Cloning SK hynix SC 308 to Samsung 980

Nofolker

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Mar 12, 2015
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Dell laptop Latitude 5580, Win 10, w/ SK hynix SC 308 SATA 256 GB.
Single SSD slot.

Wish to clone to Samsung 980 Pro, 500 GB.
I realize this will go into a Gen 3 and not perform as Gen 4, that's fine.

I have the appropriate M.2 NVMe to USB enclosure - I hope.

The more I read, the more confused I am becoming. A couple of instruction say I MUST insert the new SSD into the machine as the target and the old SSD must be the source and cloned as an external drive through the USB. If not, the new SSD will not boot when placed into machine.

Other instructions say versa visa.: the old SSD remains in laptop as source and new SSD is the target attached via USB.

Is this a peculiarity of the cloning software or a universal truth? I would like to use cloning software that enables me to use new SSD as the external target connected to USB

and while I have your attention, the laptop was built in Nov. 2017. Can I assume the drivers and BIOS are compatible with NVMe and any other newer considerations?

TIA
 
a better idea may be to just get a larger SATA III SSD and clone the existing drive to that for internal connection.
you will see no performance increase using the M.2 drive via USB.
may actually notice a reduction in startup times and disk speed.

The more I read, the more confused I am becoming.
only read Samsung Magician cloning walkthroughs,
don't pay attention to user DIY or YouTube videos for other software.

without having the old disk still attached and recognized as the boot disk
you will not be able to load Windows and use the cloning software.

it should work by:
with a blank disk attached via USB,
using Samsung Magician you would be cloning the entire existing OS drive to the blank USB disk.
this will effectively copy all system\boot partitions to the new drive.
then you would shutdown and remove the existing OS drive.
then you would have to change the boot priority in the BIOS and tell the system to boot from the USB drive.
from there you should have Windows running from the new disk.

you may want\need to alter Windows Power Plan settings to allow full power to the USB ports at all times.
otherwise the disk may be shutdown at times for power saving.
I realize this will go into a Gen 3 and not perform as Gen 4, that's fine.
this may not really matter since data transmission speeds will be based on the USB port's capabilities, not the PCIe lanes.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
There are a couple of methods for this.

Does the system have the capability of having BOTH of these drives connected at the same time?

If not, do you have (or can borrow) a USB connected drive, of sufficient capacity to hold the contents of the current C drive?
Can be any type.


How much space is consumed on the current drive?
Why a 980 Pro?
 

Nofolker

Honorable
Mar 12, 2015
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10,510
There are a couple of methods for this.

Does the system have the capability of having BOTH of these drives connected at the same time?

If not, do you have (or can borrow) a USB connected drive, of sufficient capacity to hold the contents of the current C drive?
Can be any type.


How much space is consumed on the current drive?
Why a 980 Pro?
NO, only one SSD slot.

I do not not have access to another large enough USB drive. I am assuming you would be suggesting writing an image, using an external boot rescue (Acronis, et al) and then installing image onto the installed Samsung. I would prefer not.

approx 80 GB consumed on the existing 256 Hynix.

I felt it time to replace before current SSD went south. Five years old . And although CyrstalDisk says 86%, I want to play safe. (just had another SSD go bad), and Amazon Prime day had an offer I could not refuse.

I was hoping my original question was simple enough about the opposing info I read. Cloning drives used to be a lot simpler.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
NO, only one SSD slot.

I do not not have access to another large enough USB drive. I am assuming you would be suggesting writing an image, using an external boot rescue (Acronis, et al) and then installing image onto the installed Samsung. I would prefer not.

approx 80 GB consumed on the existing 256 Hynix.

I felt it time to replace before current SSD went south. Five years old . And although CyrstalDisk says 86%, I want to play safe. (just had another SSD go bad), and Amazon Prime day had an offer I could not refuse.

I was hoping my original question was simple enough about the opposing info I read. Cloning drives used to be a lot simpler.
Well, you need something to connect both drives to.

One internal, and some sort of USB thing to connect the other to.

An Image off to some HDD would work, but if you don't have anything for that....

I use Macrium for this function, it is really really good.



So, you can do it with an external adapter for your new drive.
Or, an external adapter for your existing Hynix, and a Macrium Rescue USB to boot from.
Either way would work.

Either way, when the clone process is finished, the first thing you MUST do is have the new drive and only the new drive in the system, and try to boot from it.
Don't clone, then boot from the old drive and poke around in the clone target to "see if everything is there"
Absent any error message, it is.

Also, given the differring drive sizes, you need to manipulate the resulting partition size on the 500GB target.
Easy in Macrium.

So which way do you want to go?
 

Nofolker

Honorable
Mar 12, 2015
10
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10,510
a better idea may be to just get a larger SATA III SSD and clone the existing drive to that for internal connection.
you will see no performance increase using the M.2 drive via USB.
may actually notice a reduction in startup times and disk speed.


only read Samsung Magician cloning walkthroughs,
don't pay attention to user DIY or YouTube videos for other software.

without having the old disk still attached and recognized as the boot disk
you will not be able to load Windows and use the cloning software.

it should work by:
with a blank disk attached via USB,
using Samsung Magician you would be cloning the entire existing OS drive to the blank USB disk.
this will effectively copy all system\boot partitions to the new drive.
then you would shutdown and remove the existing OS drive.
then you would have to change the boot priority in the BIOS and tell the system to boot from the USB drive.
from there you should have Windows running from the new disk.

you may want\need to alter Windows Power Plan settings to allow full power to the USB ports at all times.
otherwise the disk may be shutdown at times for power saving.
this may not really matter since data transmission speeds will be based on the USB port's capabilities, not the PCIe lanes.
sorry for what appears to be a misconception of my goal. I DO want to clone the existing drive onto the Samsung 980 AND for it to be my internal drive.

I would LOVE to use Samsung Magician but the "word on the street"
says that when the 980 is attached via USB through a NVMe > USB converter, Samsung Magician will not recognize it as a Samsung product and will not support it, as if it were a generic SSD.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
sorry for what appears to be a misconception of my goal. I DO want to clone the existing drive onto the Samsung 980 AND for it to be my internal drive.

I would LOVE to use Samsung Magician but the "word on the street"
says that when the 980 is attached via USB through a NVMe > USB converter, Samsung Magician will not recognize it as a Samsung product and will not support it, as if it were a generic SSD.
That is correct.
Samsung Data Migration (not Magician) does not like to clone to a drive in an external enclosure.
Macrium will, no problem.

But to my point above...in a case like this, an Image off to some other device works as well as a direct clone to the new drive.

Create an image elsewhere, boot from a Macrium RescueUSB, swap the physical drives, recover that Image to the new internal drive.
Yes, this works.
 
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Nofolker

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Mar 12, 2015
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Well, you need something to connect both drives to.

One internal, and some sort of USB thing to connect the other to.

An Image off to some HDD would work, but if you don't have anything for that....

I use Macrium for this function, it is really really good.



So, you can do it with an external adapter for your new drive.
Or, an external adapter for your existing Hynix, and a Macrium Rescue USB to boot from.
Either way would work.

Either way, when the clone process is finished, the first thing you MUST do is have the new drive and only the new drive in the system, and try to boot from it.
Don't clone, then boot from the old drive and poke around in the clone target to "see if everything is there"
Absent any error message, it is.

Also, given the differring drive sizes, you need to manipulate the resulting partition size on the 500GB target.
Easy in Macrium.

So which way do you want to go?

I do have a a portable NVMe > USB enclosure that can allow the 980 to be connected via USB. I was hoping that something like Macrium could be used to simply clone the old (Hynix) while still in the laptop TO the USB connected new (980).

I hope that route will work - with the caveats you give.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
I do have a a portable NVMe > USB enclosure that can allow the 980 to be connected via USB. I was hoping that something like Macrium could be used to simply clone the old (Hynix) while still in the laptop TO the USB connected new (980).

I hope that route will work - with the caveats you give.
Is the current Hynix a 2.5" or M.2 SATA?
 

Nofolker

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Mar 12, 2015
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10,510
That is correct.
Samsung Data Migration (not Magician) does not like to clone to a drive in an external enclosure.
Macrium will, no problem.

But to my point above...in a case like this, an Image off to some other device works as well as a direct clone to the new drive.

Create an image elsewhere, boot from a Macrium RescueUSB, swap the physical drives, recover that Image to the new internal drive.
Yes, this works.

is it feasible to format and partition the new drive and load the image while it is an external drive, swap the drives, boot from rescue USB, and then load image onto the other partition ? I know there is software to safely remove a partition - or at least used to be.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
is it feasible to format and partition the new drive and load the image while it is an external drive, swap the drives, boot from rescue USB, and then load image onto the other partition ? I know there is software to safely remove a partition - or at least used to be.
WAY too much complexity, and I'm completely unsure if that will work.

Hynix internally
980 external.
Clone with Macrium (macrium doesn't care like SDM does).
Swap drives.
 
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Nofolker

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apologies for not replying sooner - needed sleep and a steady hand to open this up.

I am still learning about SSD sticks, but my meager knowledge and searches make me think the hynix is M.2. Here is a picture of it. If you would be kind enough to opine as to whether it is M.2 or not, I'd appreciate it. BTW, the number that is obscured by the reflection says "D P/N 02P56M"
51279629570_ed8b2dfab5_h.jpg