Question Best way to clone desktop HDD for laptop SSD ?

[Maineman]

Is installing the Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SATA 2.5" Internal SSD into the desktop the best, and least expensive way to clone the desktop HDD? Didn't want to remove the SSD from the laptop but an external SSD was too expensive for one-time use. I think downloadable cloning software is on the Samsung website.

 

[USAFRet]

Is installing the Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SATA 2.5" Internal SSD into the desktop the best, and least expensive way to clone the desktop HDD? Didn't want to remove the SSD from the laptop but an external SSD was too expensive for one-time use. I think downloadable cloning software is on the Samsung website.

desktop...laptop...what are you actually trying to do?

 

[Lafong]

If you have a desktop with a Windows installation on an HDD, you can certainly install a Samsung 870 in the desktop as well and then clone the HDD to the 870...........................if that is what you mean and you already have a known good 870.

A clone has to have a source drive and a destination drive and I assume you want to end up with Windows on the 870 inside the desktop, where the HDD would be the source drive.

But maybe you don't want the 870 as the destination in the desktop.

Clarify????

 

[Maineman]

The source is the HDD in the desktop, the destination is the SSD in the laptop. Can I leave both drives in their respective computers, connect the computers with a USB, and clone the HDD to the SSD? I don't see why not.

I know data can be cut from the desktop HDD, pasted to an external SSD through a USB cable, then cut and pasted from the external SSD to the laptop internal SSD via a USB cable. Is cloning a different animal?

As far as cloning with a USB cable is concerned, will the source HDD in the desktop "see" the SSD in the laptop as a destination drive?

 

[drivinfast247]

The source is the HDD in the desktop, the destination is the SSD in the laptop. Can I leave both drives in their respective computers, connect the computers with a USB, and clone the HDD to the SSD? I don't see why not.

I know data can be cut from the desktop HDD, pasted to an external SSD through a USB cable, then cut and pasted from the external SSD to the laptop internal SSD via a USB cable. Is cloning a different animal?

As far as cloning with a USB cable is concerned, will the source HDD in the desktop "see" the SSD in the laptop as a destination drive?

You don't do that. You would clone the drive for replacement in the same PC

 

[Lafong]

The source is the HDD in the desktop, the destination is the SSD in the laptop. Can I leave both drives in their respective computers, connect the computers with a USB, and clone the HDD to the SSD? I don't see why not.

Clarify again:

If this clone is successful and after all the smoke has cleared, a month from now:

Where is the final resting place of the destination drive Samsung 870 SSD:

Inside the laptop?

Or inside the desktop?

 

[Bob.B]

The source is the HDD in the desktop, the destination is the SSD in the laptop. Can I leave both drives in their respective computers, connect the computers with a USB, and clone the HDD to the SSD? I don't see why not.

I know data can be cut from the desktop HDD, pasted to an external SSD through a USB cable, then cut and pasted from the external SSD to the laptop internal SSD via a USB cable. Is cloning a different animal?

As far as cloning with a USB cable is concerned, will the source HDD in the desktop "see" the SSD in the laptop as a destination drive?

Take the ssd out of the laptop and connect it to the desktop.
Now you can clone the desktop hdd to the ssd.

 

[USAFRet]

The source is the HDD in the desktop, the destination is the SSD in the laptop. Can I leave both drives in their respective computers, connect the computers with a USB, and clone the HDD to the SSD? I don't see why not.

I know data can be cut from the desktop HDD, pasted to an external SSD through a USB cable, then cut and pasted from the external SSD to the laptop internal SSD via a USB cable. Is cloning a different animal?

As far as cloning with a USB cable is concerned, will the source HDD in the desktop "see" the SSD in the laptop as a destination drive?

Still unsure.

What is on the Source drive that is in the desktop?

 

[Maineman]

Still unsure.

What is on the Source drive that is in the desktop?

OS, programs and data

 

[USAFRet]

OS, programs and data

You can't clone that and put it in the laptop.

Moving an OS between systems is very often a complete fail.
From desktop to laptop, fail is almost a certainty.

 

[Maineman]

You don't do that. You would clone the drive for replacement in the same PC

I want to clone the HDD in the desktop to the SSD for use in the laptop. I would like not to have to remove the SSD in the laptop to do this but guess that is not an option. I know removing the SSD, placing it in the desktop, cloning the HDD, and then putting the SSD back into the laptop will result in miss-matched hardware specs but no matter. As soon as I fire up the SSD in the laptop the laptop will recognize the miss-match and correct it.

 

[USAFRet]

As soon as I fire up the SSD in the laptop the laptop will recognize the miss-match and correct it.

No, it won't.

We all wish Windows worked like that, but it does not.

 

[USAFRet]

Moving a drive+OS, or a clone, between systems has 3 possible outcomes:

1. It works just fine.
2. It fails completely
3. It "works", but you're chasing issues for weeks/months.

Going from desktop to laptop, #2 is almost a certainty.

 

[Maineman]

No, it won't.

We all wish Windows worked like that, but it does not.

I have cloned HDD's in one machine and put them in another machine too many times to count. Hardware miss-matches get corrected everytime. You need to read and understand what people write and understand how computers work.

 

[USAFRet]

I have cloned HDD's in one machine and put them in another machine too many times to count. Hardware miss-matches get corrected everytime. You need to read and understand what people write and understand how computers work.

I've done it as well.
Had it work.
Also, had it fail.

Sorry, but it is NOT a 100% success rate.

In any case, your laptop drive needs to be connected directly to the desktop for this clone procedure.
You can't do it while it is still in the laptop...there is no network connectivity until there is an OS on it.


I wish you good luck, sir.

 

[USAFRet]

Or....
Create an Image of the desktop drive, off on some other storage device.
Macrium Reflect.
Create a Macrium Rescue USB
Connect that external to the laptop.
Boot from the Macrium Rescue USB.
Apply that Image to the laptop drive.