Cloning suggestions for failing laptop HD

[lakedude]

We have a Toshiba Satellite P755-S5215 on which Windows 7 is complaining about a failing hard drive. So far we have saved off all of My Documents, My Pictures, Downloads, Music etc. to a 32GB USB flash drive with no reports of any kind of read errors. A 250GB SSD has been purchased and overnighted. The original HD is over 500GB, maybe a 750 but it is mostly empty and the data should all fit just fine on a 250GB.

The first question is if there is a way to tell if the drive failing message is genuine or if it is causes by some kind of malware or virus?

Assuming the drive really is on the way out we would like to attempt to clone it over to the new 250GB SSD and could use suggestions on the exact method and software involved.

My thoughts/ideas (feel free to add other suggestions):

Leave the old drive in the laptop and clone via external USB enclosure.

Take the old drive out and put both drives in a desktop on SATA.

Use Macrium Reflect or something similar (Acronis). Note that the new drive is smaller than the old one.

Attempt to clone all partitions, anticipating some problems here due to bad sectors.

Only attempt to clone the recovery partitions, anticipating problems here due to the new drive being smaller.

Any ideas?

 

[lakedude]

Sorry, I've got a copy of this question running in Computer Help. Could a mod please erase whichever one is deemed to be in the wrong spot?

Messages merged.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Get an Apricorn cloning kit / "USB SATA wire" (generic).

Then use Macrium Reflect or Acronis to clone, or Samsung's tool if you bought an 850 EVO SSD.

I would clone the recovery partition and all of the "little" partitions exact, and the main data / user partition "proportional". (I guess you're going to a smaller SSD, so that would end up smaller.)

Edit: Another possibility, is to create a recovery USB stick in the current OS, if the recovery and OS is undamaged enough to do that (risky business if the drive is failing, though - this is more a recommendation when the drive is still intact), and then simply install the SSD into the laptop, and boot off of the USB recovery stick, and do a fresh install to the SSD. (If you made the recovery USB when you first got the laptop, this might still be an option.)

 

[JustMe21]

Clonezilla is a free and open source cloning solution.

 

[lakedude]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I do have a Samsung and it did include cloning software, however it is not showing any of the "smaller" partitions, only "C:". Is it going to clone all the partitions but it is just not showing them all for simplicity? The whole process is fully automatic with no real options for the user. I can hit "Start" or try Macrium since I have that already.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

I would go with Macrium, just to be on the safe side and have more control...

 

[techmanc]

The fastest way to see whats up and safeguard your computer setup imho would be make a clone of the drive and remove problem drive.

Then see how system runs with new drive as far as still being messed up.

If still messed up use avast free av and malware anti malware to check for malware or viruses.

I always used Acronis TI for my backups and moving to new PC and its worth it to own buy you can get free 30 day trial anyways.

 

[lakedude]

Update

I chickened out on the Samsung software and went with Macrium. Since I happened to have 2x USB 3.0 enclosures and enough USB 3.0 ports I've got both drives in enclosures. Since the Toshiba laptop and software is suspect we are booted from another properly working computer.

We are at 18% currently...

The copy process was very slow around the 10% mark...

 

[lakedude]

As suggested the 2 smaller partitions were left original size, while the main C: partition was shrunk to fit on the SSD.

 

[lakedude]

40%

 

[lakedude]

72%

 

[lakedude]

done

 

[lakedude]

The cloned SSD seems to work fine. The computer is lightning fast now! Thanks for the help.