Question Is a NVME Enclosure Required For Cloning?

pauly01

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I will be cloning my 2.5 inch samsung ssd that is in my dell xps 15 9550 into a new 1tb samsung 970 evo NVME ssd. I decided I will buy that ssd as oppose to the sk hynix. I know samsung has that migration software which works great for cloning. So i will use that as oppose to macrieum reflect.



Now can anyone here confirm... I need to buy this NVME enclosure to do the cloning ? Since im cloning from a 2.5 inch samsung sata to a new NVME drive... i assume i need this?



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MNFH1PX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?smid=A41S1C1L96T2O&psc=1


I assume if you were to open up the laptop, take out the 32gb m.2 ssd that is already inside it... then put this one in...then close your laptop... then you don't need it and can clone it like that with the samsung migration software?



My plan is this... clone it myself with samsung migration software. Then once its cloned... i bring the nvme ssd, my new laptop battery, and new ram and bring it to repair shop and they will basically open up my laptop and take out the old parts and put in the new parts. I do not want them to do the cloning for me.


So can anyone here confirm I need to buy the nvme enclosure for this process? I assume i should in my case since i don't want to open my up laptop... as this would work if i take out the 32gb m.2 nvme already inside and put this in right? Thus if someone was tech savy, they would not need to buy the enclosure?



But with this... all i have to do is put the nvme ssd in this enclosure, plug it into the usb port... then clone and wait and thats all right? But someone tech savy wouldn't need to buy this as putting it inside the laptop and can do this clone process with taking the 32gb m.2 nvme out right?

I do have a 2.5 inch ssd enclosure if that matters. But i still need to buy the nvme enclosure right?
 
That enclosure SHOULD work for that purpose.

Yes, if the laptop has both a standard SATA connection AND a compatible M.2 drive socket, you should be able to do the clone without the need for an external enclosure, and it would probably make it an easier process.

Depending on the model, you probably shouldn't need to take it to a repair shop just to add an M.2 drive BUT I would make sure that the form factor of the M.2 drive you are buying and the form factor of the M.2 port on the laptop, are the same, because there are a number of DIFFERENT M.2 form factors and key configurations. And some laptop M.2 slots are not intended for use with storage devices, only wireless modules, while others might use only the short fat type, not the commonly used 2280 type like most desktop motherboards have.

What is the model of the drive you are buying and what is the exact model including the sub model, of your notebook or laptop?
 

pauly01

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I like to add... my laptop has two ssds in it at the moment. It has the 2.5 inch 250 gb ssd that is my main drive and it also has a 32gb m.2 drive as well that is useless... just music... and it has a smaller battery.


I bought the bigger laptop battery and in order to put it in... i need to remove that 2.5 inch hard drive ... so i would only have that tb samsung 970 evo nvme ssd inside my laptop only. Does that make sense?
 
Is your operating system currently installed on the NVME drive that is in the laptop or is it installed on a SATA 2.5" drive?

Pretty sure that your 32gb drive is a "cache only" drive, but you should verify that for sure. In truth, your best bet would simply be to do a clean install of Windows on the new NVME drive.
 

pauly01

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I am close to positive my operating system and everything is on the SATA 2.5" drive. The reason is because years ago, i went to a repair shop and the guy made the change for me and put everything going to the sata drive. Anything I download goes straight to the sata drive


Now before i put music in the 32gb drive, it always showed like 29.8 gb free of 29.8gb whenever i checked that drive. So wouldn't that mean there is no windows or anything important on the 32gb drive then? Yes its a cache only drive i recalled.


How would i verify that for sure?


Well i dont want a clean install because i was told by others cloning is very simple, especially if you use a program like samsung magician which i know i could use if i get that samsung nvme ssd.


Now in my case, since i want to clone it... if i buy that enclosure, it would be much easier to do this right? Since it wont require me to open laptop and close it first? Now if i clone it that way, is there a way to confirm the clone went good? Or i would only know when i put it in the slot to test?


But would you recommend paying the money to get the enclosure? Or no point since opening it up and taking the old nvme out and putting this one in would be easy? I do know for a fact that opening this laptop xps 9550 isn't that hard because there are not a ton of screws.


After the clone, i would also have to put in the new battery and also the new ram. So basically im upgrading all the parts.


What is your advice here? My original plan was clone it myself, then go to repair shop and have them take out my two hard drives and then put this ssd in... take out old ram and put in new ram, and take out smaller battery and put in new bigger battery... and of course im bringing all these things there. Would you say its a waste of money to have them do all this? The reason i dont want to do it myself is if i break something, then that is not good etc.
 

pauly01

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I figure if i clone it myself, they wouldnt charge me as much since they only would then charge me for taking out battery and putting in new battery, the same with ram... and the hard drives.


Of course if i do it this way, i probably will pay for that nvme enclosure since i dont want to open the laptop up myself. But if i knew what i was doing, i wouldnt need to get enclosure and just open it up and do everything right? Thing is i always wanted to learn how to do it myself... like take out ram and put in new ram, battery, ssd... but i always worried i do something wrong and damage the laptop. So what is your opinion on what should i do here? Do i buy enclosure nvme or not? It would be basically a one time use for me when i buy it because i probably wont ever use it again.
 
small SATA to large NVME...(assuming we're positive the laptop is NVME-compatible, and not just SATA...)

This has been done, and there have been guides for it, but,...

I'd just gather drivers and do a fresh reinstall of latest WIn10, and then all appropriate drivers.
 

pauly01

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small SATA to large NVME...(assuming we're positive the laptop is NVME-compatible, and not just SATA...)

This has been done, and there have been guides for it, but,...

I'd just gather drivers and do a fresh reinstall of latest WIn10, and then all appropriate drivers.

Hi. I asked in the dell forum and my dell xps 9550, i was told its compatible with any of those nvme ssds so the one that i buy the samsung 970 evo would work.


But are you suggesting i dont need to buy the nvme enclosure right and just open laptop and just take out that ssd and put in the new ssd in that nvme part right?
 

pauly01

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M.2 drive is pretty easy to replace.
Watch the video. No need to remove battery.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUSBm1KZZp8


I received the tb samsung nvme ssd. I have that and the laptop battery. I do not have my ram yet.


But right now i want to try to clone it. I did not purchase the nvme enclosure. Would you say thats fine? Just do this first... then do the ram upgrade once i receive it?


So to do this... open the laptop up and take out the smaller ssd and put in the nvme ssd in place of it.. then turn on the laptop?


Where is the samsung magician software?


I need to download the software from the site? Then while the nvme is in it... then start cloning?
 

USAFRet

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Where is the samsung magician software?
I need to download the software from the site? Then while the nvme is in it... then start cloning?
Samsung Data Migration for the cloning.

Magician is a different tool.
 

pauly01

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Samsung Data Migration for the cloning.

Magician is a different tool.


Wait, so could i download it from either link? These were the links i saw when i googled it






So its the first link and click download data migration? Then what is magician for then?
 

pauly01

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2 different applications.
Data Migration is specifically for migrating to a new drive.

Magician is for testing, benchmarks, drive status, etc.


Okay so right now, download data migration. Then once I do that, do i run the program to install it? Then once i install it, open the program? Then shut down my laptop... then take out the smaller ssd and then put in the new ssd in that exact spot right? Then turn on laptop... then open the data migration and start cloning?


Note, i do not have the nvme enclosure at the moment.
 

pauly01

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No.
You need BOTH drives actually connected.

It migrates the data from the old drive to the new.


Hi well at the moment, i have two hard drives in it already.


The two.five inch samsung ssd that has my files and that other cache drive in there that has nothing. I would take out the cache drive... and put this nvme in.. which is the same size... thus i have the two hard drives there that i am cloning from and to...
 

USAFRet

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So....

With the current C drive installed, and the new 970 EVO connected, you run the Data Migration and do what it says.

At the end of the clone process, you power OFF, disconnect the old 2.5" drive.
Then power UP, and allow the system to boot up from only the new drive.

Hopefully it works.
 

pauly01

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So....

With the current C drive installed, and the new 970 EVO connected, you run the Data Migration and do what it says.

At the end of the clone process, you power OFF, disconnect the old 2.5" drive.
Then power UP, and allow the system to boot up from only the new drive.

Hopefully it works.


Okay i will update you on this... my first issue is having to open the laptop up... which i never done
 

pauly01

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So....

With the current C drive installed, and the new 970 EVO connected, you run the Data Migration and do what it says.

At the end of the clone process, you power OFF, disconnect the old 2.5" drive.
Then power UP, and allow the system to boot up from only the new drive.

Hopefully it works.



Downloaded the data migration. I opened the program and see


Select a drive.... It shows the samsung ssd 840 evo 250gb but its blank and you can't click on it?


Source drive

Drive 1 Total Capacity 232.9GB

C Drive; Local Disk
207/231gb



Target Drive
Select a Drive - It shows Select Target Drive but its unclickable and hyouc an't click on the arrows just like the above?



I assume the reason it doesn't allow me to click on the select a drive for either is because my 32gb m.2 is still there and i did not put in the tb samsung nvme inside it?
 

pauly01

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Also, you'll need to install the Samsung NVMe driver before this migration process.
Available at that same site.


Okay i will download that right now. So after i download that... if i open the data migration, it will still look the same right?


Is there any other driver/firmware i need to install besides these ? Data migration and nvme driver? I have to download the nvme driver regardless whether i have a nvme enclosure right?