Question How to clone an M.2 if you only have one M.2 slot

[SmokedMonkey420]

I'm upgrading my storage storage to a 1tb m.2 but my mobo only has 1 m.2 slot, I can't really buy an enclosure to clone this m.2 but I've read on some post on reddit that you can use Macrium Reflect to image it and clone it via usb does anyone have an idea how to do this?

 

[rgd1101]

via usb external

 

[little_me]

Macrium allows you to make an image of existing m.2 disk to another media, like normal sata HDD/SSD or USB storage.
in this case you usually run it from bootable cd/dvd/usb drive
then you swap out m.2 disk and transfer the image of old m.2 to new one.

so.. you would need more than one storage medium to do it and as always, make sure you have important things backed up in case something goes wrong.

 

[USAFRet]

Just like this:

1x m.2 slot with an Image

Assuming you have another drive (any type of drive) with sufficient free space to hold the entirety of your current m.2 drive:

1. Download and install Macrium Reflect
2. Run that, and create a Rescue CD or USB (you'll use this later). "Other Tasks". Create this on a small USB flash drive or DVD.
3. In the Macrium client, create an Image to some other drive. External USB HDD, maybe. Select all partitions. This results in a file of xxxx.mrimage
4. When done, power OFF.
5. Swap the 2 drives
6. Boot up from the Rescue USB you created earlier.
7. Restore (on the toolbar), and tell it where the Image is that you created in step 3, and which drive to apply it to...the new m.2
8. Go, and wait until it finishes.
9. That's all...this should work.

 

[SmokedMonkey420]

Thank you for the replies everyone, I'll try it once my new m.2 arrives