Question NVME cloning question

[ingeborgdot]

I have an NVME on my PC music server, that is really running HOT. We're talking something is wrong with it. It is an NVME like I said but I have never cloned an NVME to another NVME before. How can it be done? I will have to look to see if there is another NVME slot to put the new NVME if that is what I decide to get. I don't know if I really need an NVME, but I do need at least an SSD. Have you ever clone one before?
What is a good cloning software?
Thanks.

 

[Tech Junky]

Clonezilla - Downloads

It's a straight forward process. If you don't have a slot get an enclosure.

 

[Jimminy]

There's nothing special about an nvme drive; it's treated just like any other disk drive, as long as the system has the proper drivers, both in bios and in the operating system.

Sometimes you have to fiddle around with a clone to get it to work (it will have the same disk ID as the original). I prefer to attach an external drive, create an image of the nvme, then power down, yank it out, put in the new nvme, and finally boot from a usb flash rescue drive which you should create beforehand, and simply restore that image from your external drive. This way, it won't matter if you have another m2 slot.

Macrium reflect is one of the best backup softwares, and there is a free version that includes almost any feature you're likely to ever need.

Good luck!

 

[Hotrod2go]

I wouldn't bother with 3rd party apps to just transfer data from A to B. Maybe for an OS, but not for data. Just use windows explorer & copy n' paste, change drive letter to something like Z or whatever... when done, disconnect the old storage, change drive letter back to what it was before & your done, easy peasy!
Never use more software than you need too is my mantra with this type of activity.

 

[ingeborgdot]

No data disc being cloned. It is the OS drive so cloning is a must.

 

[OlyAR15]

No data disc being cloned. It is the OS drive so cloning is a must.

Why a must? It’s easy to re-install the OS and apps. In fact it it preferred as a way of cleaning out the cruft that accumulates.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Macrium reflect is one of the best backup softwares, and there is a free version that includes almost any feature you're likely to ever need.

If you have a spare M.2 slot to put the new NVMe SSD in, cloning using Macrium should be fairly painless. If not, you will need to use an NVMe USB adapter.

Another way if you want to save the expense of the NVMe adapter: make a bootable USB of Macrium by installing Macrium in your current Windows installation. Bootable USB needs to be created from within Windows so all the relevant drivers are copied into the Macrium bootable USB. Otherwise, it may not be able to see the NVMe drive.

Make a cloned image of the NVMe drive and save it in the bootable Macrium USB. Then take out the old NVMe SSD, put in the new one and boot using Macrium bootable USB and restore that image file to the new NVMe SSD.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Clonezilla - Downloads

How is CloneZilla with NVMe drives? Is it able to detect them? Macrium is not able to detect NVMe drives unless the bootable Macrium USB is created in the Windows installed on the mobo being used for the cloning and hosting the eventual destination NVMe SSD.

 

[Tech Junky]

@igor_kavinski

If your system detects the drive it's like any other type of drive from spinners to ssd's. No requirements as it makes direct copy from one device to the other or you can choose to do it with partitions or make an image to store for later.

 

[igor_kavinski]

@igor_kavinski

If your system detects the drive it's like any other type of drive from spinners to ssd's.

I don't have experience with AMD systems but on Intel Tiger Lake laptops, I've seen Macrium bootable USB unable to see the NVMe SSD even though it is detected in BIOS. Maybe something to do with Intel VMD crap.

Usually get around it by first installing Windows on the laptop and creating a Macrium bootable USB from that installation and then booting that USB shows the NVMe SSD finally. Still saves time on installing the various updates and other corporate required software manually.

 

[Tech Junky]

None of that is necessary with clonezilla.

I've got a USB setup with ventoy and just drop ISO images into it and the only thing ventoy doesn't work with ime is Windows for some reason.

 

[Billy Tallis]

on Intel Tiger Lake laptops, I've seen Macrium bootable USB unable to see the NVMe SSD even though it is detected in BIOS. Maybe something to do with Intel VMD crap.

Yep, VMD is to blame. It's not a problem for Clonezilla because it's based on Linux which has supported VMD for a long time (because VMD originated on servers). It's an ironic reversal from the mess caused by Intel's earlier RAID/caching solution for consumer platforms.

 

[ingeborgdot]

I wonder if there are any NVME drives that run cooler than others? I was actually of thinking of just doing my OS drive as a 2.5 SSD and my storage drive as one also. My problem now that I have found is that I don't have a 3.5 to 2.5 storage adapter for my HP Elitedesk 800 G4 SFF. I can maybe get one to fit in an actual 2.5 slot, but I need special M3 screws to make it work right. I have found some screws that work, but they don't fit well enough that the 2.5 fits snug. The other bay is for a 3.5 with no options to do anything except get a caddy. I guess I could get some velcro and attach maybe to keep it in place and snug. Any thoughts on this?

 

[igor_kavinski]

I guess I could get some velcro and attach maybe to keep it in place and snug. Any thoughts on this?

If you are not planning to move it, here's some really bad advice. Just tuck it away some place in a corner. An SSD doesn't care what orientation it is in and a little vibration or even a sudden jerk isn't gonna harm it (if there is some SSD that loses its crap from a sudden jerk, I've not seen it. But then again, cheaper brands may not be so resilient).

Please don't tell this secret to anyone: All the SSDs I have installed in desktops in my office as an upgrade from an old HDD, they are not screwed in. Don't make me lose my job!

 

[Shmee]

NVMe m.2 drives can run a bit warm, but it isn't really somthing to be concerned about, in most cases. If you want a lower power drive, you could go with a Hynix P31 gold as a good option.

Both Macrium Reflect and Aoimei Backupper I have used before to clone or image drives, they are good and they are free.

 

[ingeborgdot]

If you are not planning to move it, here's some really bad advice. Just tuck it away some place in a corner. An SSD doesn't care what orientation it is in and a little vibration or even a sudden jerk isn't gonna harm it (if there is some SSD that loses its crap from a sudden jerk, I've not seen it. But then again, cheaper brands may not be so resilient).

Please don't tell this secret to anyone: All the SSDs I have installed in desktops in my office as an upgrade from an old HDD, they are not screwed in. Don't make me lose my job!

I have thought about that, but a little velcro won't hurt either I guess.

 

[ingeborgdot]

NVMe m.2 drives can run a bit warm, but it isn't really somthing to be concerned about, in most cases. If you want a lower power drive, you could go with a Hynix P31 gold as a good option.

Both Macrium Reflect and Aoimei Backupper I have used before to clone or image drives, they are good and they are free.

My problem with it though is that my server has been restarting because of it getting too hot. The other drive which is an HDD drive stays around 30c. The case is not too hot, just the NVME.
I'll look at the Hynix P31.
Thanks.

 

[Tech Junky]

I find phison drives avg 27C and WD 40C at idle. There's performance differences though between them after the cache is exhausted. Temps aren't really the issue if it's bursts of files. Then again if you have bad airflow everything will run hot.

 

[igor_kavinski]

https://www.amazon.com/ineo-Aluminum-Heatsinks-Powerful-Cooling/dp/B0827PM9VR/

https://www.amazon.com/ACIDALIE-Heatsink-Cooler-Pcie-Cooling/dp/B09L6FGDY3/

Amazon.com: ineo M.2 2280 SSD Rocket Heatsink Built-in Cooling Fan [M3] : Electronics

Buy ineo M.2 2280 SSD Rocket Heatsink Built-in Cooling Fan [M3]: Heatsinks - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

That last one looks like a monster. Cheaper than getting a new NVMe SSD, if overheating is the real issue behind the server restarts.

 

[igor_kavinski]

By the way, if you are still gonna go with 2.5 inch SSD, consider getting the Kingston DC500M. The low guaranteed response times and better endurance may be worth it to you, especially after experiencing the speed of an NVMe SSD.

 

[ingeborgdot]

My older HDD which is mechanical runs around 30c. That shows I don't have an airflow problem. It is an older NVME. One of the first to come out. I think they are much better then they used to be, so it might be worth it to get a new one.
I did forget to mention that the health status on the NVME is 98% and not 100 if that makes any difference.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I did forget to mention that the health status on the NVME is 98% and not 100 if that makes any difference.

Cool. That means it's got a lot of rewrites left. You can use it as a storage drive and it might last another 20 years or so.

 

[Tech Junky]

I use about 5% per year on 1TB drives and that means about 20 years of life. For the ram chips on them at least. I plan on replacing every 5 years though when the warranty expires and potentially reuse them in enclosures. I've got ssds though pushing 20 years that still work fine though too.

Keeping a HDD at 30C is a lot different than an NVME. The HDD doesn't have a controller that hits 100C under load.

 

[ingeborgdot]

Cool. That means it's got a lot of rewrites left. You can use it as a storage drive and it might last another 20 years or so.

That might be a better place for it as a storage drive I guess. I just ordered 2 WD Blue N570 NVME, because I got such a good deal on them. I went up from 250GB to 500 for the OS, and got a 1TB storage. This is overkill for sure, but the price wasn't much if any different than a plain SSD 2.5 drive. My G4 has 2 M.2 slots, so we'll give it a try.

 

[Tech Junky]

1tb and above drives tend to have better tbw and warranties.

Even though I only need about 100gb for my server OS drive I still went 1tb for the 5 year warranty vs a lower capacity with a 1-3 year warranty. Also some drives run faster at higher capacity than lower ones.