Perform System Clone to SSD or HDD in 4 Steps (Secure Boot)
You will learn disk clone vs system clone and how to easily perform system clone to SSD or HDD step by step.
Why system cloning? This goes back to another type of cloning. The disk clone feature helps users copy data from one hard drive to another without reinstalling Windows OS. However, it usually requires an extensive HDD or SSD, adding to the financial burden. Or users simply wanting to migrate OS instead of the entire disk.
The system clone or migration is a clone of the original operating system (OS). What is worth mentioning is that it moves not only your Windows operating system, but also all installed applications, drivers, updates, personal files, and customized settings.
Usually being completed with professional system migration software like AOMEI Backupper. And it's a simplified version of system backup and restore.
🔗For more info, click Disk Clone vs System Clone to learn.
How to Perform System Clone to HDD/SSD without Reinstalling
As a powerful cloning software, AOMEI Backupper Professional can help users perform system clone or migration easily in 3 simple steps.
By default, it will clone only used sectors on the system partition, which makes it easier to clone OS from large HDD to smaller SSD. All the boot-related partitions will be cloned simultaneously to make sure the cloned drive is bootable.
During the cloning process, you can continue using your computer without interrupting any workflow.
You may find other merits when you actually use the software. And here will take Windows 10 system migration as an example and tell you how to do it on Earth.
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A screwdriver, power splitter adapter cable, USB to SATA adapter (for laptop with only one slot).
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Make the destination disk (HDD or SSD) is equal to or larger than 👍the used space of the current system disk.
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Check the partition styles of the source and destination disks. Make sure that they both use GPT or MBR. If not, convert to the same.
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Download system clone software -AOMEI Backupper Professional. It works perfectly on Windows 11,10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. For server users, try the AOMEI Backupper Server.
Clone Windows 10 to HDD/SSD Step by Step
Step 1. Run system cloning software - AOMEI Backupper.
Launch and activate system clone software - AOMEI Backupper Professional with license code. Connect the new HDD/SSD to your computer. Then, select the "System Clone" feature under the "Clone" tab.
Step 2. Select the destination disk.
Select the new HDD/SSD (e.g. from WD, Crucial, Samsung, Seagate, etc) as the destination disk since all boot related drives are selected by default.
Step 3. Set up and perform system clone to HDD/SSD.
Tick "SSD Alignment" to further accelerate the reading and writing speed of SSD if it is. Finally, confirm the operations and click "Start Clone" to perform system clone in Windows 11 or 10.
When the system clone progress reaches 100%, please click "Finish" to exit the interface. You can then try to boot from the destination disk and check if the cloned drive is bootable.
Boot from the Cloned Drive
In general, there are two methods to boot computer from cloned SSD drive.
#1: Change boot priority in BIOS.
- When the system cloning is finished, you can restart your computer to enter BIOS (usually keep tapping Del/F12 upon power on) and change the boot order.
- If you clone GPT to MBR or vice versa, remember to switch boot mode to Legacy BIOS or UEFI as well.
#2: Replace the old disk with a cloned drive (Recommended).
This is a complete way to test your system migration. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Shut down your computer after the cloning process finishes.
- Disconnect the source hard disk and install the cloned drive to the right disk bay. Then, start your PC to boot from it.
Further Reading: Why Is Windows System Clone So Popular?
An increasing number of Windows users trying to migrate OS. The following situations may be account for the reason:
Perform system clone 💻 to SSD: By comparison, SSD offers much faster reading and writing speed than HDD, thus many users want to perform a system clone to SSD to get rid of old disks and poor performance comes along with it.
Upgrade to a larger disk💿: You have a compact system partition and a large amount of data, thus you cannot make more space for the system partition to make it run faster. The best way is to clone the operating system and all applications in the system drive to a larger hard disk drive.
❌Avoid reinstalling Windows and programs: Reinstalling Windows will remove everything on it, leaving only a fresh version of the OS and preinstalled software. And you may lose your data forever if you don't backup them in advance.
Summary
With the help of the best system clone software - AOMEI Backupper Professional, you can easily perform system clone in Windows 11/10 to enjoy more space or high performance. It also helps to resolve potential cloning issues, such as cloned drive shows wrong size, SSD performance slow after cloning, etc.
Why not download it to have a try?
- Ease-of-use and no technical knowledge or skills required.
- Clone system on HDD/SSD and MBR/GPT disks (e.g. clone GPT to MBR without losing data).
- Clone HDDs/SSDs of different brands and capacities (e.g. clone 2TB to 3TB), such as WD, Crucial, Seagate, Samsung, Intel, etc.
- It helps to further enhance SSD disk performance, automatically extend system partition size, etc.
- It also allows you to clone the entire disk, clone hard drive to SSD, for example.
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100% Secure