Question How to replace HDD with an SSD ?

[dan99t]

Hi,

I have been using 3.5 inch 500 GB HDDs & have never used an SSD.

I clone my 500 GB HDD every night using Acronis software so I have a spare HDD in case something goes wrong.

Now I want to buy Western Digital Blue 500 GB SSD.

My question is would I be able to clone it just like regular HDD ? Meaning I will have to make this new SSD as a slave drive & clone it from my HDD so I will have a new bootable SDD with OS & data from old HDD ?

Thank You

 

[SkyNetRising]

My question is would I be able to clone it just like regular HDD ?

Should be able to. Yes.

Meaning I will have to make this new SSD as a slave drive & clone it from my HDD so I will have a new bootable SDD with OS & data from old HDD ?

I don't know, what this is: "make this new SSD as a slave drive". What slave?

If clone source is bootable, then clone result will be bootable too.
You're making identical copy. That's, what cloning does.

 

[TerryLaze]

I don't know, what this is: "make this new SSD as a slave drive". What slave?

Slave/master = primary/secondary drive.
Yes connect at higher sata port number so that it still boots from the old drive and clone away.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Slave/master = primary/secondary drive.

Generally there are no slave/master modes with sata drives.
Only if you use IDE emulation. But on any modern systems this is not available.

 

[TerryLaze]

Generally there are no slave/master modes with sata drives.
Only if you use IDE emulation. But on any modern systems this is not available.

But it's still primary and master, and calling it master/slave is just a different way of saying that.
Each time you boot the drive you boot from is primary or master which makes all the other drives secondary or slave.
While antiquated and nobody calls them that anymore, it still makes all the sense.

 

[dan99t]

Yes it is primary secondary. ( Master/Slave ).
I must be living in an ice age. But Thank You all. I really appreciate your time & help.

 

[geofelt]

You are good.
And, you will be very pleased with the boost in performance.
Since you are familiar with the cloning process you are likely to do well.

One issue is that a 2.5" ssd will need a 2.5"to 3.5" mounting adapter.
No big deal, they are cheap.

If 500gb will do for a while, fine.
But, I would consider buying a 1tb ssd to handle expansion.

For a few bucks more, look at the samsung 870 evo.

 

[dan99t]

Since you are familiar with the cloning process you are likely to do well.

How should I initiate ? MBR OR GPT ?

All my 500GB SATA HDDs are "MBR"
Other 3 TBs are GPT.
I was under the impression that if HDD is smaller than 3 TB you have to go for MBR OR for 3 TB & Larger you have to do GPT.
Please advice.

 

[SkyNetRising]

I was under the impression that if HDD is smaller than 3 TB you have to go for MBR OR for 3 TB & Larger you have to do GPT.

If you're cloning OS drive, then source and target drives need to be in same partitioning scheme.
Or else clone result is not bootable.

GPT partitioning is necessary for drives larger than 2TB or else you can not access all the drive capacity.

 

[TerryLaze]

If you are cloning then source and target will be the same because cloning is a 100% copy including the boot block and everything, cloning a drive only partially is not cloning it's called imaging and then you have to make sure the partitioning is the same.

 

[USAFRet]

My question is would I be able to clone it just like regular HDD ?

Yes.


-----------------------------
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.
-----------------------------

 

[SkyNetRising]

If you are cloning then source and target will be the same because cloning is a 100% copy including the boot block and everything

Not necessarily. Depends on, how you do it, what software use e.t.c.
Its possible to clone from MBR drive to GPT also.

cloning a drive only partially is not cloning it's called imaging and then you have to make sure the partitioning is the same.

Imaging is creating an image file from a drive or partition. Has nothing to do with partial cloning.

 

[dan99t]

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

Thank you so much for taking your valuable time.
I really appreciate it.