How do I clone a HDD to a SSD

[Linkrocks250]

I've recently tried upgradeing my boot drive to a SSD. My boot HDD is 100 GB, so I got a 120 GB PNY SSD. It came with Acronis cloning software, but I can't get that to work after cloning it requires windows to be repaired. All I want to do is to basically replace the HDD with the SSD without losing any files and keeping everything except the speed the same. Is there any way to do this and if there is, how do I do it? I don't have a windows install disc so I can't do the repair if it ends up needing it to boot. I do have a fresh copy of windows 7 on a flash drive though.

Specs:
MSI 970 gaming MB
AMD FX 8320 CPU
PNY SSD
Windows 7 ultimate

 

[Herc08]

There are other cloning software that should work. EaseUS Todo Backup is a good one. I trust EaseUS and their products as they are powerful and simple at the same time.

 

[Linkrocks250]

There are other cloning software that should work. EaseUS Todo Backup is a good one. I trust EaseUS and their products as they are powerful and simple at the same time.

Would that make it so I don't need the disc to boot it afterwards?

 

[Scottray]

I found Acronis more difficult to use. You need to follow the exact steps as written in their support section. Another tool to try is Macrium Reflect. Also, be sure to do a complete clone of your HDD - ALL of the partitions. Is your installation on your HDD working correctly - no errors? If you have problems on the HDD, you're just copying them to the SSD. Your last resort, is to take out the HDD, put in the SSD and do a clean windows install.

 

[Herc08]

There are other cloning software that should work. EaseUS Todo Backup is a good one. I trust EaseUS and their products as they are powerful and simple at the same time.

Would that make it so I don't need the disc to boot it afterwards?

Yes, you can hook up the SSD, and start cloning with the software.

 

[Linkrocks250]

There are other cloning software that should work. EaseUS Todo Backup is a good one. I trust EaseUS and their products as they are powerful and simple at the same time.

It's still resulting in the windows repair screen

 

[Scottray]

Looks like you're going to need to do a clean install of windows on the SSD.
1. Install the SSD in your case and hook up the power and sata cable.
2. Disconnect the sata cable from your HDD
3. Start up your rig and go into the bios and make sure the SSD is selected as the boot drive.
4. Do a fresh/clean install of windows on to the SSD. Do all the updates and windows activation.
5. Install your programs.
6. Reconnect a sata cable to the HDD
7. Move the files you need/want over to the SSD
8. Reformat the HDD. Now you'll have a clean HDD to store less needed or archive file on it.

 

[ArtPog]

The various disk-cloning programs that have been recommended to you are generally sound programs and should do the job so there may be some problems with your system (including user error in utilizing the programs) that prevent their successful use.

In any event, you may want to try this program I'll recommend to you..

It's the Casper disk-cloning program that we have been using for a number of years and which I heartily recommend for its ease of use, general effectiveness, and speed.

Although the program is a commercial one costing $49.99 there is a Trial Edition available which you could use and hopefully it will be successful as it relates to your situation. I would urge you to give it a try. There's really nothing to lose by doing so since even if the d-c operation fails your source drive's data is unaffected.

So if you're so inclined...here are some instructions for doing so...

Before undertaking a disk-cloning (data-migration) operation involving the transfer of data from one's boot drive to another drive it is imperative that the following criteria are met:

A. The current boot (source) drive functions without any problems.
B. The proposed destination disk is non-defective.
C. You would be satisfied with your destination disk essentially containing a bit-for-bit copy of your source drive.
D. The disk-space capacity of the destination drive is sufficiently large enough to contain the total data contents of the source disk.

(I'll assume all the above criteria are met in your situation. Should that NOT be the case read no further, capiche?)

1. Download/install the Casper Trial Edition 10 (v10.0.6044) disk-cloning program from: https://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/trial/

2. Before undertaking the disk-cloning operation close all open programs. (Generally you need not disable your anti-virus program). Ensure your destination drive - the proposed recipient of the clone - is properly connected in the system. It can either be installed internally in the system (presumably a desktop PC), or externally as a USB device.

3. Click "Add drive" and a window open listing the destination drive. Ensure that's the correct drive you want be the recipient of the clone (just in case other multiple drives are connected). Click on that disk's listing and then "Yes" on the confirmation message that follows.

4. Click on "Back up now" (after again assuring that it's the right drive you desire to receive the cloned contents of the source disk).

5. Casper will begin the disk-cloning operation running in the background. If you want to view the progress of the disk-cloning operation click on the Casper icon visible on the Taskbar or in the Notification area of the Taskbar.

6. Following the successful disk-cloning operation disconnect (when practicable) the source drive from the system and boot solely to the connected destination drive. As a general proposition it's a good idea (whenever practical) for the newly-cloned drive to be connected to the motherboard's first SATA data connector, usually designated SATA 0 or SATA 1.
Also, check the system's BIOS/UEFI to ensure the cloned drive is now first in boot priority order.

7. If your destination disk was connected as a USB external drive for the disk-cloning operation, boot to it to determine whether it's a bootable drive while connected as a USB external device. Ensure you select the drive from the boot menu during bootup. If it's unbootable while connected as a USB external drive (since many systems will balk at booting from a USB device), most likely it will be bootable when connected internally in the system.

8. Casper will utilize the entire disk-space of the destination drive to contain the data contents from the source drive.

So give it a try and let us know the results, OK?

 

[Scottray]

If the other 2 cloning programs didn't work, why would Casper work? Linkrocks either got some bad bits on the HDD or a defective SSD. If a clean install on the SSD doesn't work, then the SSD is defective and needs to be RMA'ed.

 

[ArtPog]

If the other 2 cloning programs didn't work, why would Casper work? Linkrocks either got some bad bits on the HDD or a defective SSD. If a clean install on the SSD doesn't work, then the SSD is defective and needs to be RMA'ed.

It's certainly conceivable that the Casper program I recommended may NOT work. But time & time again users have come to me complaining that the disk-cloning programs they've used did not work. In many (but certainly not all instances) when we've employed the Casper d-c program or instructed the user how to use it, lo & behold they were able to successfully clone the contents of one drive to another drive.

As I explained (or tried to) in my response to the OP, the d-c programs that had been recommended to him thoroughout this thread are considered reliable programs and should "do the job". But obviously - for one reason or another - (possibly user error as I mentioned), they didn't.

And as I emphasized (I trust clearly) in my response to the OP (and to others)...in order for the d-c operation to be successful the criteria I listed must be met at the outset.