[SOLVED] Boot Drive Change

[anastbogia1]

I have a 1tb hdd and want to get a smaller capacity ssd so i can boot faster and stuff. Once i plug it in, can i clone the drive and format the hdd? or do i need to reinstall windows on the ssd?

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

Easiest method is a fresh Windows install on the SSD as you won't be able to clone a larger capacity drive to a smaller capacity one without shrinking partition(s), and even that may not sufficient.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Why not just get a 1 TB SSD? Then you can just clone it

 

[anastbogia1]

My budget is limited and i can afford a 128-256gb ssd. However, The HDD only has about 50gb filled now. Can i clone it? (50gb including windows, its a new-ish pc)

 

[karenjoly]

Yes, cloning is an infinitely better solution. Reinstalling windows is a very last option.
The only item to attend to is that the data content to be cloned is significantly less than the available space on the target.In this situation 50 GB will fit easily on a 256GB empty drive. And for interest sake, a decent cloner will create a (smaller) partition if necessary on the target disk than the one being cloned.

 

[USAFRet]

1. Get a 250GB drive or larger. There is not a huge price diff between 128 and 250GB.
And the better quality drives don't even come in 128GB size anymore.

2.
-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive
Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------

 

[USAFRet]

Easiest method is a fresh Windows install on the SSD as you won't be able to clone a larger capacity drive to a smaller capacity one without shrinking partition(s), and even that may not sufficient.

The current clone/migration tools don't care about the physical drive sizes.

They take only the actual used data space to the new drive.

For instance, 1TB HDD with 150GB consumed, cloning to a new 250GB SSD.
Macrium Reflect does that no problem.

 

[anastbogia1]

1. Get a 250GB drive or larger. There is not a huge price diff between 128 and 250GB.
And the better quality drives don't even come in 128GB size anymore.

2.
-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive
Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Can i do it with a 120gb drive? I found one from an old pc.
What do you mean "This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command." I have no clue what that is

 

[USAFRet]

If your actual consumed space is below 80GB, yes, you can migrate into a 120GB drive.

That commandline function refers to wiping the whole drive. Opening it up in File Explorer and clicking "Format" is not enough.

Only do this after you know 100% that the system boots up from the SSD only.

How to Diskpart Erase/Clean a Drive Through the Command Prompt | Support Seagate US

This article explains the Microsoft Diskpart Erase utility. The command that erases the drive during this process is "Clean". In this article "Clean" and erase are used interchangeably. Cleaning or erasing a storage device removes all data and partitions from the drive.

www.seagate.com

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/85819-erase-disk-using-diskpart-clean-command-windows-10-a.html

Be very careful with this. Selecting the wrong drive will result in tears.