Clone to New Computer Windows 7 Won’t Boot? Solved Now!

The error: Windows 7 won’t boot after cloning to new computer

After getting a new computer, many users choose to transfer data from old computer to new computer by cloning hard drive. In this way, they can keep the same operating system, files, applications as well as settings on the new computer. Nevertheless, some users find new computer fails to boot after cloning. Why does this happen?

If you find Windows 7 won’t boot after cloning to new computer, different boot modes on the two computers and corrupted boot records may be responsible for that. At this time, you are supposed to check and repair your new computer so that it can be used again. What’s the specific solution?

How to solve cloned to new computer Windows 7 won’t boot easily

I’ll show you two efficient solutions to the problem of cloning Windows 7 to new computer not booting in this part:

Solution 1: Reconcile boot modes

Please affirm the boot mode on the old computer first. Do like this:

1. Right click the “Computer” icon on the desktop and hit the “Manage” option.

2. Click on “Disk management” to open Windows Disk Management. Right click on Disk 0. If there is “Convert to MBR Disk” option in the pop-up menu, then the old computer is in UEFI boot mode; if not, it’s in Legacy BIOS.

After figuring out the boot mode on the old computer, continue to check the new computer’s boot mode in following steps:

1. Start the new computer and tap Del to enter BIOS interface.

2. In the BIOS Utility dialog, select Boot > UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode. See whether Legacy or UEFI is chosen under the option.

3. If the boot modes are the same on the two computers, you should do nothing; if not, change the new computer’s boot mode to make it accord with the old one.

Your new computer may become bootable after you reconcile boot modes on the old and new computer. However, if the error still exists, try the second solution below.

Solution 2: Repair boot records

Corrupted boot records can also lead to the error that cloned to new computer Windows 7 won’t boot. In this case, you should follow the guidance below to repair boot records:

1. Restart your new computer and tap F8 to access the Advanced Boot Options menu.

2. Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Command Prompt and press Enter.

3. In Command Prompt, input following command lines and press Enter after each.

▪ bootrec /fixmbr
▪ bootrec /fixboot
▪ bootrec /scanos
▪ bootrec /rebuildbcd

4. Exit Command Prompt and restart your computer.

More reliable way to clone Windows 7 to dissimilar hardware👍

Some users are frustrated with the boot issue after cloning Windows 7 to dissimilar hardware. Here I’d like to recommend a more stable way to finish the task—restore Windows 7 image to different hardware. AOMEI Backupper Professional built in with backup, sync, recovery and clone features comes to help. 

• There are four types of backup available: System/Disk/Partition/File Backup, and you can restore from the backup image you’ve created whenever it is needed.
• It offers the Universal Restore option to ensure secure boot after restoring to dissimilar hardware.
• If you want to boot your computer in case of boot failure, you can create bootable media with AOMEI Backupper.

👉 Preparations:

1. Download and install AOMEI Backupper on your old computer.

2. Create a bootable USB drive.

3. Backup Windows 7 to bootable USB.

👉 Steps to restore Windows 7 to different hardware:

Step 1. Connect the bootable USB flash drive with Windows 7 backup image to your new computer. Boot from the USB by changing boot order in BIOS.

Step 2. You’ll see loaded AOMEI Backupper once login. Select “Restore” on the left pane and click “Select image file”.

Step 3. Locate the system image file on the bootable USB drive and click “Open”.

Step 4. Select “Restore this system backup” and tick “Restore system to other location”. Then, click “Next”.

Step 5. Select the hard drive on the new computer as the destination path and click “Next”.

Step 6. In Operation Summary page, the “Universal Restore” option is checked by default to ensure the system is bootable after recovery. Make sure NOT to uncheck it. Click “Start Restore” and wait for the process to be done.

Summary

By reconciling boot modes and repairing boot records, you can solve the problem that cloned to new computer Windows 7 won’t boot. What’s more, you can use AOMEI Backupper to restore Windows 7 image to different hardware, thus avoiding the error.

You will discover more practical features in AOMEI Backupper, such as sync a laptop and a desktop and upgrade hard drive to SSD, etc. Download it now to explore all the wonderful features by yourself!