windows 11 Home

Version 22H2

Installed on ‎6/‎3/‎2023

OS build 22621.1992

Serial number PF2A0L13

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22644.1000.0

 

Move internal Windows 11 install to external enclosure

I have a 2 year old ultrabook where the M.2 NVMe drive slot or controller has gone bad (drives are not recognized by the BIOS). The M.2 drive itself is fine and fully functional. However, as this M.2 slot on the motherboard is the only one place to attach internal storage, the notebook is essentially rendered useless by this motherboard component failure. It is cost prohibitive to repair the notebook.

Rather than trashing the notebook, I could use it as a stationary PC for other purposes using an external drive. It obviously would be slower, but it would work. My overwelming preference is to use the existing install (i.e. simply move the M.2 drive from the internal slot where it had been to an enclosure).

I've read in places that this can be done and also that it can't be done due to Windows copying protections. So, my first question is:

Can I boot from and use an existing Windows 11 install from an internal drive in an external enclosure?

If the answer to above is, yes, what changes do I need to make in order for this process to work?

I have done the obvious and put my M.2 drive in a suitable enclosure, but get an "inaccessible boot device" stop error. I've also cloned the M.2 drive to a SATA SSD and tried it in other enclosures with the same result. The original M.2 drive is secured by Bitlocker while the clone I made is not. SATA is set to AHCI. Have tried with fast boot enabled and disabled and have set Secure Boot to the correct settings (enabled for the Bitlocker drive and disabled for the unlocked drive). I've basically tried every available setting in the BIOS to no avail.

If using my original install in an external enclosure is not possible, is it possible to do a fresh install of Windows 11 onto an external drive and use it in the same ways I could with an normal internal install?

 

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 installation?

I'd also need to see how I want the dual-boot setup to go, but I'll deal with that once I know whether this can be done.

I assume that I can transfer my Windows product key to the new internal installation.

Thanks for your help!