Got a new SSD, cloning?

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Shark974

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 4, 2009
Messages
378
So I got a new 128GB Crucial M4.

Replacing a older 40GB Intel SSD that's getting a little tight.

Both will be/are being used as program/OS drives with media on a separate 1TB mechanical HDD. So, switching out the 40 for the 128, straight up.

I'd like to clone/image the 40 over to the 128, this should be painless if I'm thinking right. What software do people use (preferably free) and is there any guides or can anybody walk me through it?

Edit: Or am I better off with a clean install? I wont be giving up any performance by using the cloning method, right?
 
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Clonezilla is what you are looking for. Free/OpenSource, and does preserve alignment, or can even align as your cloning if your source was not. I believe it can do the partition resize at the same time, but I usually have Win7 do that afterwards. It also looks into the file system and will only write used blocks, so it doesn't do any extra writes on the target.
 
Shark974 said:
... Or am I better off with a clean install? I wont be giving up any performance by using the cloning method, right?
Click to expand...

No matter how you do it, clean install, clone, or backup/restore, it is wise to verify everything that pertains to using an SSD. Make sure your in AHCI or RAID mode, verify your alignment, and verify auto defrag is off or that the SSD is not on the list of drives to be defragged.
 
Shark974 said:
So I got a new 128GB Crucial M4.
Click to expand...

Limahl said:
If you're doing this on Intel drives, just grab the Intel Data Migration toolkit and it'll do everything for you in a couple of clicks.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=19324
Click to expand...

problem?

I personally used "EaseUS Todo backup free" for my latest clone migration. 500gb hdd to 480gb ssd.

Nice and easy. All done in windows..
Wasn't a boot drive however it did have many programs.
 
JayJapanB said:
problem?
Click to expand...

He's going from an Intel 40Gb to a new one, so the Intel software will work fine.

As a note, keep that old Intel SSD around in a USB enclosure and you can use the Intel software to clone other non-Intel drives too. As long as it sees an Intel drive in the machine somewhere it'll run. :p
 
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