[SOLVED] cannot get cloned ssd to nvme to boot

[laurencewithau]

Hi. I have windows 10, a 250 GB SSD as my boot drive and a Crucial M2 NVME 1T drive that I wish to use as my boot drive instead of the SSD.
I followed Crucial's instructions and used Acronis to clone the SSD to the Nvme.
It seemed to be going OK but when I checked the Nvme it was still empty, so the cloning had not worked.
But the computer would not boot from the SSD, so I had to go into the bios.,
I found that the Nvme had boot priority, but since it was not booting I changed it so that the SSD had priority.
The computer now boots as normal, but this means that I failed to transfer the boot function to the Nvme.
I tried using Macrium Reflect but failed with that as well.
The Aronis clone page did say something about source and destination drive needing to have the same controller mode: IDE or ACHI, but I don't know if that made any difference. Thanks in advance for any help. Cheers, Laurence

 

[CountMike]

Hi. I have windows 10, a 250 GB SSD as my boot drive and a Crucial M2 NVME 1T drive that I wish to use as my boot drive instead of the SSD.
I followed Crucial's instructions and used Acronis to clone the SSD to the Nvme.
It seemed to be going OK but when I checked the Nvme it was still empty, so the cloning had not worked.
But the computer would not boot from the SSD, so I had to go into the bios.,
I found that the Nvme had boot priority, but since it was not booting I changed it so that the SSD had priority.
The computer now boots as normal, but this means that I failed to transfer the boot function to the Nvme.
I tried using Macrium Reflect but failed with that as well.
The Aronis clone page did say something about source and destination drive needing to have the same controller mode: IDE or ACHI, but I don't know if that made any difference. Thanks in advance for any help. Cheers, Laurence

Is BIOS in UEFI mode and were windows also installed in UEFI mode ?

 

[laurencewithau]

Hi. Thanks for your reply. Yes, BIOS is UEFI but I don't know how to check whether Windows is. Thanks again.

 

[CountMike]

Hi. Thanks for your reply. Yes, BIOS is UEFI but I don't know how to check whether Windows is. Thanks again.

Windows would have a 100MB EFI partition in front of C: partition, you can see that in Disk management.

 

[Rodrigodrt]

did you convert your parition from MBR to GPT?

 

[laurencewithau]

Windows would have a 100MB EFI partition in front of C: partition, you can see that in Disk management.

Hi. Thanks for getting back to me.
Yes, the C drive and the NVME both have that partition in front of them.
I think I'll try again with Acronis and Macrium.
Acronis is better in the sense that the c drive. all 250Gb of it, is cloned onto the whole of the NVME free space partition of more than 900GB;
but with Macrium you have to resize the c drive partition yourself, and before the cloning.
You can't do it afterwards using disk management because after the c partition on the NVME there's the recovery partition not a free space one.
I'll try to take a disk management screenshot if it helps. Thanks again.

 

[CountMike]

Hi. Thanks for getting back to me.
Yes, the C drive and the NVME both have that partition in front of them.
I think I'll try again with Acronis and Macrium.
Acronis is better in the sense that the c drive. all 250Gb of it, is cloned onto the whole of the NVME free space partition of more than 900GB;
but with Macrium you have to resize the c drive partition yourself, and before the cloning.
You can't do it afterwards using disk management because after the c partition on the NVME there's the recovery partition not a free space one.
I'll try to take a disk management screenshot if it helps. Thanks again.

I use Macrium all the time but not for straight clone, just make backup and than deploy it. Partitions can be fixed with Mini tool partitions later on and recovery partition can also be omitted, Windows will make one on next update anyway.

 

[laurencewithau]

Windows would have a 100MB EFI partition in front of C: partition, you can see that in Disk management.

did you convert your parition from MBR to GPT?

Hi Rodrigodrt. Thanks for your reply

did you convert your parition from MBR to GPT?

Hi Rodrigodrt. Thanks for your reply. Yes, the partition style for both SSD and NVME is GPT. Thanks again.

 

[laurencewithau]

I use Macrium all the time but not for straight clone, just make backup and than deploy it. Partitions can be fixed with Mini tool partitions later on and recovery partition can also be omitted, Windows will make one on next update anyway.

Hi. Thanks very much for that. I'll try again with Macrium and do as you suggest. Thanks again.

 

[laurencewithau]

Hi. Thanks very much for that. I'll try again with Macrium and do as you suggest. Thanks again.

I use Macrium all the time but not for straight clone, just make backup and than deploy it. Partitions can be fixed with Mini tool partitions later on and recovery partition can also be omitted, Windows will make one on next update anyway.

Hi. Thanks very much for that. I'll try again with Macrium and do as you suggest. Thanks again.
Hi. Just to say that I followed your instructions and it worked.
Perhaps I could set out the steps I took in order to help others who encounter the same problem. This is for those who use Macrium Reflect to clone their SSD "C" drive to a larger M2 NVME drive to make it their boot drive.

In Macrium select the SSD source drive and then the NVME destination drive. Now drag the EFI partition from source to destination drive.
Then drag the "C" partition.
Don't drag the recovery partition but leave it in "C" drive.
Now start the cloning and wait for it to finish.
Now go into disk management and use it to re-size the new "C" partition to fill the whole of the NVME.
This works because the partition to the right of the "C" partition is empty, the reason for which is that the recovery partition was left on the SSD drive.
You don't need to clone that partition. If you do clone it, you now have to use third party software to extend the volume of the new "C" drive.
It can be done but it is not necessary if you leave the recovery partition on the SSD .
Now go into the Bios to check that the NVME has boot priority.
Then see if the PC does boot from the NVME.
Or just go by the fact that the NVME is now displayed as the "C" drive.

Thanks again Count Mike. Cheers, Laurence

 

[CountMike]

Hi. Thanks very much for that. I'll try again with Macrium and do as you suggest. Thanks again.
Hi. Just to say that I followed your instructions and it worked.
Perhaps I could set out the steps I took in order to help others who encounter the same problem. This is for those who use Macrium Reflect to clone their SSD "C" drive to a larger M2 NVME drive to make it their boot drive.

In Macrium select the SSD source drive and then the NVME destination drive. Now drag the EFI partition from source to destination drive.
Then drag the "C" partition.
Don't drag the recovery partition but leave it in "C" drive.
Now start the cloning and wait for it to finish.
Now go into disk management and use it to re-size the new "C" partition to fill the whole of the NVME.
This works because the partition to the right of the "C" partition is empty, the reason for which is that the recovery partition was left on the SSD drive.
You don't need to clone that partition. If you do clone it, you now have to use third party software to extend the volume of the new "C" drive.
It can be done but it is not necessary if you leave the recovery partition on the SSD .
Now go into the Bios to check that the NVME has boot priority.
Then see if the PC does boot from the NVME.
Or just go by the fact that the NVME is now displayed as the "C" drive.

Thanks again Count Mike. Cheers, Laurence

Good job, glad you made it thru.