[SOLVED] Cloning (using Macrium) a smaller SSD to large - how to extend volume.

[Frooby]

Hellooo again.

I thought I'd sussed this out before, but - aaaaaargh - the same issue remains on a new laptop.

Situation - my laptop has a 64GB SSD and I wish to clone this on to a 120GB SSD. I can get this to happen no problem, well, apart from one problem - the new 120GB is an exact replica of the original disc, so has around 60GB of unallocated space remaining (please see the before and after photos below).

Can anyone tell me, please, how to either clone again but have ALL the unallocated 120GB space in one partition, or else how can I extend the E: drive to encompass the 59.62GB of unallocated space?

Many thanks.

https://imgur.com/aNc20Ev

View: https://i.imgur.com/aNc20Ev.jpg

https://imgur.com/pdroyee

View: https://i.imgur.com/pdroyee.jpg

 

[USAFRet]

First, which drive is which?

Your Disk Management seems to show the Disk 0 as the C drive.
If I'm reading that correctly, the Disk 2 should be the new C drive.

You're still booting off the old drive.

It is important that the first step you take after the clone operation is finished is to power OFF, physically disconnect the old drive, and let the system boot from only the new drive.

Moving on...
The F partition can almost certainly be deleted. Merge that with the Unallocated 59GB space.
Then, you can Extend the C partition into that whole blank space to the right.
Giving the OS partition use of that whole space.

But first, you MUST verify the system is working from the new drive by itself.

 

[Frooby]

Thanks USAFRet.

Disc 1 and 2 as shown in the first photo are disc 0 and 1 as shown in the second. The first photo is of Macrium prior to the cloning, and the second photo is from disk manager in Windows afterwards.

The 64GB disc is still in the laptop and the 120 I was cloning to is in a USB cradle. I haven't tried fitting it in the laptop yet, but I suspect it should work ok as it's seemingly a perfect copy - I will certainly confirm this as you suggest.

Using disk manager, I have tried expanding the E: drive to incorporate the unallocated last section, to no effect. The F: section (originally D was only added very recently by HP when I downloaded their checking/updating service.

Do I think you are suggesting I delete that F: drive so that the unallocated section now shifts adjacent to the E: drive, which should allow the two to be amalgamated? If so, I'm happy to try that, and I can always re-download the HP service thingy afterwards and it can reinstate that little 2GB section which I understand is used for recovery and stuff like that?

Can you confirm that's what I should try, please? (Nothing to lose as re-cloning is quick and easy if I mess it up 🙂 )

 

[USAFRet]

First, you MUST put that new drive in the laptop and verify functionality.

Do nothing else until you do that.

The 'E drive' is a red herring. That partition will become the C, once it is actually booting in the laptop.

 

[Frooby]

Och, I live dangerously 🙂

Whilst still in its cradle, I deleted the F: drive (the wee HP 2GB HP thingy) and then clicked on E: drive and asked it to 'expand'. And expand it did, taking over all that unallocated volume - I now have only a single 'drive' with the cloned stuff on it. All cool - and I can add the HP stuff again if I wish.

Thanks USAFRet - saying what you did reminded me of something I'd read on here before - 'the volume you wish to expand to must be located immediately to the right of the expanding volume'. So, CHEERS!

(MInd you, I haven't fitted the new SSD in the laptop yet... 🙂 )

 

[USAFRet]

(MInd you, I haven't fitted the new SSD in the laptop yet... )

😡

 

[popatim]

For future readers:

In your first image you would drag down C: to the destination and then click 'Cloned partition properties' (in the center just below the destination drive). Adjust the size so that you have room for the remaining partitions and leaving 10-20% of the SSD empty (so it has room to do it's internal housekeeping work)

So in your 120Gb (119.xxx) drive example, with the remaining partition being 2Gb and leaving about 20Gb empty leaves you with (120-22=) around 98Gb that you should increase C: to .

Once that is down, drag down the remaining partition and begin the clone.