Copying Old SSD to New SSD

[WhipperSnapper]

I just bought a 512 GB SSD to upgrade one of the three SSDs in my current rig (the largest being 256). It's not a boot drive, just a drive for computer gaming. Is there a good way to copy the contents of the 256 GB drive to the new 512 GB drive and then remove the 256 GB drive so that it was as though I had just increased the size of that 256 GB drive and nothing else had changed?

(The 256 GB drive is to become the boot drive for a gaming laptop that currently has a 1 TB spindle drive and an extra hard drive slot.)

 

[Baba_Lulu]

Is there a good way to copy the contents of the 256 GB drive to the new 512 GB drive and then remove the 256 GB drive so that it was as though I had just increased the size of that 256 GB drive and nothing else had changed?

Your question is not very clear. Please rephrase. If you want to move the contents, just copy them and after that append the same drive letter to the new SSD.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Your question is not very clear. Please rephrase. If you want to move the contents, just copy them and after that append the same drive letter to the new SSD.

That's kind of what I'm hoping to do. I want the programs on the current 256 GB drive to run just like normal with the same shortcuts, etc., but to be on the new 512 GB drive.

I'm hoping to install the 512, copy, remove the 256, rename the 512 to what was the 256 drive, and hope the system doesn't know the difference.

 

[corkyg]

I would just proportionally clone the old SSD to the new one and swap them.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

That's kind of what I'm hoping to do. I want the programs on the current 256 GB drive to run just like normal with the same shortcuts, etc., but to be on the new 512 GB drive.

I'm hoping to install the 512, copy, remove the 256, rename the 512 to what was the 256 drive, and hope the system doesn't know the difference.

Clone the drive with macrium reflect, acronis true image or your favourite clone program (tm). Then expand the partition size using administrative tools. (Re)assign drive letters. Done. Your system won't know the difference.

 

[corkyg]

Proportional cloning eliminates the need to expand the partition size. One simple operation.

 

[aigomorla]

It's not a boot drive, just a drive for computer gaming.

1. if its not a boot drive and its just a gaming drive you can just copy the data over via windows explorer after you connected both to PC. Do not worry about drive letter, as you will change all that once u finished copying the data over.

2. go into computer management -> disk management -> right click on the old drive -> "change drive letter" -> Remove.

3. on new drive -> right click -> "change drive letter" -> "add" -> assign the same letter as old drive up top.

Even if you cloned the drive as others stated above, you will still need to do 2 and 3, as windows will assign it a new drive letter, and your registry pointers will be all wrong, hence why 2 and 3 are important.

If the game is under a steam directory, you can do the method above, or you can just migrate the steam directory to the new drive, so you can use the 256gb as a secondary...

If you want to use the 256gb as a secondary you will need to assign it a new drive letter or it will not show up in windows explorer.

I'm hoping to install the 512, copy, remove the 256, rename the 512 to what was the 256 drive, and hope the system doesn't know the difference.

ahhh exactly.... make sure the new drive is the same letter as the old drive, and your good to go.
You just need to make sure the register pointers for the game match, or you will have issues.

Except make sure when you reassign drive letters both drives are in there, and you REMOVE the old drive letter though disk management.
Ive had cases where windows would not allow you to reassign a used drive letter without removing it.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Proportional cloning eliminates the need to expand the partition size. One simple operation.

Sure enough. That's just personal preference, for various (archaic) reasons.

Except make sure when you reassign drive letters both drives are in there, and you REMOVE the old drive letter though disk management.
Ive had cases where windows would not allow you to reassign a used drive letter without removing it.

Easiest way to handle reassignment, is assigning the old drive a "fictitious" drive letter. I usually use T:\ (easy to remember, as in Transfer... ) for this purpose. Then you can assign the original drive letter to the new drive. No reboot, or removal needed. Until you physically remove the old drive.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Turns out I couldn't find an extra drive tray or SATA cables. What would happen if I used an external enclosure connected via USB 3.0 to clone the drive, then swapped them out?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Use a "USB 3.0 SATA wire". You can get them for $12 on Ebay. Apricorn makes a "Cloning kit" that they sell at BestBuy, that includes "E-Z Gig IV" cloning software, and a proprietary USB 3.0 to SATA wire. (Proprietary, in that their software looks for 'their' cable.)

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Turns out I couldn't find an extra drive tray or SATA cables. What would happen if I used an external enclosure connected via USB 3.0 to clone the drive, then swapped them out?

Shouldn't be any issues doing that. Clone software doesn't usually care how the disk is connected, so long as it can see the disk.

 

[aigomorla]

Turns out I couldn't find an extra drive tray or SATA cables. What would happen if I used an external enclosure connected via USB 3.0 to clone the drive, then swapped them out?

nothing should happen..

just make sure u unmount the drive before you swap it out.

 

[HaxSeeker]

I would just proportionally clone the old SSD to the new one and swap them.

That's is some pro tip you should consider it and it is easy to do so