Windows 10: Transfer System disk image to SSD

I have created a disk image of the system disk, C:\ with the disk image software in Win 10 backup. The system disk was 70GB with 40GB of files. When I tried to write the image to the SSD the Win 10 install software said the disk (120GB= 110GB) was too small. I reinstalled the windows disk booted and shrank the system disk to just under 60 GB and retried the process with the same result. System is Win 10 32 bit on an old Acer netbook.

I would like to be able to transfer the installed files to the SSD.
I have looked at the tutorials for creating a system image and also how to create hardware independent image for installing win 10

:)

 

Moved windows to different hard drive

If the SSD is equal or larger in size than the Hard disk, you could backup the installation as a system image, then restore it on the SSD.

• How
  to: Create a system image in Windows 10
• How
  to restore a Windows 10 system image to an existing or larger storage device
  

If its not, then use the following method:

How to Migrate Windows 10 to SSD(Solid State Disk) - EaseUS

 

A small question about system images

A major handicap of the system image tool is with drive sizes. Even when the active data size of the backup is smaller than a destination drive System Image restore will not work when the actual drive size of the source disk is bigger than the new disk.

Whereas HDD disks of 1TB and more have become commonplace similarly sized SSD are still prohibitively expensive. Depending on System Image as a backup option when your intention is to replace the drive is potentially unsuitable.

Most major SSD manufacturers give access to a 3rd party disk tool to transfer the drive (often Acronis True Image) which does not have that limitation.

What you can do with System Image files is mount the image file as a virtual disk using Disk manager. You can then copy individual files from the backup to any disk you want.

The primary reason for including the system image tool is for backward compatibility (hence its name and obscure location), the philosophy with Windows 8/10 instead of complete disk images to use a combination of OneDrive and File History.

 

Have you more than one partition on your hdd?

Where are you saving the image file?



Post image of disk partitions on hdd.

 

There are three partitions a small 100 Mb recovery, the Windows system partition and and a data partition. See the image



I only selected the windows partition and the recovery partition as I have the data backed up. I backed the file up to an external powered hard disk formatted as ntfs. Windows was able to see it but said it was too big. I shrunk it to what you see in the image above but it still said too big. On both occasions I only selected the windows and recovery partition.
The laptop belongs to my niece who is staying with us to attend uni so I don't have it all the time but should be able to fix it now on the weekend. It only has space for the one disk drive but she has plenty of storage on one drive and at home. I haven't used Windows much since my last Vista laptop. I use Ubuntu on my own computers although I have several versions of windows including 10 on virtual box.

I have looked at Macrium and Acronix but I am really looking for a simple way for a once only move of the OS from the hard disk to the 120GB Kingston SSD. I presume the anti piracy protection in Windows is the problem and the reason why people all seem to recommend alternative software solutions.

 

The message I get when I try and install the image is
The system image restore failed

Error details: The disk that is set as active in BIOS is too small to recover the original system disk. Replace the disk with a larger one and retry the restore operation. (0x80042407)

following is a copy of the setup for image creation



The bios lists the disk as Kingston and Windows shows Kingston SV300s37A 120G (disk 0) 111.79 GB as the disk to use in the disks to exclude screen so the 111.79 is the capacity as Windows sees it. I don't understand how it can't fit a 44GB image file.

 

Here's my suggestion: Connect the SSD to the PC.

• Download: Macrium Reflect Free and install then run.
  IMPORTANT: click on the 1st icon on the top left to create a Macrium Rescue disk (using USB or DVD)
• Open Disk Management and make sure the SSD is disk 1.
  From Admin Command, type:
  diskpart
  select disk 1
  clean
  exit
  exit
• From Macrium, The disk with Windows currently running will have the partitions as shown in your screen shot above. Click on Clone this disk...
  A Windows popup, click on select a disk to clone to...
  Click on the SSD
• Select the 100MB "System Reserved", drag and drop to the destination (SSD)
• Select the 60GB "C Drive", drag and drop to the destination(SSD) next to the System Reserved
• Click Next->Finish
• Once done, shutdown, disconnect the HD and connect the SSD Only
• Boot up with the Macrium Rescue disk created in step 1.
• Once booted, click on "Fix Windows boot problems" and follow the instruction to complete.
• Remove the Rescue disk and reboot.

 

Topgundcp,

There is a small problem with your procedure in Post #8.

The only way the SSD could be Disk 1 and to use Macrium Reflect cloning is if it was connected to the laptop via a USB cable. If Trevor Jones had a SATA to USB adapter cable, that would be perfect and easy.

Trevor Jones,

Without a SATA to USB adapter cable to connect the SSD as an external drive to the laptop, you are going to have to make an image of the System Reserved and Windows partitions using Macrium Reflect. You will need a temp storage location to store the image file on that can be accessed from the Macrium Reflect Free rescue USB/DVD. Then using the Macrium Reflect Free rescue USB/DVD, restore the partitions from the image to the new SSD. Macrium Reflect free will take care of resizing the partition to fit on the smaller SSD for you.

If the laptop has only one USB port - once the Macrium Reflect Free USB boots, you can remove it and re-use the USB port for the storage device containing the image file if you need to.

 

@NavyLCDR
If you read his question carefully. He must have a USB port to connect the SSD to restore and that's when he got problem.
I clearly asked him in step 2 to make sure that the SSD is disk 1. If not, then use what ever disk # is assigned to it. So I don't know what is the problem ?????

 

I disagree. I am not reading anything in his posts to indicate that he can connect the SSD and the laptop's old hard drive to the laptop at the same time. To do so would require a SATA to USB adapter that I see no indication in his posts that he has.

When most people create an image of a partition or hard drive it is stored on a separate drive or network location. When the need arises to restore that image to a new hard drive or new SSD they install the new hard drive or new SSD, boot from a recovery USB/DVD/CD, connect the external drive or network location and restore the image from it. This is what I believe the OP is trying to do.

However - without the OP telling us what capability/adapters he has, he has been provided with the two different methods to accomplish it.

 

The Acer has 3x USB2.0 ports only 1 of these seems active for windows install or repair. I have been using the installed Win10 to create the disk image on the external usb then removing the hdd and swapping in the ssd and trying to restore the image.

I have downloaded Acronis free edition and created what I thought were installable images to select with windows repair, that is boot the computer with the windows 10 install usb in the usb port I and try and use the image I created on the powered usb drive. Win repair will not use the images. Acronis also created a boot image but I can not get the computer to boot from this in the usb drive.

I downloaded a copy of Macrium but it does not want to install. Part of the problem is I don't have access to the computer all the time, it is working ok with the hdd and she is using it for uni. Consequently I am using my ubuntu box for researching, downloading and posting here and only accessing her laptop when it is free.

I have downloaded a copy of Partition assistant recommended by one of your posts and will try that. Otherwise I have the option of installing the hdd and the ssd in my ubuntu box and trying to clone the hdd to the ssd using tools like gparted or disks in linux. I have migrated my ubuntu from hdd to ssd with no problems and never expected such a hassle. However I am sure part of the hassle is my lack of familiarity with windows and particularly win10. As I said previously it is almost 10 years since windows was my main operating system and things have changed a lot since vista. That was my reason for posting here and I must say I am very impressed with the site and the support. Thanks to all who have read and offered suggestions.

 

What was the problem with installing Macrium Reflect Free? Installing that, making a Macrium rescue DVD or USB flash drive to boot the computer from would be the easiest way of transferring an image to an external device and then back to the SSD once installed.

One of these adapters:
SATA 7 15 Pin 22Pin to USB 2 0 Adapter Cable for 2 5 HDD PC Hard Disk Drive US | eBay

would allow you to copy the partitions directly from the HDD to the SSD, but you would still need a program like Macrium Reflect Free or MiniTool Partition Wizard to do it. I like Macrium Reflect Free better because it has an utility to fix boot problems built into the Rescue drive.

Another option would be to make a MiniTool Partition Wizard USB or DVD by burning the ISO file - then you could connect both the SSD and HDD to your Linux computer and boot from the MiniTool Partition Wizard USB/DVD and copy the partitions over directly.

Using Windows built-in imaging will be the most difficult and troublesome method to use.

Also, did the new SSD come with it's own utilities to transfer the system over?

 

Macrium downloader installed a directory pc10x86 to her computer and and a setup v6.1.1081_reflect_setup_free_x86 marked as an application, UAC shows it as unknown publisher, I allow it to make changes, then I get The NTVDM CPU has encountered an illegal instruction. CS:0567 IP:0117 OP:63 6f 64 69 6e Choose close to terminate the application. When I choose ignore I get the same message twice more then a blank command window.

The kingston disk did not come with anything. I have previously bought Samsung and they provide more support but it is really simple with linux.

I like the idea of the usb sata adapter, I will definitely get one so that she can use her hdd as a backup. At the moment she likes windows 10 so much that I have a job getting it to try and install the ssd. I am sure she would be happy to continue as is. I will order a usb to SATA adapter and use partition assistant with that. The software seems simple and straightforward and I should be able to copy/migrate the windows system straight to the SSD over usb.

 

How was this Solved? I am facing the same Error Code with a Windows Server backup despite enough space on destination.