Windows boot manager not on cloned SSD

[Mitchell.scott48]

I cloned my 1tb SSD to a new 2tb, but after restarting my computer it just goes into BIOS and there's no Windows boot manager on the drive, it's just picked up as another drive, I've tried startup repair and attempting to fix it via command line has yielded no results.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

The boot record will still be on the HDD.

Ideally you need to do a fresh install without cloning to get the boot record on the SSD only, making sure the HDD is disconnected whilst you install the OS.

 

[13thmonkey]

I believe that this simply means that you didn't clone all of the partitions (not uncommon), so go back to the 1TB drive and make sure you clone then all, and then run it with the 1TB disconnected to ensure it has worked.

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

I believe that this simply means that you didn't clone all of the partitions (not uncommon), so go back to the 1TB drive and make sure you clone then all, and then run it with the 1TB disconnected to ensure it has worked.

I used ASUS clone drive utility, so I didn't get to select specific things to clone to the new drive

 

[13thmonkey]

hmm, I wonder if that is not designed for boot drives.

Can you post an image of your partition manager?

If you use something like macrium reflect you can manage it better.

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

hmm, I wonder if that is not designed for boot drives.

Can you post an image of your partition manager?

If you use something like macrium reflect you can manage it better.

Sorry, I'm not particularly sure what you mean...

 

[13thmonkey]

windows key, search for disk management, show us what that looks like. Or just do it again with macrium reflect, you'll see the boot partition at the start of the source disk.

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

windows key, search for disk management, show us what that looks like. Or just do it again with macrium reflect, you'll see the boot partition at the start of the source disk.

this is without the cloned drive in

 

[13thmonkey]

Need both drives in place

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

Need both drives in place

here

 

[13thmonkey]

OK, so when you do the clone in macrium reflect, you need all of those partitions, and not just one giant one, the first two will stay exactly the same size, the last should then grow to fill out the rest of the 2TB.

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

OK, so when you do the clone in macrium reflect, you need all of those partitions, and not just one giant one, the first two will stay exactly the same size, the last should then grow to fill out the rest of the 2TB.

Sorta worked but got Windows error screen on startup

 

[karenjoly]

Kieth12 above has a solution.Time to go old school . You should disconnect the 1TB drive. Then install windows on the new drive. Get that one set up, looking pretty and to be sure, reboot several times so it is OK. Then attach the old drive as storage and transfer files to the new drive. Then terminate the partitions in the old drive with extreme prejudice and partition it anew as a simple basic disk in disk management.

 

[USAFRet]

-----------------------------
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

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------


If this fails, time for a clean install.

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

-----------------------------
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

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------


If this fails, time for a clean install.

I've already tried this, the screen cap is after I had boot issues after cloning, and I'd like to avoid having to do a fresh install.

 

[USAFRet]

I've already tried this, the screen cap is after I had boot issues after cloning, and I'd like to avoid having to do a fresh install.

Your Disk 0 and Disk 1 are two different physical drives.

Why is the 1TB Disk 1 (Offline) still in there?

Avoiding a full reinstall is great, if and only if the clone operation actually works.

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

I've already tried this, the screen cap is after I had boot issues after cloning, and I'd like to avoid having to do a fresh install.

Your Disk 0 and Disk 1 are two different physical drives.

Why is the 1TB Disk 1 (Offline) still in there?

Avoiding a full reinstall is great, if and only if the clone operation actually works.

I'm not sure what you mean by "two different physical drives" and the old 1tb ssd is my original system drive, it was the only way to get back into windows after the boot problems with the 2tb one.

 

[USAFRet]

So somehow during the clone process, you missed some things.

The boot partition on the new drive does not work.
But also, the 930GB partition (used to be the C) on the 1TB is Offline and empty(?).

Meaning you're booting from the 1TB boot partition, but the working OS lives on the 2TB.

Try this:
Assuming you have a WIn 10 install USB...

Power OFF.
Disconnect the 1TB drive. Have only the new 2TB connected.
Boot up from your Win 10 install USB, and run the Repair function.
That may fix this.

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

So somehow during the clone process, you missed some things.

The boot partition on the new drive does not work.
But also, the 930GB partition (used to be the C) on the 1TB is Offline and empty(?).

Meaning you're booting from the 1TB boot partition, but the working OS lives on the 2TB.

Try this:
Assuming you have a WIn 10 install USB...

Power OFF.
Disconnect the 1TB drive. Have only the new 2TB connected.
Boot up from your Win 10 install USB, and run the Repair function.
That may fix this.

I also tried this, led to loop "attempting to fix" to "automatic repair couldn't repair PC"

 

[USAFRet]

I also tried this, led to loop "attempting to fix" to "automatic repair couldn't repair PC"

Then you may be completely out of luck.

Cloning is great, when it works.
Fails, and you're left with a clean install.

 

[karenjoly]

What has happened is a cluster f+++ but now it's time to Byte the Bullet and get'er done the old fashioned way, see my post above.

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

I also tried this, led to loop "attempting to fix" to "automatic repair couldn't repair PC"

Then you may be completely out of luck.

Cloning is great, when it works.
Fails, and you're left with a clean install.

Yeah that's my luck thanks anyway

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

What has happened is a cluster f+++ but now it's time to Byte the Bullet and get'er done the old fashioned way, see my post above.

I should be able to just keep the 1tb in and forget about this ever happening, but I did reset all my BIOS settings...

 

[Mitchell.scott48]

Ended up having to do fresh install, thanks anyway fellas.

 

[shooter71]

Hello, I have a similar issue and before I start down the path with a clean install, I was hoping you could look at my disk management of my new SSD to see if you can see any issues. I already followed all the instructions above about cloning the drive using Reflect. Using the Marcium Reflect clone software, I thought the software correctly cloned the drive, but when I review the partitions in disk management I am not yet sure. I would have inserted an image, but looks like you need it to be on a website which I don't have but in Disk Management window under Disk 0 (Original 2TB HDD that was my source for my clone) there are three partitions:

1. 39MB Healthy (OEM Partition)
2. 11.73 GB Healthy (Active, Recovery Partition)
3. OS (C: )1851.24 GB NTFS Health (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)

But when I look at the three partitions cloned to the SSD drive, they are not identical for Disk 1:

1. 39 MB Healthy (OEM Partition)
2. 11.73 Healthy (Recovery Partition)
3. OS (P: ) 919.74 GB NTFS Healthy (Primary Partition)

Does the fact that the new (P: ) drive does not show Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, before the primary partition description imply that the clone did not actually clone it correctly some how?