Cloning involves completely copying all files in order to create a completely identical disk. However, in some presented solutions there is the possibility of incomplete cloning, eliminating unnecessary files. Thus, it is obvious that the application comes down to transferring data from one drive to another.
The use is relevant, first of all, when purchasing new media, such as SSDs, or for use in offices, to put all computers in order, reducing them to a common denominator.
There is not yet a standard function that would allow you to achieve the desired result, but there is a whole arsenal of third-party programs, both free and paid. Of course, priority is given to those that do not require payment. Applications can also be broken down by usage model, some are only suitable for certain drive manufacturers, others are more universal.
Sometimes problems may arise when using any of the methods presented in the article. Most likely, the problem lies in the fact that the programs are launched from the Windows platform. Should be created bootable USB flash drive or a disk with the program of your choice. You can do this using WinSetupFromUSB utilities(for flash drive). Now, at the time of loading, click the desired one hotkey- usually F8 or F9. Now you can perform the actions specified in this section.
Cloning a hard drive using Acronis True Image WD Edition
Proposed cloning program hard drive intended for Western Digital, and this manufacturer is the most popular in our open spaces. Moreover, to use the application you do not necessarily need both drives of the same brand, but at least one of them must be from Western. The application is a leader in this niche, as it works without failures and creates identical samples of disk space.
Of course, first of all, you should connect the second drive. To do this, use either USB port(for external), or Sata connector (for internal). Then do:
You should be prepared that hard cloning Windows disk takes a long time and depends on the disk data exchange speed and the amount of loaded information.
In exactly the same way as shown in the example, cloning is performed on Seagate drives using Seagate DiscWizard. The actions and interfaces are identical.
Samsung Data Migration – cloning software
As the name suggests, the application is used for the Samsung brand, which is a very popular SSD manufacturer. Cloning hard A disk on an ssd is no different from an HDD, and therefore does not require a different approach. The only thing to consider is the limited storage capacity of the drive; some files may need to be excluded.
The entire installation and data transfer process is fully automated, and the settings that need to be specified are identical to the previous method, so do exactly the same.
Hard drive cloning application - EASEUS Disk Copy
More universal application, which is unpretentious to file systems, disk brand and volumes of transferred data. Due to these characteristics, the program is easy to use and, importantly, free.
The application allows you to copy individual files or, conversely, not copy some files. In addition to this function, the utility can even restore deleted files, unless they are overwritten.
The settings are the same, specify the action that needs to be performed, select the files to be transferred and the media involved in the process, and the program will do the rest itself.
With EASEUS Disk Copy, cloning from a hard drive to another drive is no longer a problem; the program fully covers demand and has all the necessary functions to get the job done.
The only thing you should be prepared for is the presence of advertising modules that will appear after disk cloning.
How to clone a hard drive using Macrium Reflect?
It’s also an unpretentious application that allows you to clone a hard drive with Windows 7, as well as an SSD with a variety of operating systems. The program deserves attention, as it has all necessary functions, is free (trial version 30 days) and is highly effective. Also allows you to create a system recovery image.
At this point, everything that depends on you will be completed, just wait until the procedure is completed.
Also, in addition to clones, you can create system recovery images so that the moment Windows fails does not take you by surprise.
This arsenal of tools is quite enough to clone any disk. First of all, you should use a utility that is designed specifically for your drive model. However, any specified application can cover the needs of disk cloning in full.
If you still have questions on the topic “How to clone a hard drive?”, you can ask them in the comments
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Today we will continue our acquaintance with a wonderful free program Clonezilla live, with which you can not only create extremely simply and quickly backups carriers, but also to implement transferring the system to new disk through direct cloning hard sections disk.
Recently, solid state drives have become more and more popular and hence the challenge transferring the system from HDD to SSD is very relevant.
Last time we came close to transferring the system to SSD using the program Clonezilla live. This publication will be entirely devoted to this topic.
Naturally, everything stated in the article is absolutely applicable to solving the problem transferring the system to new HDD . In general, migrating a system to a new mechanical drive will be easier than migrating it to an SSD. SSD drive, since it will not require a number of preparatory and final operations.
As last time, let’s set, for example, the initial data characteristic of Windows migration 7/Windows 8:
Original HDD has a capacity of 250 GB and is divided into three sections:
- System volume - “System Reserved”, NTFS, 100 MB (Windows 7) – 350 MB (Windows 8);
- Boot volume C:\ – main operating system files + user profiles, NTFS, 125 GB;
- Additional volume (any letter) – a section in the remaining part of the drive, 125 GB.
Target SSD has a capacity of 100 GB. Let's set the task transfer to SSD with HDD The first two volumes are system and boot.
Due to the cost characteristics of solid-state drives, the smaller volume of the target SSD, compared to the original HDD, is today main feature system transfer.
Preparing the operating system for transfer to an SSD
We will briefly list the activities that need to be done before migrating the system.
Checking the operating mode of the hard drive controller
We are talking about the operating mode of the controllers hard drives AHCI(Advanced Host Controller Interface). Questions why the mode AHCI important for proper operation SSD drives and how to enable it in Windows 7 were discussed in detail in.
Freeing up free disk space
If the size of the transferred system volume does not exceed the size of the target SSD (or HDD), then this item can be skipped. However, it must be remembered that for efficient work It is advisable to have at least 30% SSD on it free space.
If the boot partition ( C:) is filled to capacity, then since in preparation for cloning we have to reduce its size, we first need to take steps to free up disk space. They have been described in detail in.
Disabling sleep mode
Hibernate (Hibernate mode) or sleep mode not relevant for systems installed on solid-state drives. In addition, it will help reduce resource SSD operation due to large write operations each time the computer enters sleep mode. That's why hibernate it makes sense to turn it off.
To do this in " Command line", running with administrator rights (" Run as administrator» in the context menu by right-clicking) type the command:
powercfg.exe -h off
After executing the shutdown command hibernate the file will be deleted Hiberfil.sys, which will additionally free up several gigabytes of storage space.
Transfer system partitions to SSD in Clonezilla live
In previous articles on the program, it was noted that Clonezilla does not know how to change the size of volumes on the fly. However, this is not an obstacle to its successful use in cases where this is necessary. We will now make sure of this.
According to the conditions of the problem, the total size system volumes The source HDD (100 MB + 125 GB) clearly exceeds the capacity of the target SSD (100 GB). In order for the system transfer operation to be carried out, you must first reduce the size of one of the partitions, in our case, the second.
Changing (reducing) the size of source disk partitions
Since in this case we will reduce the size of the volume, we first need to perform defragmentation of hard disk.
This can be done in the GUI (" Computer» –> « Properties» the desired disk–> tab “ Service» –> « Run defragmentation» –> « Disk defragmentation»).
Or in " Command line", running as administrator, with the command:
defrag C: /H /X /U
You can reduce the size of a partition on a disk in various ways.
- Resizing partitions in graphical Windows interface 7 / 8
In Windows 7 and Windows 8, the easiest way to achieve a given goal is to use the graphical utility “” (“ Computer management» –> « Disk Management»).
Last time we already used this utility to increase the partition size to the maximum possible.
This is what the initial set of hard disk volumes looks like.
We highlight required section (C:) and in the context menu by right-clicking or in the menu “ Action» –> « All tasks" select: " Shrink Volume" The volume will be polled to calculate the space available for reclaiming.
Our task is to compress ( C:) so much that the first two volumes are guaranteed to fit on the target drive.
Let's choose a new volume size equal to, for example, 90 GB. Click " Compress"and wait for the process to complete.
- Resizing partitions in command Windows line via Diskpart
Those who prefer to work in command line, can use the utility diskpart. It needs to be run as administrator.
diskpart
list disk
— display a list of computer disks.
sel disk 0 Select disk number “0”. If there are several drives installed in your computer, then, naturally, you need to select the one you need.
list part
sel part 2
— display a list of sections and select the one you need. In our case it is “2”.
shrink QUERYMAX
- this command is for reference. She returns maximum quantity bytes by which you can reduce the volume size (the amount of free space available on the volume).
Let's calculate in megabytes how much the volume needs to be compressed so that its volume becomes equal to 90 GB: (125 –90) * 1024 = 35840 MB
shrink DESIRED=35840
— we compress the volume.
Illustration for the commands described above diskpart to compress the partition.
- Resizing partitions in a Linux environment using GParted
To work with disk volumes in an environment Linux there is a program GParted. We'll talk about it a little lower.
This is what a set of volumes looks like after compression C:.
At this point, we will consider the preparation of the original drive with the system for transfer to a solid-state drive complete.
For those migrating the system to an SSD on a laptop, you will need to connect external media to create using Clonezilla live disk image. How to do this is described in detail in.
Installing a solid state drive into a computer
Turn off the computer and install a new SSD. IN desktop computer this will require, at a minimum, a SATA cable, and at a maximum, an installation box and the appropriate screws. If the kit for mounting the drive is not included in the SSD package, then you need to take care of this in advance.
In the laptop we install the SSD in place of the HDD.
Reference. Some time ago, adapters appeared on sale that allow you to install second hard drive into a laptop instead of a DVD drive.
Preparing the target SSD
Although we will clone the disk, in order to Clonezilla was able to perform the operations we needed and figure out what they really wanted from it, we must first create the necessary volumes on the target drive. (This is the main difference from cloning a disk onto a disk of equal or larger size.)
- Creating partitions in the Windows 7/8 GUI
To do this, run it again in Windows 7 or Windows 8 " Advanced Disk Management" (For clarity, I describe the actions sequentially; in fact, the operations of preparing the source and destination drives can be completed in one go.)
After the console starts, a window will appear asking you to initialize the disk:
We agree with the default option.
Select a new disk that has the status “Unallocated” and from the menu “ Action” or in the context menu with the right mouse button select “ Create a simple volume”:
Set the size of the first volume of the new disk in megabytes. In this case it will be system Windows partition 7 “Reserved by the system.”
You don't have to assign letters, we don't need them. There is no need to format partitions.
After creating volumes on “ Disc 1”needed through context menu (right button mouse) or menu “ Action” mark the first partition as active.
- Creating partitions on the Windows command line using Diskpart
IN command line to create volumes in Windows environment you can use the utility Diskpart:
diskpart
list disk
— display a list of computer disks;
sel disk N
— select the number of the new disk N (In our example it will be “1”). If the drive has different capacities, then choosing the right one is easy;
clean
— if the disk is not new, then clean it;
convert mbr
— initialize the disk as MBR;
create partition primary size=100 align=1024
— create the first main partition of 100 MB in size. If the drive is SSD, then you must specify the correct partition offset, equal to 1024KB(1 MB). You can read about the importance of partition alignment on an SSD.
create partition primary size=102195
— creating the second volume;
sel part 1
— set focus on the first partition of the new disk;
active
— mark it as active;
- Creating partitions in a Linux environment usingGParted
For creating partitions in a Linux environment there is a fairly powerful program GParted.
Those who don't have installed system Linux, can, however, take advantage GParted from Live CD Parted Magic, which was mentioned in the first publication of the topic. This program can be indispensable if, for example, you need to set the correct offset for existing partitions without transferring them to another medium.
Work on creating volumes in GParted you need to start by creating a partition table on the new disk:
The default starting offset of the first partition will be automatically set to 1MB, which is absolutely correct.
Similarly, create all the necessary volumes and click “ Apply" We are waiting for the operations to complete.
IN " Flag management"set the flag" for the first section boot” and exit the program.
Now you can proceed directly to the process of cloning the original drive, as a result of which operating system will be transferred to the new disk.
Transferring the system to a new drive by partially cloning the hard drive
The attentive reader should certainly experience some surprise at this point. Indeed, it has been repeatedly mentioned so far that Clonezilla does not know how to clone a larger drive onto a smaller one. This is exactly our case. What kind of disk cloning can we talk about then?
The thing is, it's a great program. Clonezilla, despite the fact that full cloning drive is impossible in this case, partitions will be transferred sequentially until they fit on the new disk. Accordingly, in our case, the two volumes we need will be safely transferred.
After installing the solid-state drive, boot the computer from a USB flash drive or CD from Clonezilla live.
In this case, we need to choose the simplest option of directly cloning the original drive to a new one, discussed in detail in.
Briefly and without unnecessary illustrations, we list the procedure:
The process of cloning hard disk partitions starts, the progress of which can be monitored. The first and second volumes will be cloned sequentially; the program will not detect the third volume on the target drive; it will issue a warning about this and stop:
Everything is correct. Press “ twice Enter” and on the screen that appears, select: “ poweroff Turn off power”.
Turn off the computer. We remove (disable) the original HDD and boot the computer from the new cloned SSD.
At the first Windows startup will run a disk integrity check. We need to let her do it. After the check is completed, the system will start in normal mode.
Selective cloning of hard drive partitions
Additionally, it is worth noting that, if necessary, each partition can be cloned separately and independently.
Steps 1 – 6 have no differences.
7. 
Select: “ part_to_local_part clone local partition to local partition”
8. Select source local partition
9. Select the target local partition
We select the appropriate partition on the target drive and start the cloning process, similar to that discussed earlier.
10. Choose mode. After cloning the partition is completed, a screen for selecting further actions will appear. If you need to clone another partition, you need to select: “ rerun1 Start over” and repeat all operations for the next volume.
Final operations after transferring the system from HDD to SSD
After Windows boot 7 / Windows 8 from a new SSD to which the system was transferred using cloning, it makes sense to immediately re-run the definition “ Index Windows performance " After defining it, the system will “realize” that it is now working on solid state drive and will disable a number of unnecessary and even harmful options for SSDs.
First of all, these include scheduled disk defragmentation.
Additionally, Windows will enable the command to run periodically.
Quite detailed Windows setup 7 for running on SSD was considered in . We have already done most of the settings listed in it, such as enabling AHCI hard drive controller mode, disabling defragmentation and partition alignment.
I would like to note the encouraging fact that when using the described method of transferring a system from HDD to SSD, regardless of how the partitions were laid out on the original drive, after cloning they are guaranteed to have the correct initial offset.
All that remains is to check and disable Prefetch And Superfetch.
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I wish everyone who is just about to start transferring the system to a new disk successful and enjoyable work with Clonezilla live. And I hope that those who have already “moved” to SSD will talk about how and with what means they did it.
In some cases, the user wants to transfer all data from one hard drive to another. This procedure is called cloning. So, cloning a hard drive is a process of sequential and full record data from the original drive to another. For home PC users, this procedure makes it possible quick replacement HDD or SSD in case of replacement or upgrade. This operation can be performed using simple programs with an intuitive interface, one of the most famous is TrueImage fromAcronis.
For large companies the disk cloning procedure allows you to quickly set settings for a large number of identical machines, when expanding an office or replacing work computers. Then the original copy with a fully configured system and installed work programs for the company's employees. One original HDD, or its image becomes a donor for a dozen workstations.
Process of working with the Acronis program interface
All user interfaces Storage media cloning programs are very simple. These programs can be run both in the operating system and with external media: USB stick or DVD. This makes it possible copy data from/to computer without loading Windows 
Acronis complex True Image intended for both cloning hard drives and transfer operating system from HDD to SSD. He's dealing with it no errors, moreover, it supports not only BIOS, but also UEFI. First you need to find the latest version and install it to a bootable USB flash drive or CD. Can use any utilities for creating bootable devices, such as USB Flash boot to DOS.
After this, in the BIOS or UEFI interface you need to select download fromUSB drive. When the system boots press F2, F8, F9 or Del key. Paragraph "". This is followed by the computer, after which you need to select utilityAcronis.
In its interface you should specify original disk and target, moving sections one at a time. If the destination disk is smaller than the source, you need to select system partitions, and select only from user space necessary files. Thus, it is possible to implement transfer operating system from HDD to SSD to speed up the computer. 
After using and successful Windows startup, necessary delete empty partitions on the source disk, using the utility " Hard drive specialist" To do this, there is an item for deleting a partition and an item for adding unallocated space.
Transfer your system from one computer to another using True Image
To transfer the system and hard content disk from one computer to another, the Acronis program provides the ability conservation backup of hard drive partitions on external media. It is enough to complete all the above steps and enter the submenu “ Backup" If you do not use compression, then such a copy will take up the same amount of space as the original data. For this reason it is necessary to use external storage sufficient volume. The maximum backup size can be reduced by half. 
After transferring information to external media launch Acronis True Image on a secondary computer by connecting to it external storage. By selecting " Restoring a backup“You must follow the instructions and partition the hard drive for system and user partitions.
If replacing a hard drive is not due to its inoperability, but to a desire to improve technical specifications, information from the old device is transferred to the new one. And this can be done in two ways: manual and automatic. The first method is time-consuming, because you will have to install the OS and applications, transfer files, but the second is fast, convenient, and effective. By using special program all the contents of the old hard drive (along with the OS, user files, settings and applications) will be copied unchanged to the new device.
When cloning a storage device, information is transferred across sectors. Upon completion of the transfer procedure new hard the disk will look like a complete copy of the old drive.
Hard drive cloning
Cloned disks can be created using a number of programs that provide paid or free services. Moreover, some work with all hard drives, while others work only with devices of one brand, for example, Samsung.We will look in detail at five the best programs, with which you can clone HDD/SSD drives of any brand.
EASEUS Disk Copy
EASEUS Disk Copy - simple program, which is suitable for untrained users, but with the condition that they know English language. With its help, you can transfer information from any brand of hard drive to a new drive. The principle of operation is to clone data by sector, so the new device is one hundred percent identical to the old one. The program can transfer all information in its entirety, or a separate section or file, to a new hard drive. At the same time, EASEUS can transfer even hidden, deleted and copy-protected information.
What EASEUS Disk Copy can do and its advantages:
- Run from a bootable DVD or flash drive.
- Works with any computer system software.
- Supports storage devices large capacity, up to 1 TiB.
- Supports Serial ATA I and II, Skasi (SCSI), USB and other interfaces, as well as dynamic disks.
- Has a simple user interface.
- Distributed under a free license.
- There is no Russian-language support, and it will be difficult for novice users to understand the English interface.
- Although the program is free, a lot of advertising is installed during installation.
Paragon Drive Backup Personal
Paragon Drive Backup - universal program, with which you can not only create backup copies of user information, but also clone disks. Multifunctionality is not the only advantage of the program.
After installing the program, do not go through the instructions or configure it by delving into the parameters and options. The “master” will perform any function and accompany each of his actions with hints.
Paragon Drive Backup functionality and its advantages:- Runs from a computer running OS Windows or boot disk, flash devices.
- Data is cloned using a range of modes.
- You can copy the entire hard drive or the data of a separate partition or files.
- All file systems are supported.
- Works with any hard drive.
- Copies data at high speed.
- Supports "eight" and "ten".
- There is Russian-language support and a simple interface.
- The licensed version of the program will cost $40.
Macrium Reflect
Macrium Reflect- free program for quick creation copies of the hard drive for transfer to a new storage device.
The program deals not only with cloning data from old devices, but also with creating images of partitions or the disk as a whole, which can serve as virtual media after restoring the operating system.
Features and benefits of Macrium Reflect:
- Clones disks in whole or in part.
- Creates images at lightning speed without restarting your computer.
- The finished images are checked by the program for identity.
- Encrypts information to ensure its safety.
- Copies information from the original disk in high speed mode.
- There is no Russian-language support.
- Advertising modules are installed.
Acronis True Image
Acronis True Image, an analogue of Paragon Drive Backup, is most popular among beginners and advanced users. The program creates data backups and clones various drives working with everyone file systems.
The user can choose a different type of cloning: all the information on a disk or a separate partition or file. Works on older versions of Windows OS and the new G8.
The information is cloned to the new device using a wizard, and the PC can be booted from a DVD device or flash drive to begin the procedure.
Features and benefits of Acronis True Image:
- Lots of features.
- The ability to customize the cloning and data backup program to suit your needs.
- You can select the data to be transferred.
- Work in two modes: manual (with independent settings) and automatic (with a cloning wizard).
- Russian language support.
- Operates in high speed mode.
- The licensed version costs 1,750 rubles.
Farstone Restore IT Pro
Farstone Restore IT differs from the above programs in its capabilities. With this software you can restore the operating system and user information after a PC failure, deletion, improper editing or virus exposure.
Farstone RestoreIT does not create clones, it only backs up any data to new devices. The program is customizable to the needs of users and can save information at any frequency.
Features and Pros of RestoreIT Pro:
- Recovers the OS even if the bootloader is damaged.
- Backs up data in two ways: completely and accumulatively.
- Monitors the entire hard drive or individual partitions.
- Saves logs of absolutely all changes.
- Does not clone disks.
- The program is paid ($25).
In this tutorial we will show you how you can transfer Windows 10 and all installed data to a new one hard drive. The same process can be applied when transferring data to an SSD. We will be migrating from a 250 GB hard drive to a 1 TB drive. Below in the picture is my main disk, which contains the operating system and all My files. 1 TB is also installed. To see this we have to go to Disk Management because it is not formatted. So, click on This PC->Manage->Disk Management. As we can see, the 1 TB disk is not even initialized. In this case, make sure there is boot record and click OK to initialize.
Our source disk is disk 0 which is my 250 GB hard drive. It contains my operating system and all data. Disk 1 is the destination disk. We will clone everything on this disk. Also, make sure the target drive is empty, and if you have information there, make sure you do backup, because the destination drive will be overwritten by the information from the source drive, in this case drive 0. With this set, we go ahead and need to close Disk Management here.
So, for this tutorial we will use Paragon Hard Disk Manager Premium. This program is no longer free. You can probably download it for free, but you won't be able to clone it. This is the program that is used; this program does not slow down the operating system, like most free programs, which we used before. So once you have it installed, go ahead and launch it.
Click on Transfer Operating System and read the following Note carefully.
The target disk will be replaced with information from the source. Click Next and now it is automatically recognized by the operating system and the wizard itself will tell you that it is going to copy the operating system Windows system 10 64 edition which is located on drive C which uses 16 GB on a 250 GB hard drive for a 1 TB drive.
Remember that both drives in this case are serial ATA. Now you can also choose which folders to copy, but by default all folders will be selected. Now check the “use all available space for the OS partition” checkbox. If you don't check the icon, it will create a smaller partition on the larger drive. If you don't know anything about a section, make sure to check the mark. Then click the copy button.
The copying process may take some time depending on how much information needs to be copied there. Once this is done, make sure to read it.
We intend to summarize it for you. You have two options.
Using the first one, you can delete the source drive as soon as the cloning is done and keep the drive as your primary drive. Second: you can go into the BIOS and select the target disk first boot device. In our case, we deleted the original disk. Go ahead and click the close button.
After this, we must restart the computer under Windows control 10, remove the source disk and save to the destination disk, which is 1 TB. However, if you want to keep booting from it, then select the target drive as the first boot device in the BIOS.
Now, as you can see, it’s a normal reboot and it’s as if nothing happened and it’s loading from the new hard drive. You can click on my computer and you will notice that you are using a 1TB drive rather than a 250GB drive.
All your data and operating system are activated and ready to go.
That's it. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
