Goes to show you how far behind I`ve got in the technology race.

Guess I can image clone a Hard Drive to an SSD drive with Ghost or a similar program.

Is there any particular trick or detail I should mind?

Thinking of speeding up my laptop with a new drive.

Thank you.

0-0

quote:

Originally posted by 0-0:
Goes to show you how far behind I`ve got in the technology race.

Guess I can image clone a Hard Drive to an SSD drive with Ghost or a similar program.

Is there any particular trick or detail I should mind particularly?

Thinking of speeding up my laptop with a new drive.

Thank you.

0-0

Yes, no "trick" to it, that is what these programs are created to do.

However, depending on the program's specific cloning technique, you may end up with a cloned file system that is as fragmented as the original. If the original hasn't been in service for more than five years or so, it is nothing to worry about, but long-running drives can get significantly fragmented (sections of file spread out on different parts of the disk). There are cloning techniques that eliminate this fragmentation, most do a sector-by-sector copy which does not de-frag.

Since SSDs have no "seek" delay, they are not nearly as subject to slow downs from fragmentation as rotating media can be. If you are replacing a hard drive with an SSD (which seems logical as "speed up" is the stated goal), I wouldn't waste time worrying about fragmentation. If you are replacing a hard drive with another, it can be important.

There are also considerations about what, exactly, is on the original disk. There may be boot blocks, "recovery" partitions, etc. in addition to the "C: drive" file system that will need to be imaged. Some of these may need to be located on specific parts of the clone (e.g. at the very start, or at the very end). A good modern cloning program will address these, but pay attention to progress and error messages.

Look for a program that can 'reduce' the size of the image if you are getting a smaller SSD. Most current programs could do that, I would assume, but you might need to check a box.....

I've done it with macrium reflect, which is free. Went from a 320GB HDD to a 120GB SSD with no issues. plugged SSD in via USB, cloned, swapped SSD to HDD bay, booted.

Thank you both.

I have experience with the basics of cloning but was wondering about the difference between the drive technologies and what handles the transition between them. Platter vs. pure electronics.

0-0

CloneZilla has been my go to for years. It was Ghost before that.

First, most SSD co's have a clone utility based on block level copy such as Acronis.
All you need to do is have a 'bootable' copy of this aka cd or usb and it will copy the partition or disk as required.
Or if you install the software such as Easeus it will do it all on a reboot.
I use primarily Intel SSD's so the software is free ~ I think many other mfg's have the same.
Basically oem'd Acronis.

I always try and perform the following routine when cloning a drive.

1 - Delete anything on the existing drive that is un-needed or un-wanted. Drives in use for some time will accumulate a lot of junk.
2 - Defrag the drive to clean it up after step 1.
3 - Make a backup of the drive for recovery purposes should something go sideways.
4 - Use Acronis to clone the existing drive to the new drive.

That should just about do it.

Both Seagate and Western digital have free downloadable cloning software -- basically re-branded Acronis. If your original HDD is Seagate or WD you can use these:

Western Digital version

Seagate version

I like samsung SSD's and their magician software.

Clonezilla is the most reliable tool I've used lately. We have a ton of the Apricorn SATA to USB3 dongles laying around and they work excellently.

Clonezilla is free and only requires a small flash drive. It seems to handle all UEFI settings easily.

YMMV