If you’ve just bought a new storage space for your PC, knowing how to clone your hard drive in Windows will make the data transfer process a lot easier.
Whether you’ve gotten one of the best external hard drives or decided to go with an internal hard drive after picking a winner between SSD and HDD, hard drive cloning isn’t as scary as you think.
Why is cloning a hard drive better than copying and pasting everything? Well, first of all, just dragging everything from one drive to another can give you a headache. It’s possible that the app won’t find the program files and mess up the new drive. Second, you can migrate your operating system to a new drive and make it your primary drive while the old drive serves as your storage location. Moving an operating system is complex, requiring cloning rather than simple copy-and-paste to get the job done.
But whatever the reason, here’s how to clone a hard drive in Windows.
software: Windows provides a fair amount of handy tools, especially in newer versions, but windows 11, Disk Clone Utility is not one of them. Fortunately, there are many useful and free apps that can do the job effectively.
Recommended software for cloning drives Macrium Reflect Free, and, as the name suggests, costs nothing. This app provides all the basic features you need if you want to copy one hard drive to another, but among them there are many paid apps with advanced features such as faster cloning speed. O&O disk image And Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office.
However, if you only want to clone a single drive once, you might be better off choosing the free option. right?
How to clone a hard drive in Windows
- Make sure a new drive is installed in or connected to your computer.
- Install Macrium Reflect Free
- Select drive to clone
- Select the target disk to clone to
- Partition selection
- Save configuration
- clone
Read detailed instructions for each step.
One. the first step is Make sure a new hard drive or drive is installed or connected to your computer.. You can use the manufacturer’s instructions to find out how to install and connect the drive. If you’re having trouble viewing your drive, check the following: Check out our troubleshooting guide. How to fix external hard drive not showing up
2. Next, you need to install Macrium Reflect Free. move download page And scroll down 8 freely reflects. click free download Then follow instructions.
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
three. Open the app, the home page is displayed with a list of all drives available on your computer. now, click on drive you want to duplicateThen Click Clone this disk..
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
4. next, Click Select disk to clone, This will select the desired location for the contents of the previously cloned hard drive Click on the target disk. in the pop-up window.
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
5. If there are partitions on the drive you want to clone, we recommend cloning each partition without compressing anything. To do this: Click Copy Partition. Then Exact partition offset and length.
Note: If the clone destination drive is smaller than the clone destination drive, you must either uncheck the partition or allow the app to compress the partition. This can cause problems when cloning the primary drive with the operating system, so in this case you should consider purchasing a larger drive for cloning.
Also, make sure there are no important items before starting the process as the drive you are trying to clone will be completely formatted.
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
6. If you are satisfied with your choice, click next continue.
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
7. You will now see a page where you can schedule the replication process to run regularly. Click Add Schedule. However, if you want to clone a drive only once, clone it. click next to Skip this page.
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
8 days. You will now see confirmation for upcoming tasks. If you are satisfied with reading the information here, click on finish Go to the next step.
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
9. The final confirmation page is now displayed. check both The first two boxes are checked.. The second field stores the process configuration on your computer in case you want to run it again later. It takes up very little space on your computer, so there’s no harm in storing it just in case.
as soon as it’s done Click OK Continue with the last step.
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
10 You will now see a pop-up warning that the data on the destination drive will be overwritten. If they agree, checkbox check Then Click Continue. Now the magic finally begins.
If the original drive contains a lot of data, the process will take some time. It is best not to use your PC during the process as drive cloning can be severe. However, keep an eye on it in case you get an error. Of course, you need to make sure the PC is turned on and both drives are connected.
(Image courtesy of Microsoft)
At the end of the standby, you should have two drives that are exactly duplicates of each other.
Now check out our other Windows guides, including how to change the Windows 11 start menu back to Windows 10, how to install Android apps on Windows 11, and how to turn on clipboard history in Windows.
More information
How to clone a hard drive on Windows
If you’ve just picked up some new storage for your PC, knowing how to clone a hard drive on Windows will make the process of transferring your data across a whole lot easier.
Whether you’ve just picked up one of the best external hard drives or have gone for an internal drive after figuring out the victor between SSD vs HDD, cloning a hard drive isn’t as daunting as you may think it is.
Why is it better to clone your hard drive instead of just copying and pasting everything across? Well, for starters, simply dragging everything from one drive to another can lead to headaches like apps not being able to find program files, and would likely leave your new drive in an unorganized mess, too. Second, you may want to migrate your operating system to your new drive, making it the primary drive, while your older one serves as a storage location — moving operating systems is complex, and therefore requires cloning rather than simple copy and pasting in order to work.
But whatever the reason for wanting to do it, here’s how to clone a hard drive on Windows.
Software: although Windows contains a whole load of handy tools, especially in its latest iteration, Windows 11, a drive cloning utility isn’t one of them. Fortunately, there’s a plethora of useful and free apps that do the job effectively.
The software we would recommend using when cloning drives is Macrium Reflect Free, which, as its name suggests, doesn’t cost a cent. This app offers all the basic functionality you’ll need if your goal is to simply clone one hard drive to another, though there are a number of paid apps with more advanced features such as quicker cloning speeds, including O&O DiskImage and Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office.
But if you’re only cloning a single drive one time, it’s probably better to go with the free option, right?
How to clone a hard drive on Windows
Ensure the new drive is installed in or connected to your computer
Install Macrium Reflect Free
Select the drive to clone
Select a cloning destination drive
Select partitions
Save your configuration
Clone
Read on for detailed instructions regarding each step.
1. The first step is to ensure you have your new disk or drive installed in or connected to your computer. You can find out how to install and connect your drive using the manufacturer’s instructions. If you’re having problems seeing your drive, make sure you check out our troubleshooting guide on how to fix an external hard drive that won’t show up.
2. Next, you’ll need to install Macrium Reflect Free. Head to the download page and scroll toward the bottom to Reflect 8 Free. Click Download Free then follow the instructions.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
3. Open the app, where you’ll see the home page, along with a list of every available drive on your computer. Now, click the drive you want to clone, then click Clone this disk.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
4. Next, click Select a disk to clone to, which will select where you would like your disk’s contents to be cloned to, before clicking the destination disk in the pop-up window.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
5. If the drive you’re cloning has partitions, it’s recommended to clone every partition without compressing anything. To do this, click Copy Partitions then Exact partition offset and length.
Note: if the drive you’re cloning to is smaller than the drive you’re cloning from, you’ll need to either deselect partitions or allow the app to compress your partitions. This may result in issues if you’re cloning your main drive containing your operating system, so you may want to consider getting a larger drive to clone to if this is the case.
It’s also important to note that the drive you’re cloning to will be completely formatted, so make sure there’s nothing important on there before you begin the process.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
6. Once you’re happy with your selections, click Next to continue.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
7. You’ll now see a page that allows you to schedule the cloning process to run on a regular basis by clicking Add Schedule. If you just want to clone your drive a single time, however, just click Next to skip this page.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
8. You’ll now see confirmation of the process that’s about to take place. Once you’ve read through and are happy with the information here, click Finish to head to the next step.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
9. You’ll now see a final confirmation page. Make sure both of the first two boxes are checked. The second box simply saves the configuration of the process to your computer, in case you want to run it again in the future. This will take up practically no space on your computer, so it won’t do any harm to save it in case.
Once you’re all set, click OK to continue to the final step.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
10. You’ll now see a pop-up which warns you that the data on the destination drive will be overwritten. If you’re OK with this, check the box then click Continue. Now the magic will finally begin.
The process will take a while if your original drive contains a lot of data. It’s best to not use your PC while it completes the process, since cloning a drive can be quite intensive, though you should keep an eye on it in case any errors occur. Of course, you need to make sure your PC remains powered on, and that both of your drives remain connected.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Once the wait is over, you should have two drives which are exact replicas of each other.
Now you’re good to go, check out some other Windows guides, including how to change the Windows 11 Start menu back to Windows 10, how to install Android apps on Windows 11 and how to enable clipboard history on Windows.
#clone #hard #drive #Windows
How to clone a hard drive on Windows
If you’ve just picked up some new storage for your PC, knowing how to clone a hard drive on Windows will make the process of transferring your data across a whole lot easier.
Whether you’ve just picked up one of the best external hard drives or have gone for an internal drive after figuring out the victor between SSD vs HDD, cloning a hard drive isn’t as daunting as you may think it is.
Why is it better to clone your hard drive instead of just copying and pasting everything across? Well, for starters, simply dragging everything from one drive to another can lead to headaches like apps not being able to find program files, and would likely leave your new drive in an unorganized mess, too. Second, you may want to migrate your operating system to your new drive, making it the primary drive, while your older one serves as a storage location — moving operating systems is complex, and therefore requires cloning rather than simple copy and pasting in order to work.
But whatever the reason for wanting to do it, here’s how to clone a hard drive on Windows.
Software: although Windows contains a whole load of handy tools, especially in its latest iteration, Windows 11, a drive cloning utility isn’t one of them. Fortunately, there’s a plethora of useful and free apps that do the job effectively.
The software we would recommend using when cloning drives is Macrium Reflect Free, which, as its name suggests, doesn’t cost a cent. This app offers all the basic functionality you’ll need if your goal is to simply clone one hard drive to another, though there are a number of paid apps with more advanced features such as quicker cloning speeds, including O&O DiskImage and Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office.
But if you’re only cloning a single drive one time, it’s probably better to go with the free option, right?
How to clone a hard drive on Windows
Ensure the new drive is installed in or connected to your computer
Install Macrium Reflect Free
Select the drive to clone
Select a cloning destination drive
Select partitions
Save your configuration
Clone
Read on for detailed instructions regarding each step.
1. The first step is to ensure you have your new disk or drive installed in or connected to your computer. You can find out how to install and connect your drive using the manufacturer’s instructions. If you’re having problems seeing your drive, make sure you check out our troubleshooting guide on how to fix an external hard drive that won’t show up.
2. Next, you’ll need to install Macrium Reflect Free. Head to the download page and scroll toward the bottom to Reflect 8 Free. Click Download Free then follow the instructions.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
3. Open the app, where you’ll see the home page, along with a list of every available drive on your computer. Now, click the drive you want to clone, then click Clone this disk.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
4. Next, click Select a disk to clone to, which will select where you would like your disk’s contents to be cloned to, before clicking the destination disk in the pop-up window.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
5. If the drive you’re cloning has partitions, it’s recommended to clone every partition without compressing anything. To do this, click Copy Partitions then Exact partition offset and length.
Note: if the drive you’re cloning to is smaller than the drive you’re cloning from, you’ll need to either deselect partitions or allow the app to compress your partitions. This may result in issues if you’re cloning your main drive containing your operating system, so you may want to consider getting a larger drive to clone to if this is the case.
It’s also important to note that the drive you’re cloning to will be completely formatted, so make sure there’s nothing important on there before you begin the process.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
6. Once you’re happy with your selections, click Next to continue.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
7. You’ll now see a page that allows you to schedule the cloning process to run on a regular basis by clicking Add Schedule. If you just want to clone your drive a single time, however, just click Next to skip this page.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
8. You’ll now see confirmation of the process that’s about to take place. Once you’ve read through and are happy with the information here, click Finish to head to the next step.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
9. You’ll now see a final confirmation page. Make sure both of the first two boxes are checked. The second box simply saves the configuration of the process to your computer, in case you want to run it again in the future. This will take up practically no space on your computer, so it won’t do any harm to save it in case.
Once you’re all set, click OK to continue to the final step.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
10. You’ll now see a pop-up which warns you that the data on the destination drive will be overwritten. If you’re OK with this, check the box then click Continue. Now the magic will finally begin.
The process will take a while if your original drive contains a lot of data. It’s best to not use your PC while it completes the process, since cloning a drive can be quite intensive, though you should keep an eye on it in case any errors occur. Of course, you need to make sure your PC remains powered on, and that both of your drives remain connected.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Once the wait is over, you should have two drives which are exact replicas of each other.
Now you’re good to go, check out some other Windows guides, including how to change the Windows 11 Start menu back to Windows 10, how to install Android apps on Windows 11 and how to enable clipboard history on Windows.
#clone #hard #drive #Windows
Synthetic: Vik News
