Question How to move my Windows 11 from one SSD to another ?

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Seltop

Seltop

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Dec 11, 2019
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Just got myself a new M.2 SSD and I want to move my OS from the old M.2 SSD to the new one.
I tried using the MiniTool software but it didn't really work. Please help!
 
Seltop said:
Just got myself a new m.2 disk and I want to move my OS from the old m.2 to the new one.
I tried using the MiniTool software but it didn't really work. Please help!
Click to expand...
Give us some details.

What specific make/model drives?
What sizes?
How much space is consumed on the current C drive?
What motherboard?
What OS?
 
USAFRet said:
Give us some details.

What specific make/model drives?
What sizes?
How full is the current C drive?
What motherboard?
What OS?
Click to expand...
1. Can't remember the old m.2 but it has 225gb, the new on is sn570 1tb
2. 225gb and 1tb
3. since I factory reset is only has the OS itself, so 173gb is left out of the 225gb
4. z390 auros pro wifi
5. win11
 
Seltop said:
1. Can't remember the old m.2 but it has 225gb, the new on is sn570 1tb
2. 225gb and 1tb
3. since I factory reset is only has the OS itself, so 173gb is left out of the 225gb
4. z390 auros pro wifi
5. win11
Click to expand...
If you just did a "factory reset", why not just a fresh OS install on the new drive?


But, if you want....
-----------------------------
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
Both drives must be the same partitioning scheme, either MBR or GPT
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung target SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, you may need to install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up

Verify the system boots with ONLY the current "C drive" connected.
If not, we have to fix that first.

Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive

[Ignore this section if using the SDM. It does this automatically]
If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specify the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
[/end ignore]

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD. This is not optional.
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD

(swapping cables is irrelevant with NVMe drives, but DO disconnect the old drive for this next part)
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.
-----------------------------
 
USAFRet said:
If you just did a "factory reset", why not just a fresh OS install on the new drive?


But, if you want....
-----------------------------
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
Both drives must be the same partitioning scheme, either MBR or GPT
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung target SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, you may need to install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up

Verify the system boots with ONLY the current "C drive" connected.
If not, we have to fix that first.

Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive

[Ignore this section if using the SDM. It does this automatically]
If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specify the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
[/end ignore]

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD. This is not optional.
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD

(swapping cables is irrelevant with NVMe drives, but DO disconnect the old drive for this next part)
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.
-----------------------------
Click to expand...
This sounds really complicated... Will installing a fresh OS work faster/simpler? I dont mind doing it
 
USAFRet said:
If you just did a 'factory reset', you're presumably losing nothing.

So yeah, thats what I would do.

Disconnect ALL other drives, then install on the new NVMe.
Click to expand...
Physically disconnect them? I'm not sure I can since my CPU cooler is blocking the m.2 slot... Can't I just use a USD/external drive to somehow install windows11?
 
Seltop said:
Physically disconnect them? I'm not sure I can since my CPU cooler is blocking the m.2 slot... Can't I just use a USD/external drive to somehow install windows11?
Click to expand...
Yes, physical disconnection.
If you do not do this, the small boot partition will almost certainly end up on one of the other drives. This will cause issues in the future.

No, you can't install on a drive in an external, then move that internally.
 
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USAFRet said:
Yes, physical disconnection.
If you do not do this, the small boot partition will almost certainly end up on one of the other drives. This will cause issues in the future.

No, you can't install on a drive in an external, then move that internally.
Click to expand...
Well I guess we are going with the other route of moving it from the first disk to the other :sob:
 
Seltop said:
is there no other way to make my new disk into a system disk?
Click to expand...
The only 2 ways...
Clone, or clean install.
Both of which, you really really need to have the minimum of drives connected.

The suggestion to disconnect all the other drive is to prevent mistakes.
More than a couple of times, we see "oops, I selected the wrong target drive, and it wiped out the only copy of my doctoral thesis!"
 
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USAFRet said:
The only 2 ways...
Clone, or clean install.
Both of which, you really really need to have the minimum of drives connected.

The suggestion to disconnect all the other drive is to prevent mistakes.
More than a couple of times, we see "oops, I selected the wrong target drive, and it wiped out the only copy of my doctoral thesis!"
Click to expand...
Since I already factory reset my PC wouldn't not be a problem for me?
 
I cleaned all my drives on purpose.
Is there a way I could check for the model? I have no idea what disk C: and D: are
 
Seltop said:
I cleaned all my drives on purpose.
Is there a way I could check for the model? I have no idea what disk C: and D: are
Click to expand...
HWInfo
Speccy

From my system:

rUV0e9k.png
 
But, if there is nothing on any of these drives, do the clone thing.

NOTE: At the end of the clone process, you must, repeat must, physically disconnect the old C drive before powering up for the first time.
This is NOT optional.

Physical disconnection.
 
Seltop said:
Im 90% sure that the SN580 is 3... I don't know why the thing shows I have 4 when I have 3 though
Click to expand...
No, you have 4 physical drives.
Disk Management doesn't lie like that.

So...power OFF
Physically disconnect the SATA drives. Just unplug the data and power cables.
Power up, and show us the resulting DM window, along with HWInfo.

"I'm 90% sure" doesn't go well with a clone operation.
That needs to be "100%".
 
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USAFRet said:
No, you have 4 physical drives.
Disk Management doesn't lie like that.

So...power OFF
Physically disconnect the SATA drives. Just unplug the data and power cables.
Power up, and show us the resulting DM window, along with HWInfo.

"I'm 90% sure" doesn't go well with a clone operation.
That needs to be "100%".
Click to expand...
I fixed the disks being wierd , somehow I split one of the disks to 2. I am 100% sure that thats the correct disk, and I can't physically disconnect stuff like I said before
 
Seltop said:
I fixed the disks being wierd , somehow I split one of the disks to 2. I am 100% sure that thats the correct disk, and I can't physically disconnect stuff like I said before
Click to expand...
You can disconnect the SATA drives, correct?
(except the WD Green OS drive)

I'm not trying to make this difficult, I'm just trying to not let it get screwed up.
 
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