Move HDD to SSD (NTFS partitions DD)

[Class]

Hi!

 

Recently, my notebook had very terrible loading times, all application were very slow, when I realized it's most like due to the HDD being very old, and around the area it was melting hot. I had same issue once with my very 1st laptop back in 2007, then I simple reinstalled everything on the new SSD and tossed the old drive out. This time, I need to copy the partitions, I simply don't want to reinstall everything, it would take days. (active doing, unlike DD) But the problem is, the HDD currently in use is 320GB in size, but only partially in use. The new SSD is a 120GB (Crucial BX100).

 

So, i think it's better to DD. Or, any opposing ideas?

 

Currently the notebook has a drive of 320GB, with the following partition layout: https://space.zeo.net/g/5e86s

 

I will shrink the (C:) down from 150GB to the max with windows allows me, which is about 112GB. But now comes the tricky stuff, and the main point i'm not sure if it can work, do DD windows "hidden" partition and the main partition, and of course the MBR as well. Then it would fit exactly to the SDD: https://space.zeo.net/g/qs11

 

Also, can any1 recommend me a quick linux distribo, live version which has a built-in DD or ntfsclone?

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

Use clonezilla or partition magic.

[Class]

Use clonezilla or partition magic.

 

But is it possible? ...or shall I ask, is it smart to shrink the primary os partition?

 

...furthermore, can clonezilla only copy like 2 NTFS partitions and not the whole?

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

But is it possible? ...or shall I ask, is it smart to shrink the primary os partition?

 

...furthermore, can clonezilla only copy like 2 NTFS partitions and not the whole?

Shrunk my main windows partition many times with partition magic, never had a single issue.

Partition magic can also do full disk copies, make sure the total size of all partitions combined on the original disk is smaller or exactly equal to the target disk size.

[Class]

Shrunk my main windows partition many times with partition magic, never had a single issue.

 

Don't have partition magic, wanted to simply shrink with the manager inside windows. Like on printscreen: https://space.zeo.net/g/qs11

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

Don't have partition magic, wanted to simply shrink with the manager inside windows. Like on printscreen: https://space.zeo.net/g/qs11

That should also work in most cases, sometimes windows refuses to resize the partition because it's in use.

I always try to avoid the built in partition manager, I prefer partition magic (which has a free home edition).

[Class]

That should also work in most cases, sometimes windows refuses to resize the partition because it's in use.

I always try to avoid the built in partition manager, I prefer partition magic (which has a free home edition).

 

Done. Windows did it on the fly without errors.

 

Now (Live!) I removed the HDD and placed the SSD. Hooked the old onto an USB and booted up clonezilla. Which is not working, because the target drive is smaller then the source. But I don't care about anything above 120GB. How can I make him copy anyway?

 

Current standing: https://space.zeo.net/g/qs1g

 

What if I delete the (D:) partition after the blank space? Will then copy clonezilla the drive-to-drive? Or is there a command line which makes a drive-2-drive copy ignoring empty space on drives?

[Class]

Done. Windows did it on the fly without errors.

 

Now (Live!) I removed the HDD and placed the SSD. Hooked the old onto an USB and booted up clonezilla. Which is not working, because the target drive is smaller then the source. But I don't care about anything above 120GB. How can I make him copy anyway?

 

Current standing: https://space.zeo.net/g/qs1g

 

What if I delete the (D:) partition after the blank space? Will then copy clonezilla the drive-to-drive? Or is there a command line which makes a drive-2-drive copy ignoring empty space on drives?

 

Well, I found this on the clonezilla website:

 

If you are sure all the data from the image could fit the smaller disk, i.e. it won't be written to the wrong disk space, you can check the option "-icds".Warning! To select this option, you have to know what you are doing!.

 

The question is, what am I doing in advanced mode? Do I need to delete the above 150GB there is another 150GB partition with about 40GB of data, which I don't care about. So let's assume I check "-icds". What will happen on the target SDD? Or what will happen on the source disk?

[Class]

Well, I found this on the clonezilla website:

If you are sure all the data from the image could fit the smaller disk, i.e. it won't be written to the wrong disk space, you can check the option "-icds".Warning! To select this option, you have to know what you are doing!.

 

The question is, what am I doing in advanced mode? Do I need to delete the above 150GB there is another 150GB partition with about 40GB of data, which I don't care about. So let's assume I check "-icds". What will happen on the target SDD? Or what will happen on the source disk?

 

So, i've tried out advanced mode, did select these options, unticked "grub" one and "check source FS", don't really get what they do: https://space.zeo.net/g/35uoo

 

But it seems like, that clonezilla can't make the partition table on the target SSD. Everytime I try, it says he can't find it. Sure, coz it's complete blank new SSD. Clonezilla requires to have the partition tables premade? This is really dumb then and pretty much makes this useless and waste of time over a simple DD. Can any1 help me out here what i'm doing wrong?

[Aokromes]

A lot of ssd units comes with software to do this, your don't?

[Class]

A lot of ssd units comes with software to do this, your don't?

 

LOL! Nope, crucial bx100, there was nothing else in the box, sooooo.... I assume nope.

[Class]

That should also work in most cases, sometimes windows refuses to resize the partition because it's in use.

I always try to avoid the built in partition manager, I prefer partition magic (which has a free home edition).

 

I did google for the "partition magic" free home edition but got only a bunch of junk apps, remotely looking professional is this one: AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition.

Before you do

Make sure your destination SSD or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) has an unallocated space which is equal to or larger than the used space of current OS partition.

[GotBored]

If I were you I'd just get a bigger SSD, 120GB isn't much to play with.

 

--

 

If you don't want to do that just start removing non essential files and programs on C: and D: drive.

 

Repartition them to remove the free space.

 

Boot up the system with just the new SSD drive and a windows installation disk, go through the partition setup and after that is complete cancel the installation (You will need to manually match the partition sizes and make sure they fit in the SSD).

 

Copy over the two partitions with data and the system reserved partition.

 

--

 

I would recommend reinstalling your OS and starting from fresh though.

[Class]

If I were you I'd just get a bigger SSD, 120GB isn't much to play with.

 

--

 

If you don't want to do that just start removing non essential files and programs on C: and D: drive.

 

Repartition them to remove the free space.

 

Boot up the system with just the new SSD drive and a windows installation disk, go through the partition setup and after that is complete cancel the installation (You will need to manually match the partition sizes and make sure they fit in the SSD).

 

Copy over the two partitions with data and the system reserved partition.

 

--

 

I would recommend reinstalling your OS and starting from fresh though.

 

My main point was to avoid this much work, but now my source OS on the HDD won't boot up anymore, so let's say it this way, I'm royaly f*ked. I can't believe the cloning attempts ruined the source, how the F? ...or did the actual shrink process damage the bootloader? Not sure, because I tried to boot up several times, always differently from the other and the last is the simple blue screen of contact admin code: 0xc000000e (winload.exe missing)

[GotBored]

My main point was to avoid this much work, but now my source OS on the HDD won't boot up anymore, so let's say it this way, I'm royaly f*ked. I can't believe the cloning attempts ruined the source, how the F? ...or did the actual shrink process damage the bootloader? Not sure, because I tried to boot up several times, always differently from the other and the last is the simple blue screen of contact admin code: 0xc000000e (winload.exe missing)

 

Resize the windows partition to increase its size, it will need some free memory / page file to load windows.

 

If that doesn't work then it looks like the cloning process corrupted some boot files. You will need to increase the size and repair the windows partition. just do the windows boot repair first.

[Class]

Resize the windows partition to increase its size, it may need some free memory to load windows.

 

If that doesn't work then it looks like the cloning process corrupted some boot files. You will need to increase the size and repair the windows partition. just do the windows boot repair first.

 

Unfortunately boot repair is not showing up anymore. Tried with an install USB stick. Then it sad: target windows is locked.

 

Edit: How can I restore the previous partition size? Is there any live linux that can extend NTFS partitions?

[GotBored]

Unfortunately boot repair is not showing up anymore. Tried with an install USB stick. Then it sad: target windows is locked.

 

Edit: How can I restore the previous partition size? Is there any live linux that can extend NTFS partitions?

 

Try these to unlock your drive:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-Systems-and-Software/Can-t-refresh-or-reset-windows-8-1-because-drive-is-locked/td-p/4151762

 

You can make a bootable windows USB drive and boot from that to modify the partition or there are bootable Linux USB drives specifically for it but if your not 100% sure of what your doing with them you could end up with another issue like now.

[Class]

AOMEI can copy the partitions and shrink them at the same time. Prior to shrinking your windows partition to the lowest possible, I recommend creating another partition that will hold your page file. Also, you need to ensure the windows partition has enough room for temp files unless you will be cleaning up temp files like crazy.

So your partitions will look like:

Recovery

EFI

Windows

PageFile

Other partitions

 

To unlock the partitions you will need to go back to the Linux app and do it from there otherwise windows don't like that

 

Linux app? ...what do you mean? clonezilla? But I didn't really accomplish anything so i'm not sure how the partition got locked in 1st place? The only thing clonezilla got copied over is the MBR, and he created a weird partition but don't know how.

 

Try these to unlock your drive:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-Systems-and-Software/Can-t-refresh-or-reset-windows-8-1-because-drive-is-locked/td-p/4151762

 

You can make a bootable windows USB drive and boot from that to modify the partition or there are bootable Linux USB drives specifically for it but if your not 100% sure of what your doing with them you could end up with another issue like now.

 

Didn't really solve, tried bootup repair, no luck.

[+BudMan MVC]

Partition magic has not been a viable product for YEARS!!!  Why does it keep coming up?  There is no way anyone is actually still using it..  It's last version was like 2005 - 10 years ago..

 

Window can with built in tools shrink the system OS.  Sometimes you have to defrag it before you can shrink - sometimes you have to fiddle a bit to shrink it to min it can shrink to because of placement of files, etc.

 

example

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/working-around-windows-vistas-shrink-volume-inadequacy-problems/

 

To be honest.. vs just playing with all this you most likely would of been done already just doing a clean install..  Then installing your apps, copy over your files you want on your shiny new ssd.  You can get a cable or external case for your hdd for like $20 so you could then use it as backup disk and used to copy your old files to your new ssd, etc..

 

Install on a ssd takes a few minutes..  Now your sure windows knows its a ssd, etc. etc. 

 

It always befuddles me.. On one hand you have people that at the drop of hat reinstall windows.. Freaking icon is moved - reinstall windows!!  Oh my its been 78 hours, windows is slow - reinstall!!  I call it WRS, windows reinstall syndrome..   Then on the other hand you have people that when it makes sense to do a clean install.. Look for every possible method how to waste more time when a clean install would make the most sense.

 

Got a new computer, took my hdd out of my intel based machine and plugged it into my new amd - why does windows not boot..  Well I got infected with something and been trying to clean it for 37 hours straight - help!!  Windows Z just came out and I was running Y.. How do I do a upgrade??  I was running PATA disk, and just got a new shiny m.2 pci disk how do I move my OS to the new disk??

 

While yes it is possible to move from hdd to ssd and shrink the OS while you do that as long as the actual sized used is smaller than your new ssd - why not just do clean and be done with it?

 

And btw just because software doesn't come in the box doesn't mean you can't get the software from the website.  Now crucial seems to be one of those companies charging you extra for a kit (comes with cable)

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ctssdinstallac

 

But for example samsung you can just download the software. 

http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/whitepaper/whitepaper11.html

http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/support/downloads.html

 

If you really want to just do a copy with 3rd party - here this works.

http://www.easeus.com/partition-manager/comparison/epm-free.html

 

Free version for sure includes "Disk & partition copy, migrate OS to SSD/HDD"

[Noir Angel]

It's also worth noting that if you have an older HDD that's not advanced format (the majority aren't) you could end up with misaligned partitions if you clone it to an SSD which would harm performance pretty seriously.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

Partition magic has not been a viable product for YEARS!!!  Why does it keep coming up?  There is no way anyone is actually still using it..  It's last version was like 2005 - 10 years ago..

 

Actually, that was 2003, but yeah, in that range. We still recommend it because it still works...

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

Can't you just slipstream all your updates? Or whatever that thing is called.

[+BudMan MVC]

"We still recommend it because it still works..."

 

No it doesn't.. Did the OP state they were running XP? If you are recommend people using software from 200? anything - you need to wake up and smell this decade..  Latest stable version was 8.05 build 1371 from may of 2004, so I was giving it ever a year longer..

 

You can not even freaking download it from legit owners of the software..  It never even worked on vista - so why would you suggest it to someone running 7 or higher..

 

STOP recommending it.. You just make yourself look out of touch!!

[binaryzero]

Partition Magic is garbage, Windows has plenty of tools to do the job. 

 

I would've just clean installed in the first place - by the time the first person replied to this thread, Windows would've finished installing. 

[+BudMan MVC]

well that was like 6 mins, not don't think it would of been completely finished.  But the 2nd post for sure.