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Cloning a HDD Partition to a new SDD

M

Morbus

Senior member
Hello everyone.

I am about to make a new install of Windows 7 on a partitioned HDD (1TB), but I'm getting a new SSD (250GB) next week and would like to avoid the hassle of installing the OS twice, and configuring it twice and all that. So:

• Is it possible to clone a HDD Partition to an unpartitioned SDD? All the tutorials I've see say it can't be done, but maybe I'm not looking in the right places.
• Does a cloned installation of Windows 7 suffer in any way (performance, stability, upgradability, etc.) in comparison to a brand new install?

Thanks a lot in advance for all the help. Much love and praise to you all. 🙂
 
Depends on the SSD you are getting. Some, like the Samsung I believe (for example,) include a utility to clone over that will handle larger to smaller clones. There are also stand-alone utilities like Acronis that will do it as well.

On others you may have to reduce the size of the 1TB HDD partition down to less than 250GB before you can clone it over.

I have cloned OS disks over, it works most of the time minus programs like Intuit (QuickBooks,) but I have found a clean install is better. It depends on how gummed up the current OS is and what you expect out of it.
 
If possible, with a 1 week time difference, I would just wait and do the clean install in a week.

If not possible, I know that Terabyte's Image for Linux bootable CD will do image + restore to smaller partitions and properly align SSDs. It's free-to-try too!
 
Morbus said:
I am about to make a new install of Windows 7 on a partitioned HDD (1TB), but I'm getting a new SSD (250GB) next week
Click to expand...

If possible, with a 1 week time difference, I would just wait and do the clean install in a week.
Click to expand...

...I missed that part. :$ I agree with E of W.

If you can't wait, reduce the partition down to 240GB or so before you load the OS on the HDD, that will eliminate any disk to disk partition size problems if you clone.
 
Yeah, as Charlie98 said, just make a 240GB partition on the HD, and you should be good to go.
Just remember, that when you clone over the HD to SSD, you must align it, either manually, or, if the clone program does it automatically, then that is fine as well.
 
I cloned both of my Samsung SSDs from partitioned HDDs - used TrueImage 2012 and later 2013. Never a problem. Partitions exist, function perfectly, and do not interfere with SSD performance. TI handles alignment perfectly - never a problem.

As a system backup, I clone the SSD to an external HDD. Same comments apply.
 
  • Yes
  • No
When you get your 250GB SSD, which from the size sounds like a Samsung. Check with the drive manufacturer if they provide free data migration software. Samsung, Seagate and Intel do.

If they don't, check your HDD's manufacturer if they offer migration software. As long as the software detects the manufacturer's drive (usually via a native interface SATA or IDE) it will fully function and you can use that to copy the partition from the HDD to SSD.

Best of luck.
 
This is very helpful! Thanks a bunch. It is a Samsung, yes, and I've just now installed Windows 7 on my old partitioned HDD. Will be configuring it to my liking this weekend and cloning it Monday or Tuesday, whenever I get the SSD.
 
Good luck. I was in SSD hell all day yesterday. I picked up a Samsung EVO 250GB to replace the 840 Pro 120GB in my desktop. The 840 Pro was swapped with a 5,400 RPM HD from a hot deal laptop with Windows 8.

I'll spare you all of the details but my suggestion is to do a clean install and back it all up. I was shocked to see Windows 7 Pro had 143 updates. Took forever. Did a clean install of 8 and then upgraded to 8.1. That took forever as well. Get to know Macrium Refect. That way if the cloning doesn't work for some reason you are covered.

It looked like my upgrade to 8.1 was screwed up and I was relieved I had backed up clean 8 install. It worked out alright but I was worried when it said to try again.
 
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Just in case you decide to go with the smaller partition then expand route, and are using stupid imaging software like Ghost, remember to give your volume a name that starts late alphabetically before imaging......

For example, when imaging from a smaller SSD to a larger one, I had named my main partition "SSD". Since "SSD" sorts before "System" alphabetically, Ghost put the main partition before the System partition on the new drive, and I had to use EASEUS to move them around in order to expand it.
 
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