Question Cloned SSD from HDD wont boot

[ibanezrg82]

I recently got my brother a SSD, and did like I did when I got one of mine, cloned it and replaced it where the HDD used to be
I tried putting it in a new SATA slot but the BIOS didn't see it as bootable, possible first issue

When booting from the new SSD in where the old HDD was, I get the message that the drive is not bootable

I'm pretty sure I missed a step, did I need to do something with the partitions on the new SSD
Also it would be much easier if I could boot it from the drive bay expansion slot, but it doesn't come up at all in the BIOS
Thanks in advance

 

[Darkbreeze]

Most likely you didn't include the EFI partition along with the primary C: partition when you performed the clone. Without it, it can't boot. Try cloning it again but this time be sure to include ALL partitions on the HDD, not just the C: partition.

 

[ibanezrg82]

Most likely you didn't include the EFI partition along with the primary C: partition when you performed the clone. Without it, it can't boot. Try cloning it again but this time be sure to include ALL partitions on the HDD, not just the C: partition.

I don't believe I even saw that as an option in the cloning tool I used. I think I may be using a bad tool. What is the best free one?
I used a different one than last time

 

[Darkbreeze]

Macrium reflect

What is the model of the SSD?

 

[ibanezrg82]

Macrium reflect

What is the model of the SSD?

Yeah that's the one I used last time I believe
Sandisk 512 3D SSD
Anyhoo
What a complete cluster eff I always do this glance over procedures and miss things
It cloned right with Macrium, but then I lost half the capacity due to cloning from a 250GB to a 512GB
So I did what I thought was needed next, extend the volume - I'm guessing I wasn't supposed to do this because it didn't boot and said it needed to be repaired.
Almost thinking to just install clean - he doesn't have that much on his drive

When installing Win10 clean you can select the drive to install to, correct?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, you can. And when installing Windows, any version, you SHOULD disconnect ALL drives except the drive you are installing TO and the drive you are installing FROM, until after the installation is complete. That way there is no chance of anything accidentally being deleted OR the installer incorrectly not creating a new boot partition (EFI) because one already exists on some other attached drive and it thinks it doesn't need to create a new one.

My guide covers it all, step by step. This one is from a few Windows 10 versions back but the screens should all be 98% the same. I'm working on updating the tutorial soon with the latest, version 2004.

The ones that are different in the latest version are minimal, and you can figure it out the differences. The ones that matter, are all the same. The initial procedures, are likewise all the same. The important thing is to choose the "Custom" option when you get to that screen and then completely delete all the existing partitions until there is nothing left on the drive except unallocated space. Then click next and let Windows do it's thing. It will create ALL necessary partitions and do any required formatting automatically.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[USAFRet]

And for future reference, cloning...

-----------------------------
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.
-----------------------------

 

[Darkbreeze]

I never noticed this before on your clone procedure, but you might want to add the step regarding dragging/resizing the C: partition to be created on the new drive to include the full remaining unused capacity, once all required partitions have been added to the queue, so that like was mentioned by the OP, you don't end up with only a 250GB partition available on a 500GB SSD. I don't see anything related to that step for situations where a small drive is being cloned to a larger one.

 

[USAFRet]

I never noticed this before on your clone procedure, but you might want to add the step regarding dragging/resizing the C: partition to be created on the new drive to include the full remaining unused capacity, once all required partitions have been added to the queue, so that like was mentioned by the OP, you don't end up with only a 250GB partition available on a 500GB SSD. I don't see anything related to that step for situations where a small drive is being cloned to a larger one.

Yeah, that needs to be added in there.
Main problem is how the partitions end up. If the blank space is directly nect to the C partition, generally no problem. If there is something in the middle...problem, and needs a 3rd party tool to manage.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Maybe just a mention of that, with a link to a lengthier guide you create that addresses that particular nuance. Hint hint, wink wink. LOL.

 

[ibanezrg82]

And for future reference, cloning...

-----------------------------
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.
-----------------------------

And this is what I did I'm pretty sure, but each time the SSDs size shrank to the size of the old drive.
I can't remember if that happened in the past. What am I supposed to do after to make the whole drive available to the cloned media

 

[Darkbreeze]

 

[USAFRet]

And this is what I did I'm pretty sure, but each time the SSDs size shrank to the size of the old drive.
I can't remember if that happened in the past. What am I supposed to do after to make the whole drive available to the cloned media

Yes, that happens.
Generally, you can Extend the C partition into that unused space. Either in Disk Management, or with a 3rd party tool

 

[ibanezrg82]

Yes, that happens.
Generally, you can Extend the C partition into that unused space. Either in Disk Management, or with a 3rd party tool

Yes that's what I did.
Wonder what I did wrong hmmmm. I'll follow your list to the T this time

 

[ibanezrg82]

Yes, you can. And when installing Windows, any version, you SHOULD disconnect ALL drives except the drive you are installing TO and the drive you are installing FROM, until after the installation is complete. That way there is no chance of anything accidentally being deleted OR the installer incorrectly not creating a new boot partition (EFI) because one already exists on some other attached drive and it thinks it doesn't need to create a new one.

My guide covers it all, step by step. This one is from a few Windows 10 versions back but the screens should all be 98% the same. I'm working on updating the tutorial soon with the latest, version 2004.

The ones that are different in the latest version are minimal, and you can figure it out the differences. The ones that matter, are all the same. The initial procedures, are likewise all the same. The important thing is to choose the "Custom" option when you get to that screen and then completely delete all the existing partitions until there is nothing left on the drive except unallocated space. Then click next and let Windows do it's thing. It will create ALL necessary partitions and do any required formatting automatically.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

In your procedure it doesn't say disconnect the FROM only everything but the TO

 

[USAFRet]

In your procedure it doesn't say disconnect the FROM only everything but the TO

Well...if you are installing FROM a USB flash drive, you obviously need that connected.

 

[ibanezrg82]

Well...if you are installing FROM a USB flash drive, you obviously need that connected.

In my situation I suppose I'm just moving from the old hard drive to the new.
That's if I do it I'm going to try cloning one more time but if it doesn't work

 

[USAFRet]

In my situation I suppose I'm just moving from the old hard drive to the new.
That's if I do it I'm going to try cloning one more time but if it doesn't work

Steps for cloning is different than steps for a clean install. You've been given detailed instructions on both methods.

Given no hardware issues, the above cloning steps should work.

If you are going from a smaller to larger drive, there WILL be an unallocated space at the end.
How to manage that depends on whatly how the partitinos are aligned at the end of the process.

 

[ibanezrg82]

Steps for cloning is different than steps for a clean install. You've been given detailed instructions on both methods.

Given no hardware issues, the above cloning steps should work.

If you are going from a smaller to larger drive, there WILL be an unallocated space at the end.
How to manage that depends on whatly how the partitinos are aligned at the end of the process.

I've just been using disk management in Windows to extend the partition
But last time it gave me a warning message saying the disk would not boot if I did that, and low and behold it didn't
Just going to follow your list this time and at least see if I can get it to boot

 

[USAFRet]

I've just been using disk management in Windows to extend the partition
But last time it gave me a warning message saying the disk would not boot if I did that, and low and behold it didn't
Just going to follow your list this time and at least see if I can get it to boot

It depends on how those partitions are laid out.

 

[ibanezrg82]

It depends on how those partitions are laid out.

Yes there's three of them it seems. It was an old drive I pulled out of a crap HP machine when my hard drive (sold that PC to my brother) crapped out
There's three drives on the original, copied them all over. The main, and a separate one is 10 GB the other like 10 Megabytes, not sure what they're for one says factory image probably some HP crap

 

[ibanezrg82]

It depends on how those partitions are laid out.

This time I didn't need to extend the partition, it already was after the clone
However, no luck. When booting still says the drive needs to be repaired or missing files, I copied all partitions over too
Guess I'm going to plan B

 

[USAFRet]

Yes there's three of them it seems. It was an old drive I pulled out of a crap HP machine when my hard drive (sold that PC to my brother) crapped out
There's three drives on the original, copied them all over. The main, and a separate one is 10 GB the other like 10 Megabytes, not sure what they're for one says factory image probably some HP crap

'three drives' or three partitions?
10MB, or 10GB?

Terminology makes a difference...

But...cloning is great, when it works. It is not foolproof or always 100%.
If it fails, for whatever reason, fall back to a clean install on the new drive.

 

[ibanezrg82]

'three drives' or three partitions?
10MB, or 10GB?

Terminology makes a difference...

But...cloning is great, when it works. It is not foolproof or always 100%.
If it fails, for whatever reason, fall back to a clean install on the new drive.

Three virtual drives on the original drive. One is 230 GB, one is 10 GB, and one is like 10MB
I thought the three drives were three separate partitions
Goofy I know it's some kind of HP thing, the old drive came from a HP PC

 

[ibanezrg82]

Maybe that's why I'm having issues some kind of stupid proprietary failsafe to see their drives aren't cloned.
One of the drives was named FACTORY IMAGE
Now those three drives are on the new drive. How do I get rid of them? I only want one drive on the SSD. I tried formatting but that just erased the drives on the drive, three empty drives now.