How to replace existing mSATA boot SSD with a new one

[davesp]

Hi,

I recently bought a new mSATA SSD (500GB) and would like to replace my existing mSATA SSD (128GB), which I use as a boot drive. I would like the new SSD to be my new boot drive.

How would I go about doing that? do I need additional, special equipment for this or is it just a matter of downloading software and waiting for a cloning process to finish?

I'm currently running Windows 10 (1511, Build 10586.29) on a laptop. Beside the current mSATA drive I have installed (the 128GB) I also have a 1TB HDD installed which I use for data storage.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hi Dave and welcome to the community!

The first thing you should do, is to backup any important files which you might have on the source drive (the old SSD), just to be on the safe side.
Generally you shouldn't need anything out of the ordinary in order for you to be able to create the clone (except for the cloning software, which you've already mentioned). Although, if you don't have another port for the 2nd drive you might need an mSATA to USB adapter cable in order for you to be able to connect the new SSD to the laptop for the cloning process.
You could check out this tutorial on how to migrate your OS to an SSD: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows. Note that even if this is a tutorial on how to migrate from an HDD to an SSD, basically the process is the same. It would even be a lot easier for you, since the destination drive (the new SSD) has larger storage capacity than the old one.

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD

 

[davesp]

Thank you for the quick reply Boogieman. I don't have a spare slot for the new drive so I guess I do need an adapter. I'm not familiar with those though- can you please tell me if one of these are ok:

1) http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Mini-mSATA-to-USB-3-0-SSD-Hard-Disk-Box-External-Enclosure-Case-with-Cable-Promotion/32472075705.html?spm=2114.01020208.3.2.CbW2bS&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_4_79_78_77_82_80_62,searchweb201644_0,searchweb201560_5
2) http://www.soarland.com/mSATA_SSD_USB_3.0_Adapter-product-484.html

Thanks!

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Unfortunately, as an official Western Digital representative, I can't really recommend any products offered by a different brand. But basically both of those options could do the trick. If you think you might want to use an mSATA SSD as an external drive at some point, then perhaps an enclosure would be the better option, but at the end of the day - it's totally up to your personal preference.

 

[davesp]

Great, thank you very much. I'll buy one of those and follow the guide.

 

[davesp]

Got the mSATA to USB thingy. But before I do this I want to make sure: Does anyone know if this will clone my recovery partition (created by my computer manufacturer - Gigabyte - as a factory setting) as well? or will I lose it?

Thanks.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Well, you should have the option to choose which partitions you want to clone with most cloning programs. Others clone the system reserved, recovery and other similar partitions by default. The best thing to do, would be to contact the customer support of the developer of the program you've decided to use and ask for info on how to perform the clone. Or take a look at the instructions on the program's website.

 

[davesp]

Thanks Boogieman, but I eventually decided to not clone the drive and simply replace it. So I created a Windows 10 bootable flash drive, removed the old mSATA drive, put in the one, and installed Windows from scratch. All is well

Edit: Oh and the reason I chose to not clone the drive was because the mSATA to USB cable I purchased (the one with the enclosure case) kept getting unplugged and re-plugged (like when you safely remove a device from Windows) every few seconds no matter what. Do not buy this piece of crap

 

[Boogieman_WD]

I'll keep that in mind. Sorry it turned out to be like this.
You could try to reinstall, update or roll back the version of the enclosure's drivers, to see if it works properly afterwards. Try it with a different computer as well and if you keep getting those issues - RMA it or return it if you can get your money back, as this would mean that the device is faulty.

As for the new installation of Windows 10 - it's always recommended that you go for a fresh install of your OS, so you can benefit from that. The only downside is that you have to setup everything from scratch, but I'm sure you'll have no issues with that whatsoever.

Congrats on the new drive! Cheers!