Cloning SSD: partitions question

Lophophora

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Mar 23, 2018
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Hey guys, I'm cloning a 250GB SSD to a new 500GB SSD. I am using Macrium Reflect which is supposed to do that easily for me but I am not sure about partitions: should I use the default "copy selected partitions" action while cloning? What about the unused space on the new SSD? Doesn't it need to be partitioned too before I can use it?

Here's how it looks like in Macrium Reflect:

cloning.png


Thanks if you can help.
 
The menu item Cloned Partition Properties, will allow you to merge the remaining 227.29GB and use the entire 500gig disk size. I did the exact same thing going from 256gig to 500gig evo using macrium.
 
Thanks, that is the option I was looking for. I had to do it twice cause I messed up the partition size the first time but it's ok now, all that's left is change the boot order.
 
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One more question: now that I've cloned my SSD, can I swap letters in Windows? I want the new SSD (currently labeled E:) to become the main system drive and rename it C: while the older one would be used as storage. How do I do that in Windows 10?
 
One more question: now that I've cloned my SSD, can I swap letters in Windows? I want the new SSD (currently labeled E:) to become the main system drive and rename it C: while the older one would be used as storage. How do I do that in Windows 10?
When you make the new drive the first boot in the BIOS, it will be come "C" when windows boots up.
 
Oh I see. So when I boot from the new drive their letters are actually automatically inverted then (that's what I actually see in Windows right now). I haven't found how to permanently force my BIOS to boot from the new drive so currently I manually select the new drive in the BIOS each time I start the computer. The new drive shows last in the priority list and there's nothing that lets me move it.

So does this mean that, having booted from the new drive, if I want to format the older SSD I have to format E: ? This is kind of scary... Is there a format utility that lets you check which SSD you are actually formatting (not just by selecting a letter)?
 
Oh I see. So when I boot from the new drive their letters are actually automatically inverted then (that's what I actually see in Windows right now). I haven't found how to permanently force my BIOS to boot from the new drive so currently I manually select the new drive in the BIOS each time I start the computer. The new drive shows last in the priority list and there's nothing that lets me move it.

So does this mean that, having booted from the new drive, if I want to format the older SSD I have to format E: ? This is kind of scary... Is there a format utility that lets you check which SSD you are actually formatting (not just by selecting a letter)?

you can go to disk management and do the formatting in there, that way you will see exactly what disk you are working with.
you will want to do it in there anyways to remove the partitions from the old drive as well.
 
Thanks, but actually I just realized what I did before hasn't worked. Before reading your answer I had tried the following:

- unplug the old SSD
- plug the new SSD with the old one's SATA cable
- booted unsuccessfully (blue screen stating that the system must be repaired)

Then I tried booting from the new SSD again, this time plugged on the new SATA port, and I get the same blue error screen.

So I finally reverted to the first setup: old SSD on original SATA port, new SSD on new SATA port. And whit this setup, when I select the new SSD to boot from in the BIOS, Windows starts just fine.

Is there a way to actually know what disk is actually the one I've booted from once in Windows? Because I suspect the new SSD doesn't work and the BIOS might switch to the old one without warning me. When I look in the disk manager, I see that the old SSD is named C: and the new one is E:

I'm a little confused here...
 
In Disk Management, you can see what drive is the one you booted from, it will be "C:" and show the disk number and the size.

Also, something may have happened with your clone, seeing as it can boot from the new SSD with the old SSD plugged in makes me think that it's using something from the old SSD during boot.
 
Open a console and type

set systemroot

That's your boot drive. If it's not C, then change it to C (in disk manager if you can boot; otherwise you would have to boot WinPE and change it in the registry).
 
Ok got it. In fact the cloning was never successful, I always booted on the same old SSD.

I tried cloning the current system disk on the new one again but this time Macrium Reflect won't let me clone it. It says that the drive is currently in use. I understand it has to be unlocked but have no clue about how to do this.

Why can't I just format the new drive and try cloning the current drive on it again? Windows won't let me.

I know reinstalling Windows would be a solution but I would like to keep it a last resort measure as I have a few expensive licences with limited number of allowed re-installations.
 
I think I'm going to reinstall Windows on the new drive after all. Can't hurt to start with a fresh system.

Once it is done, how do I format the old SSD? It has a bootable partition and I don't see any option in the disk manager to format this drive. Or is it just because it is currently the drive Windows booted from?
 
easiest way is to use a USB to SATA cable and plug it in after the PC boots.
You seem to be unlucky when you have both drives plugged in internally.

you can get these for like $10 and they are super useful.

I use them all the time when needing to read an SSD or 2.5 HDD or when I am cloning to/from an SSD or 2.5 HDD.

Here I was cloning a 2.5" HDD to an SSD
IMG_1322.JPG
 
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