[SOLVED] Need Help/Advice on cloning pre-partitioned SSD.

PANDA125

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Feb 12, 2014
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Hi,

I want to update my current main SSD (m.2 NVMe).
I always clone my drive but, this time, since I purchased a laptop, they're already partitioned in a way that won't allow me to expand the main boot partition (a different partition is after the main boot part.).

I was suggested to clone the drive and partition the unused space as additional storage.


This all makes sense to me but, I want to know:
  • Should I go ahead and do it this way...or should I clean install Windows and do a more traditional, straight forward partition?
  • If I go ahead with the suggested route, it feels unorganized. Will I encounter any errors/issues in the future if my main drive partition is "messy"?
  • If clean installing Windows, where do I get the OS? (I have the serial # but not the OS exe.)
I dunno...maybe this whole question is moot and I should go on with my cloning but, I want to make sure.

Best,
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
What drive is in it now?
Cloning from SATA to NVMe can be problematic.

What OS is this?
How long have you had it?
Would a clean install be a real pain?

For a clean install on the new drive, no problem:
 

PANDA125

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Feb 12, 2014
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Thanks for the quick response!
oops, forgot about the details...

What drive is in it now?
Cloning from SATA to NVMe can be problematic.

>>This is an NVMe to NVMe cloning.

What OS is this?
>>Windows OS 10 Home

How long have you had it?
>>About 2 years.

Would a clean install be a real pain?
>>This is my mobile Video/Audio Workstation. Like with any non-linear video/audio editor (NLVE/NLAE), there's a bunch of plugins/instruments I'd have to install and re-update after its installed...then reinstall all of my Ubuntu stuff.
It's definitely going to be a nuisance so, if there's no potential problem, id like to just keep it simple with minimal downtime.
 

USAFRet

Titan
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PANDA125

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Awesome, thanks for the info!!

I was only able to take a glance at Macrium but, I'll be using Acronis for the cloning and planned on using the EaseUS for the partition merge. Does Macrium handle partition merging? it looks like its specific for back-ups and redundancy.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Awesome, thanks for the info!!

I was only able to take a glance at Macrium but, I'll be using Acronis for the cloning and planned on using the EaseUS for the partition merge. Does Macrium handle partition merging? it looks like its specific for back-ups and redundancy.
Macrium doesn't do the partition merging, but it IS quite capable at cloning and imaging.
 

PANDA125

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Hey,

It turns out the original drive is a SATA M.2

Reluctant to say but, I noticed it after cloning the drive and upon boot failure using the new NVMe drive.


You said going SATA to NVMe is problematic, is it safe for me to clone the drive or doing a clean install a better option now?

Best,