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How to Copy Data from One Hard Drive to Another
If you are looking for a way to copy one hard drive to another easily and quickly in Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11, keep reading this article and it will take care of everything.
By Ivy Updated on July 5, 2024
Copying from one hard drive to another is crucial for backup or data transfer, but it's not as easy as you might think. Copy and paste can only move files like pictures, documents, etc., not system files, hidden files, let alone the operating system. The transfer speed also makes for a very old flame, slow as a snail's crawl, especially for hundreds of files or large files. Your task may be interrupted due to different reasons.
Also, reinstalling Windows 10, ugh, is a horrid, mind-numbing task. You need to start with the system disk, then all the drivers, then all the software, then your data, etc. It's really time-consuming if you use a computer for a long while.
As such, none of them may be a good choice. But do not lose hope, there is still a way to copy data from one hard drive to another, whether you want to copy boot drive or data disk, and that's cloning. You need third-party cloning software like AOMEI Backupper to help you as Windows does not provide such tools.
Connect Your New Hard Drive
To copy data from one drive to another, you need both the original drive and the new drive you want to clone to. It can be any brand of HDDs or SSDs, without disk incompatible issue in the manufacturer's software, such as Samsung Magician clone. Please select a hard drive from a well-known disk manufacturer.
You can install both of them internally in the drive case if you have a desktop computer, or slide your drive into the slot, and screw it tightly. If it's a laptop with only one slot, prepare a connector as well, such as SATA-to-USB cable, adapter or enclosure, depending totally on the disk interface (e.g. SATA, M.2, PCIe, etc). Once you'v connected them, you can start the cloning process and replace hard drive afterward.
Ideally, the new hard disk should be twice the size of the original, if not more. At the very least, the capacity should be the same. If not, free up space by deleting unnecessary files, uninstalling useless programs, backup large files and deleting then, etc. This usually happens while cloning larger drive to smaller SSD. In addition, be sure both of them use MBR or GPT, otherwise, the clone drive will not boot due to disk partition style.
FREE Download Hard Drive Cloning Software
AOMEI Backupper Professional is one of the best disk cloning software, which can help you easily copy hard drive to another in Windows Windows 7, 8/8.1, 10, and 11 including the OS, installed programs, personal data, etc. If it's a system drive, the cloned drive will stay bootable.
AOMEI Backupper- Try “Disk Clone” to clone entire disk, whether it's a system disk or data disk. Try "System Clone" to copy OS and programs only. Try “Partition Clone” to copy the data partition.
- Intelligent clone: By default, this software clones only used sectors of a drive, making it easy to clone large HDD to smaller SSD or drive.
- SSD Alignment: It makes use of 4k technology and can boost SSD disk performance including reading & writing speed and lifespan.
- Edit Partitions: Adjust the partition size manually or automatically to avoid the unallocated space left issue, or resolving the boot issues due to wrong partition style while clone MBR to GPT or vice versa.
- Support all brands of HDDs and SSDs, such as SanDisk, Samsung, WD, Transceond, Toshiba, etc.
100% SecureNow download this easy hard drive and SSD cloning software and install it for cloning. Follow the simple guide below to copy data from one hard drive to another.
Copy One Hard Drive to Another in Windows
Here we will introduce you to the Disk Clone feature and how to copy OS and data including installed programs, personal data, etc. to another drive in Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11. You can also use it to copy data disk.
Step 1. On the deep-blue interface of AOMEI Backupper, click Clone and Disk Clone subsequently. It supports cloning all the data disk and system disk, from HDD/SSD to MBR/GPT.
Step 2. Select the current Windows 10 hard drive (here is Disk0)and clickNext.
Step 3. Select the new HDD or SSD (here is Disk1) and click Next.
Step 4. Tick “SSD Alignment” to optimize the SSD disk performance if it is. Then, click Start Clone to copy OS and data from one hard drive to another.
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Sector by sector clone: It helps to keep the old partition layout of a drive. Don't check this option when you clone larger drive to smaller drive or SSD.
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Edit Partitions: It offers you the ability to resolve two big cloning problems: unallocated space left after cloning and cloned SSD won't boot by adjusting the partition size and converting the disk partition style during the cloning process.
Step 5. Shut down the computer on completion. It is suggested to replace the original drive with cloned drive to perform a thorough boot test. Or, you can just change the boot order in BIOS.
Transfer Windows to Another Drive
Except for the Disk Clone feature, AOMEI Backupper Professional also offers users the System Clone feature to transfer Windows to another drive if you want. It also helps a lot when the new hard drive does not have enough space to hold data on the original disk.
Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper Professional. Select Clone and System Clone in order.
Step 2. Select the new hard drive or SSD as the destination partition. AOMEI Backupper will automatically select Windows, system reserved partition, or EFI system partition, as well as other files required to start a computer.
Step 3. Tick "SSD Alignment" to further accelerate the reading and writing speed of SSD if it is. Then, click "Start Clone" to copy Windows from one hard drive to another.
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Make full use of disk space: It willautomatically add unallocated space to system partition and be checked by default ifthe target disk is larger.
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Sector by sector clone: It will clone every sector of the system partition, even if it'sempty or bad sector.
More about Disk and AOMEI Backupper
1. What is MBR or GPT?
Both MBR and GPT are two different disk types for data storage, and you can check this in Disk Management. Right-click the hard disk or SSD, choose Properties->Volume->Partition Style, then you will see its partition style, either MBR or GPT.
2. How to fix the cloned drive not show full capacity
By default, all the cloning software makes an exact copy of the source disk unless you change the partition size while cloning. Try the Edit Partitions feature in AOMEI Backupper. It has 3 options in the following:
- Copy without resizing partitions: It will not resize the partition size.
- Add unused space to all partitions: It will reallocate the unallocated space to each partition of the target disk, appropriate for the disk size.
- Manually adjust partition size: It allows you to extend unallocated space to any partition on the destination disk you want.
3. How to fix the cloned drive not bootable after cloning
One of the biggest reasons why cloned drive wont boot is the destination and source disks have different partition styles and you don't convert them to the same before cloning. If you use easy hard drive or SSD cloning software - AOMEI Backupper, try its Edit Partition feature. It has an option named Convert the destination disk from MBR to GPT, or vice versa, depending on their disk partition styles.
Your Turn
That’s all for how to copy one hard drive to another drive in Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11. With the help of easy hard drive and SSD cloning software - AOMEI Backupper Professional, you can easily copy system disk, data disk, or OS only with its corresponding cloning feature.
Also, it's embedded with a lot of highlight cloning features, such as SSD Alignment, Edit Partitions, Intelligent Clone, etc., which can make this process intelligent and fault-tolerant. So you don't need to worry about any cloning issue by using this software.
AOMEI BackupperEasy Hard Drive or SSD Cloning Software for Personal Use
