Question Windows Not Loading from a Cloned SSD via Macrium

[djkomic]

Hello!
I have the Asus K571GT, 256GB on the SSD and 1TB on the HDD.
I bought a 2TB SSD, "WD_BLACK 2TB SN770 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280", and got an SSK enclosure and used Macrium to clone my SSD (SSD = C Drive with Windows) to the new SSD.

The K571GT runs on a Gen 3, but I checked online AND confirmed with Asus Support and they said the Gen 4 is backwards compatible and will still run on my laptop, just at Gen 3 speeds.

Downloaded Macrium, followed a tutorial via YouTube about the steps to take. Cloning was successful.
Open up the Laptop, swapped out the old SSD for the new SSD.
Booted back up, and the laptop is stuck on the ASUS loading screen.

Waited a few minutes and Windows never loaded.
Held down the F2 button and powered up, and I can't even load into BIOS.

Eventually I swapped out the New SSD for the old one, and I'm back working again.

I plug in the cloned SSD via USB-C port, Windows recognizes it.
But when its inserted into the SSD slot inside the computer, the computer just doesn't recognize it at all and refuses to boot Windows or BIOS.

What went wrong? And how can I fix this?

 

[USAFRet]

Then you did something wrong.

Where was the new SSD when you did the clone operation?
Internal, or USB connected?

 

[USAFRet]

and got an SSK enclosure and used Macrium to clone my SSD (SSD = C Drive with Windows) to the new SSD.

Ah......


Try this procedure.
Not a "clone", but rather an Image:

1x m.2 slot with an Image

Assuming you have another drive (any type of drive) with sufficient free space to hold the entirety of your current m.2 drive:

1. Download and install Macrium Reflect
2. Run that, and create a Rescue CD or USB (you'll use this later). "Other Tasks". Create this on a small USB flash drive or DVD.
3. In the Macrium client, create an Image to some other drive. External USB HDD, maybe. Select all partitions. This results in a file of xxxx.mrimage
4. When done, power OFF.
5. Swap the 2 drives
6. Boot up from the Rescue USB you created earlier.
7. Restore (on the toolbar), and tell it where the Image is that you created in step 3, and which drive to apply it to...the new m.2
8. Go, and wait until it finishes.
9. That's all...this should work.

 

[djkomic]

Then you did something wrong.

Where was the new SSD when you did the clone operation?
Internal, or USB connected?

In a SSD Enclosure connected via USB-C

 

[USAFRet]

In a SSD Enclosure connected via USB-C

See above.

 

[djkomic]

Ah......


Try this procedure.
Not a "clone", but rather an Image:

1x m.2 slot with an Image

Assuming you have another drive (any type of drive) with sufficient free space to hold the entirety of your current m.2 drive:

1. Download and install Macrium Reflect
2. Run that, and create a Rescue CD or USB (you'll use this later). "Other Tasks". Create this on a small USB flash drive or DVD.
3. In the Macrium client, create an Image to some other drive. External USB HDD, maybe. Select all partitions. This results in a file of xxxx.mrimage
4. When done, power OFF.
5. Swap the 2 drives
6. Boot up from the Rescue USB you created earlier.
7. Restore (on the toolbar), and tell it where the Image is that you created in step 3, and which drive to apply it to...the new m.2
8. Go, and wait until it finishes.
9. That's all...this should work.

I tried the Macrium boot via USB.

The only way I could get it to work was to res

1) Plug in the USB boot
2) Restart the computer
3) Set the boot from the USB.
4) Power down.
5) Unplug the old SSD in the laptop.
6) Plug in the USB boot and cloned SSD via USB.
7) Power up. Finally loads Macrium boot
8) Tell Macrium to boot from the cloned SSD thats in via USB-C
9) It does. Computer restarts. gets a blue screen with Recovery at the top, and a boot error.

Anytime that SSD goes into the slot, the computer just refuses to accept it

 

[djkomic]

Ah......


Try this procedure.
Not a "clone", but rather an Image:

1x m.2 slot with an Image

Assuming you have another drive (any type of drive) with sufficient free space to hold the entirety of your current m.2 drive:

1. Download and install Macrium Reflect
2. Run that, and create a Rescue CD or USB (you'll use this later). "Other Tasks". Create this on a small USB flash drive or DVD.
3. In the Macrium client, create an Image to some other drive. External USB HDD, maybe. Select all partitions. This results in a file of xxxx.mrimage
4. When done, power OFF.
5. Swap the 2 drives
6. Boot up from the Rescue USB you created earlier.
7. Restore (on the toolbar), and tell it where the Image is that you created in step 3, and which drive to apply it to...the new m.2
8. Go, and wait until it finishes.
9. That's all...this should work.

Alriiiiiight
We'll give it a go and see

 

[Bob.B]

In a SSD Enclosure connected via USB-C

When the clone finished did you use the eject button to remove the usb?

 

[djkomic]

When the clone finished did you use the eject button to remove the usb?

of course

 

[USAFRet]

I tried the Macrium boot via USB.

The only way I could get it to work was to res

1) Plug in the USB boot
2) Restart the computer
3) Set the boot from the USB.
4) Power down.
5) Unplug the old SSD in the laptop.
6) Plug in the USB boot and cloned SSD via USB.
7) Power up. Finally loads Macrium boot
8) Tell Macrium to boot from the cloned SSD thats in via USB-C
9) It does. Computer restarts. gets a blue screen with Recovery at the top, and a boot error.

Anytime that SSD goes into the slot, the computer just refuses to accept it

No.

Follow the above procedure, step by step.
You cannot use whatever already exists on the new SSD. (your Step 6)
Why? Different sector sizes inside the USB enclosure. The Image concept gets around that.

 

[Bob.B]

of course

Unplug the hdd and run the clone see if it makes a diff.

 

[djkomic]

Unplug the hdd and run the clone see if it makes a diff.

Again, it doesn't.
Because the second the cloned SSD is inserted into the computer, nothing happens.
Stuck on Asus logo. Windows never loads. Can't even load into BIOS

 

[djkomic]

Ah......


Try this procedure.
Not a "clone", but rather an Image:

1x m.2 slot with an Image

Assuming you have another drive (any type of drive) with sufficient free space to hold the entirety of your current m.2 drive:

1. Download and install Macrium Reflect
2. Run that, and create a Rescue CD or USB (you'll use this later). "Other Tasks". Create this on a small USB flash drive or DVD.
3. In the Macrium client, create an Image to some other drive. External USB HDD, maybe. Select all partitions. This results in a file of xxxx.mrimage
4. When done, power OFF.
5. Swap the 2 drives
6. Boot up from the Rescue USB you created earlier.
7. Restore (on the toolbar), and tell it where the Image is that you created in step 3, and which drive to apply it to...the new m.2
8. Go, and wait until it finishes.
9. That's all...this should work.

Okay hold up.
Gonna need more precise instructions because I've done this a thousand times in the past 2 weeks.

Step 2: "Creating Rescue Media" in the drop down menu and setting it on the USB correct?
At the menu, when it shows "Windows Boot Menu" and "Removeable USB Flash Drive"
I'm just selecting "Removeable USB Flash Drive" correct?

Step 3: I'm NOT saving the image to the new SSD, but to another external HDD, correct?
So in Step 7, the only thing plugged in is
a) The usb rescue media
b) the new ssd thats installed
c) the external ssd where the image is stored, correct? Which will then me applied to the new SSD, correct?

 

[USAFRet]

Okay hold up.
Gonna need more precise instructions because I've done this a thousand times in the past 2 weeks.

Step 2: "Creating Rescue Media" in the drop down menu and setting it on the USB correct?
At the menu, when it shows "Windows Boot Menu" and "Removeable USB Flash Drive"
I'm just selecting "Removeable USB Flash Drive" correct?

Step 3: I'm NOT saving the image to the new SSD, but to another external HDD, correct?
So in Step 7, the only thing plugged in is
a) The usb rescue media
b) the new ssd thats installed
c) the external ssd where the image is stored, correct? Which will then me applied to the new SSD, correct?

Create the bootable rescue media.

Run Macrium
Create an Image off to some other drive. HDD or whatever.
Swap the NVMe drive. Put the new one in the laptop.
Boot from your Rescua USB.
Recover, and tell it where the Image is, and what drive you wish to apply that to (the new SSD). THis wipes out ALL that was on the new SSD.
Power off, remove the flash drive and whatever other drive you had the Image on.

See if the system boots up from only the new drive.

 

[djkomic]

Create the bootable rescue media.

Run Macrium
Create an Image off to some other drive. HDD or whatever.
Swap the NVMe drive. Put the new one in the laptop.
Boot from your Rescua USB.
Recover, and tell it where the Image is, and what drive you wish to apply that to (the new SSD). THis wipes out ALL that was on the new SSD.
Power off, remove the flash drive and whatever other drive you had the Image on.

See if the system boots up from only the new drive.

Okay I'll try it we'll see what happens.

I feel whether its cloning or imaging, the instant the new SSD is installed when booting up, it just locks up won't be able to load into BIOS.
But I'll try and we'll see!

 

[USAFRet]

Okay I'll try it we'll see what happens.

I feel whether its cloning or imaging, the instant the new SSD is installed when booting up, it just locks up won't be able to load into BIOS.
But I'll try and we'll see!

The issue is differing sector sizes between an Internal drive and what the USB enclosure does.

 

[djkomic]

Create the bootable rescue media.

Run Macrium
Create an Image off to some other drive. HDD or whatever.
Swap the NVMe drive. Put the new one in the laptop.
Boot from your Rescua USB.
Recover, and tell it where the Image is, and what drive you wish to apply that to (the new SSD). THis wipes out ALL that was on the new SSD.
Power off, remove the flash drive and whatever other drive you had the Image on.

See if the system boots up from only the new drive.

I followed the steps...
and just as I told mentioned several times before...

The second the new SSD is installed in the computer and boots up, the computer lags out and just sits on the Asus logo and I can't load into BIOS.
And if I can't load into BIOS, then I can't set the boot sequence to load into the Rescue USB