is There a decent free cloning software?

Solution
There are applications out there that claim to be able to do this during a clone. The problem? They don't work. You end up with ophaned registry and dynamic link libraries. It's a mess. I've tried a couple of them in the past. Never again. They will absolutely move your application or other designated folders AWAY from the OS drive to another storage device, but you end up with a nightmare. There is no way for these applications to properly update the registry entries for each and every application and file that it moves from it's current location, so it's just destroys the entire installation IMO and based on what I've seen a couple of them do.


Absolutely.
I use Macrium Reflect exclusively for this.

First...
What size is the new SSD?
How much actual consumed space is on the current drive?
Laptop or Desktop?

Barring any major issues:
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
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive
Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
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 as necessary.
Delete the 450MB Recovery Partition, here:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/4f1b84ac-b193-40e3-943a-f45d52e23685/cant-delete-extra-healthy-recovery-partitions-and-healthy-efi-system-partition?forum=w8itproinstall
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Nope, no can do.
You can't pick and choose like that.

There is no function or application to split out only the OS, and "selected" applications.

Cloning into a 120GB SSD, the total consumed space needs to be below 85GB or so. Even then there might be issues.
 


If that is on its own partition, probably OK.
What size is this partition, and how much actual consumed space is in this partition?
 


Split the OS?
I'd have to see that actually work before I'd believe it.

You have some documentation on this?
 
There are applications out there that claim to be able to do this during a clone. The problem? They don't work. You end up with ophaned registry and dynamic link libraries. It's a mess. I've tried a couple of them in the past. Never again. They will absolutely move your application or other designated folders AWAY from the OS drive to another storage device, but you end up with a nightmare. There is no way for these applications to properly update the registry entries for each and every application and file that it moves from it's current location, so it's just destroys the entire installation IMO and based on what I've seen a couple of them do.
 
Solution
The only thing I've seen that is even close is the Samsung Data Migration.
And that just allows you to leave off static files. Doc/Music/Video, etc.

Not do "just the OS". Or the OS and split off "some applications".

We'd all like something like that.
Too bad it does not exist.