Hard drive cloning is a procedure that simplifies the installation of the operating system and software when transferring data to a hard drive or SSD drive. As part of this procedure, a second hard drive is connected to the PC, onto which the partitions of the first system drive and all the data on it are copied. Also, a working Windows 10 with all settings and installed equipment is completely transferred to a removable hard drive.

You can clone a hard drive in Windows 10 using programs such as Paragon Hard Disk Manager, AOMEI Backupper and Acronis True Image. A distinctive feature of the latest program is the system cloning function with the ability to exclude individual files. Therefore, we will consider the cloning procedure using the example of this particular software.

A few words about Acronis True Image

Acronis True Image is a development by Acronis, a master of the software market that offers PC users a wide range of tools for recovering personal data at a professional level. Acronis True Image software includes not only the function of recovering information, but also creating a backup copy, cleaning the system, and canceling actions that caused an error.

Acronis True Image comes in two versions. The first is a free 30-day version with organic functionality. The disk cloning function is disabled in this program. The second is a paid version with a full set of tools. It is the latter that allows you to make a correct copy of the disk.

What is the source and destination disk?

According to the terminology of the Acronis True Image program, the source disk is the hard drive from which the system data and partition structure will be copied. The disk that will eventually become a clone of the original is the target disk.

In order to see which disk will be selected as the main one in Windows 10, you should click “Start”, “Disk Management” or type “Win ​​+ R” on the keyboard and enter “diskmgmt.msc”.

The “Hard Disk Management” window will open. The disk that is marked as zero is the original disk on which the operating system is installed. Disk number 1 is the future clone or target drive.

The target disk has its own structure. However, when the source disk is cloned, all existing data is destroyed. Therefore, all important information should be copied before cloning.

Hard drive cloning

Launch the latest version of the program. We refuse to enter the cloud storage by clicking on the cross.

The program's working interface will open. In the left menu, select “Tools”, and then “Clone disk” (the program version must be full).

The next step is to select the source hard drive. Select the drive from which the data will be copied. In the program they will be displayed as follows: the disk that was numbered 0 will now become 1, and the second disk is the desired drive or second hard drive. However, it is worth paying attention to the volume of devices.

After selecting the source disk, a window will appear asking you to select the destination disk. Select the one you need and click “Next”. Since the clone disk is not a new disk, Acronis True Image will warn you about data loss. Click “Ok”.

The next step is to select a method for cloning the materials. Select “Copy partitions without changes” and click “Next”.

At the final stage, you can click the “Proceed” button and start cloning the disk. However, in this section there is an "Exclude Files" button. Click on it and you will be taken to a new window.

We select files that should be excluded and wait for the program to remove them from the main cloning list.

After selecting the partitions and cleaning them, click “Proceed”. The program will perform cloning and will ask you to restart the PC.

Reboot the computer.

What to do with the target disk space after cloning?

After cloning the disk, while rebooting the PC, click “F2” and “Del” to get into the BIOS. In the “Boot device priority” section we set the boot priority from the second target disk.

After booting from the target disk and getting into Windows 10, go to “Disk Management” and look at the partition structure.” Now the clone disk is named “Disk 0”, and the main hard drive is called “Disk 1”.

Explorer also displays the changes. The original disk from which files were excluded is now displayed as “I” and has a smaller capacity. The clone disk is named "F" and has free space.

This place can be used to store information, media files, and software. However, it is worth noting that to do this, before cloning the disk, you need to select a method not automatic, but manual. Only then will you have complete control over volume management.

Until recently, the only option for ROM on any computer or laptop was the so-called hard drive or hdd. However, most PC and laptop users today have already heard about solid-state drives and many have chosen them. Despite the fact that the more familiar hdd has its advantages, more and more often when choosing a permanent storage device, the scales tip towards the ssd, which appeared on the market in 2009 and immediately established itself as faster and more reliable compared to its predecessor. What is the difference between ssd and hdd and in what cases should one or another drive be preferred?

Differences between ssd and hdd

Both the traditional hdd and the more modern ssd are used to store information that remains on the computer at all times, including after it is completely turned off (unlike random access memory devices). The fundamental difference between these two devices is the method of data storage: in hdd, information is stored due to the magnetization of certain parts of it, in ssd it is recorded in a special type of memory, presented in the form of microcircuits.

Externally, a hdd looks like several disks with a magnetic coating, information from which is read through a moving head. Data placed on such a disk can be read at a speed of 60–100 Mbit per second, the disk itself rotates at a speed of 5–7 thousand revolutions per minute (you can imagine the work of a hdd by looking at a vinyl record player). The disadvantages of hdd are known to any user:

• makes noise during operation. The noise is caused by electric motors and rotating disks;
• low speed of reading information due to the fact that some time is spent positioning the head;
• susceptibility to mechanical damage.

Both the traditional hdd and the more modern ssd serve as permanent storage devices

The ssd device is fundamentally different from the hdd: to be precise, the ssd disk does not have any disks at all, as well as other rotating and moving elements. Solid State Drive is a set of chips placed on one board. An ssd works roughly like a flash drive, but many times faster: information is written and read from such a device at a speed of 600 Mbit (with a SATA connection interface) to 1 GB (with an ePCI interface) per second. Obviously, such a disk is preferable to users who care about the speed of processes occurring in the computer.

In addition to high performance, ssds are quiet during operation and are less susceptible to mechanical damage. At the same time, they are capable of storing less information and are more expensive than HDDs. Thus, a computer with an ssd works faster, and a computer with an hdd stores more data: taking this into account, you can choose the most appropriate type of drive for yourself.

Pros of moving OS to ssd

Transferring Windows 10 to an ssd allows, as a rule, to make the OS more “responsive” to any user actions. The use of ssd for storing media files is controversial due to the limited rewriting limit of such devices. In this case, it is more advisable to have a hdd, which can serve the owner for a long time if its resource is used correctly. Windows components are static files that are not constantly overwritten, but only read, so working with the OS when transferring it to an ssd will speed up several times, and the device’s resource will be consumed extremely slowly. The configuration of modern PCs provides for a mixed disk interaction scheme, which eliminates the problems associated with limiting overwrites: in this case, the operating system runs on an ssd, and media file libraries are stored on a hdd.

Video: features of moving the OS to an ssd

Transferring Windows 10 from hdd to ssd

You can transfer Windows 10 from hdd to ssd using the capabilities of the OS itself or using third-party software.

Using Windows 10 tools

Despite the fact that Microsoft has not provided its users with special cloning tools, certain features of Windows 10 allow you to transfer the OS from a hdd to an ssd. In this case you will need to do:

• media preparation;
• intermediate cloning;
• transfer to ssd.

SSD drives placed inside a PC are not formatted (unlike those connected via USB), and therefore they are identified by the computer, but are not reflected in the OS. To make all drives formatted and visible, you need to:

1. Mount the drive into the computer. After turning on, the OS recognizes only the system partition C.
   Initially, the computer sees only partition C
2. Press Win+X to open the custom menu. Press Win+X to call up the custom menu
3. Click "Disk Management".
4. In the management manager that opens, select the partition table - MBR for 32bit systems and GPT for 64bit. Press Win+X to call up the custom menu
5. Click "Disk Management".
6. In the management manager that opens, select the partition table - MBR for 32bit systems and GPT for 64bit.
   In the management manager that opens, select the partition table - MBR for 32bit systems and GPT for 64bit
7. Call the context menu in the unallocated area and click “Create simple volume”.
   Next, call up the context menu in the unallocated area and click “Create a simple volume”
8. In the wizard that opens to create simple volumes, follow the prompts.
9. Of all the pop-ups, changes can only be made when setting a volume label.
   Of all the pop-ups, changes can only be made when setting a volume label
10. At the last step, the wizard will highlight the parameters of the created volume.
    At the last step, the wizard will highlight the parameters of the created volume

The same thing should be repeated with the ssd, giving it a different name.

Using third party programs

Among the programs with the most favorable user reviews:

• Acronis WD Edition, which is a convenient tool for cloning drives, as well as creating backup copies of the OS and applications. The program allows you to configure the required data and delete unnecessary information. The user of the program will be able to restore the OS if any files or folders are accidentally deleted, or if problems with accessing information arise due to errors. The program is free, to use it you need:
  
• . This program differs from the previous one only in that it is developed for Seagate disks (the Acronis WD Edition program is for Western Digital disks);
  Seagate DW is designed to work with Seagate drives
• Samsung DM. If the ssd is made by Samsung, then this program is suitable for transferring Windows 10 to it; it works through the installation wizard and can perform a complete or selective data transfer;
  Samsung Data Migration program is designed to work with Samsung disks
• Minitool PW. This program is considered to be one of the best solutions when choosing a method for transferring an OS from hdd to ssd. MiniTool Partition Wizard Free has a convenient, intuitive interface, versatility, support for all types of hard drives recognized by Windows;
  MiniTool Partition Wizard Free has a convenient, intuitive interface, versatility, support for all types of hard drives recognized by Windows
• - a program designed to create and restore an image of a disk or its partitions.
  Macrium Reflect is a program designed to create and restore an image of a disk or its partitions

Setting up Windows 10 after transferring to ssd

You can ensure optimal operation of the OS on an SSD drive using a number of settings that are performed after transferring Windows 10 to a solid-state drive.

Checking the parameters of the new disk

Before proceeding with settings (or optimization), you should check whether the following are enabled:

• ACHI SATA mode;
• TRIM support on Windows.

To perform these checks, you will need to enter the BIOS and verify that the drive is running in ACHI. You can open the BIOS in Windows 10:

• restarting the PC while holding down the Shift button;
• When you turn on the PC, press and hold the F2 button in this position.

Once in the BIOS, you should find the SATA Configuration line, click on it and select the required mode. If it turns out that the ATA mode is activated, you need to make the appropriate switches.

To perform the checks, you will need to enter the BIOS and ensure that the drive is running in ACHI

In this case, the system may refuse to boot due to the lack of necessary drivers. You can solve this problem by installing the drivers first or reinstalling Windows. In addition, older computers may not have ACHI mode at all: in this case, you need to update the BIOS.

You can make sure that ACHI is present in the system using the device manager (which can be found in the Start menu): if among the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers there is a device whose name contains SATA ACHI, nothing else should be done.

If among the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers there is a device whose name contains SATA ACHI, you do not need to do anything else

Why is ACHI mode needed? To ensure correct operation of TRIM ssd drive. What is TRIM? This is a special ATA interface command used to transfer data to the ssd about those blocks that are no longer required and can be overwritten. Using TRIM allows you to speed up the disk and ensure uniform resource consumption of its memory cells.

You can find out whether TRIM is supported by the operating system using the command line, running it as an administrator and entering the fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify command. If it turns out that DisableDeleteNotify=0, then everything is in order and you can continue working. If instead of 0 there is 1, this means that TRIM is turned off.

To enable TRIM, enter the command fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0

Disabling features

To optimize the performance of newly installed Windows 10, it is advisable to disable some functions that were used on the hdd drive.

Indexing

You can find the indexing service by sequentially clicking on the control panel icon, the “Administration” section, and the “Services” subsection. When a window opens with a list of local services, right-click on Windows Search.

You can find the indexing service by sequentially clicking on the control panel icon, the “Administration” section, the “Services” subsection

After this, the “Properties” window will open, in which you need to select the record type “Disabled” and click the “Stop” button.

In the “Properties” window, you must select the recording type “Disabled” and click the “Stop” button

A function such as file indexing is relevant when working on a hdd, because in this case it allows you to speed up the operation of the OS. Considering that the ssd already works quite quickly, and repeated rewrites can harm the disk, indexing can be sacrificed without compromising performance. To do this, you will need to uncheck the permission to index files in the local disk properties. You can open the local disk properties window by clicking “This PC”, right-clicking on one of the disks and selecting “Properties”.

To disable indexing, in the local disk properties, uncheck the permission to index files

Defragmentation

If the OS is installed on a regular hard drive, then through defragmentation you can organize the location of files and, as a result, speed up the system. The solid-state drive provides equal access time to all files and works reliably without defragmentation. Defragmentation settings can be made by going to “This PC”, right-clicking on one of the drives, selecting “Properties” and going to the “Tools” tab, in which you should click the “Optimize” button.

Defragmentation settings can be made by going to “This PC”, right-clicking on one of the drives, selecting “Properties” and going to the “Tools” tab.
To disable defragmentation, you need to go to the optimization settings, click “Change settings” and uncheck “Run on a schedule”

Search service

The search service is designed to create file indexes to help you find them faster. The average user rarely needs this function, so you can safely disable it. One of the ways to access the search services settings can be to call up the dialog box by pressing Win + R and entering the services.msc command.

To access the search service settings, press Win+R and enter the command services.msc

In the window that opens, select Windows Search and double-click, after which properties will open, in which you should select the startup type “Disabled” and click “Apply”.

The search service can be disabled by following the following steps: Control Panel → System and Security → Administrative Tools → Services → RMB on the Windows Search service → Properties → Startup type → Disable

Hibernation

After turning off the PC, the image of the working OS is saved using hibernation on the internal drive, which subsequently speeds up the startup of Windows. When working on an ssd, hibernation can be disabled, since the loading speed in this case is already high, and frequent rewriting can shorten the life of the disk. You can disable this feature using the powercfg –h off command entered into the command line.

You can open Command Prompt as an administrator by right-clicking on the Start menu. After that, enter powercfg –h off and press Enter.

You can open Command Prompt as an administrator by right-clicking on the Start menu, then typing powercfg –h off and pressing Enter.

Prefetch SuperFetch

If you have frequently used software installed on your computer, Prefetch helps you launch it faster, and SuperFetch determines which program is about to launch. The OS on the ssd can run successfully without these options. To disable these options you must:

Formatting an old drive

When turning on the computer after transferring the OS to the ssd, the user will see a window asking to select a boot. After cloning the OS onto the ssd, it remains on the old disk and is used, as a rule, as storage for various kinds of files. It is not recommended to remove Windows 10 from the hard drive immediately after completing the transfer procedure to the ssd. It would be correct to first check the operation of the OS on the new disk, so that you can return to the previous state of the computer in case of any problems.

After this, you will need to change the system bootloader settings. A built-in component called the boot manager allows the computer to determine whether to start the copied or original system. If it turns out that the OS on the ssd works correctly, the old version can be uninstalled from the hard drive. To do this you need:

You can delete an OS from a hdd using the delete ID command.

AppData transfer

AppData is a hidden subdirectory of the Users system folder by default. It stores files that, according to Microsoft developers, should not be of particular interest to the user. However, if AppData is transferred to an SSD, it should be taken into account that after a certain time the size of this folder may grow so large that there is a shortage of free space on the disk. You can get rid of unnecessary files using a tool such as CCleaner.

Transferring AppData to another drive entirely is problematic, because the properties of this folder do not have a “Location” tab. But this tab has the Local, Roaming and LocalLow folders, located inside AppData. Therefore, you need to transfer the contents of the AppData folder to the required disk in one of the following ways:

• making changes to the register;
• using OS Explorer tools.

If you transfer using the first method, you must:

To transfer using Windows 10, you need to do the following:

• in the required location, create the AppData folder and the Local, Roaming and LocalLow folders in it;
• in the existing AppData folder, select Roaming and open its properties;
• in the “Location” tab of the next window, click “Move”;
• in the newly created Roaming folder, open the “Location” tab and click “Move” and “Apply”;
• confirm your intention to transfer files;
• do the same for the Local and LocalLow folders.

Those PC users who already use an ssd will confirm that their computer or laptop now starts up much faster, and working with programs has become much more convenient due to the fact that access to all files is available simultaneously. Supporters of the traditional hdd may say that fast startup is not the most important requirement for a PC, since it turns on 1-2 times a day, and not everyone needs speed when working with a large number of programs. In addition, for some, factors such as the cost and capacity of the ssd may be significant, in terms of which the solid-state drive is still inferior to the hard drive. Nevertheless, ssd drives have many more advantages and, above all, their reliability, efficiency, noiselessness and speed.

SSDs have become popular due to their higher read and write speeds, their reliability, and a number of other reasons. A solid-state drive is perfect for the Windows 10 operating system. To fully use the OS and not have to reinstall it when switching to an SSD, you can use one of the special programs that will help save all the settings.

If you have a laptop, then the solid-state drive can be connected via USB or installed instead of a DVD drive. This is needed to copy the OS. There are special programs that will copy data to a disk in a few clicks, but first you need to prepare an SSD.

Step 1: Prepare the SSD

A new SSD usually has unallocated space, so you'll need to create a simple volume. This can be done using standard Windows 10 tools.

1. Connect the drive.
2. Right click on the icon "Start" and select "Disk Management".
3. The disc will be displayed in black. Call the context menu on it and select the item "Create Simple Volume".



4. In a new window, click "Further".



5. Set the maximum size for the new volume and continue.



6. Assign a letter. It should not match letters already assigned to other drives, otherwise you will encounter drive display problems.



7. Now select "Format this volume..." and set the system to NTFS. "Cluster size" leave it as default and "Volume Label" you can write your name. Also check the box next to "Quick Format".



8. Now check the settings, and if everything is correct, click "Ready".

After this procedure, the disk will be displayed in "Explorer" along with other drives.

Step 2: OS Transfer

Now you need to transfer Windows 10 and all the necessary components to the new disk. There are special programs for this. For example, there is Seagate DiscWizard for drives of the same company, Samsung Data Migration for Samsung solid-state drives, a free program with an English interface, etc. They all work the same, the only difference is in the interface and additional features.

1. Install and open the application.
2. Go to tools, and then to the section "Clone disk".



3. You can select clone mode. Check the box you want and click "Further".
   • "Auto" will do everything for you. This mode is worth choosing if you are not sure that you will do everything correctly. The program itself will transfer absolutely all files from the selected disk.
   • Mode "Manually" allows you to do everything yourself. That is, you can transfer only the OS to the new SSD, and leave the rest of the objects in the old place.

   Let's take a closer look at the manual mode.



4. Select the drive from which you plan to copy data.



5. Now mark the SSD so that the program can transfer data to it.



6. Next, mark those drives, folders and files that do not need to be cloned to the new drive.



7. Afterwards you can change the disk structure. It can be left unchanged.
8. At the end you will see your settings. If you make a mistake or you are not happy with the result, you can make the necessary changes. When everything is ready, click "Proceed".
9. The program may request a reboot. Agree with the request.
10. After restarting, you will see Acronis True Image working.
11. After the process is completed, everything will be copied and the computer will turn off.

Now the OS is on the desired drive.

Step 3: Select SSD in BIOS

If you left the old HDD, but you no longer need the OS and other files on it, you can format the drive using the tool "Disk Management". This way you will delete all data stored on the HDD.

The user may need to transfer the system from a regular hard drive to a solid-state drive or to another computer altogether. Basically, this is necessary when the ssd was purchased later and the OS has been on a regular hard drive for a long time. The reason for transferring Windows 10 to an SSD may also be desire speed up work the system itself and some programs and games, reading and writing to the ssd occurs much faster, so there will be fewer freezes and slowdowns, the system will respond to user actions much faster.

In addition, using a solid-state drive to store media files is unprofitable; they are often deleted and moved from place to place, and this has a bad effect on the drive because it has limited number of cycles reading and writing. So it is much more profitable to store the system on it, because it contains a large number of files that do not require writing, but are used only for reading.

Having the system installed on an ssd, the user will be able to participate in the early access system, he will be able to receive updates for himself that are not yet available to the entire public and can seriously affect the operation of the system. With a regular hard drive, you can also participate in obtaining new assemblies, however, they can be installed on this media within a few hours, and on an SSD everything will be installed in a couple of tens of minutes.

Connection and setup

To begin with, the user will need to connect the drive to the computer. For this it is needed completely cut off the power, remove the cover from the system unit and install the ssd in its place. Older computers may require the use of a special adapter.

Adapter for SSD

After installation, you will need to connect the wires from the power supply and sata from the motherboard. Then you can assemble the computer and turn it on. When starting, you should go into the BIOS, you can do this pressingf2 ordel. Here you need to select a solid state drive and install it operating mode inahci.

Next you will need to go to the disk management utility; you can do this by right-clicking on Start. The drive will be displayed here, however, it will not be marked. You should click on it and select create a simple volume. Next, you will need to set its size and letter, as well as format it, then you can use it.

We use standard system tools

First, you can try using standard data transfer tools.

Making a copy

You need to right-click on start and go to control Panel(or use the search), here you will need to open the backup and recovery section, and then click on create a system image.

You can use a removable drive or DVD as a disk for the copy. You must specify the system media as the media from which the copy will be made and wait until archiving is complete.

System Restore

You can get to the recovery menu when using an installation flash drive, or you can boot directly from the recovery disk. In this case, you will need to follow the path “Troubleshooting” - “Advanced options” - “ Restoring a system image».

Next, you should specify the location where the copies are stored, after which the system may prompt you to select configurations or disk partitions as the main you will need to indicatessd, and it’s better to temporarily disconnect the second one from the computer; you can put it back after transferring the system.

Third Party Tools

However, it is better to use third-party tools that are designed to perform much better transfers. This section will list some of them.

Macrium Reflect

It is best to download this program for data transfer from the official website https://www.macrium.com/. When you run the installation file for the first time, you should select the trial and home versions, after which it will begin.

At the first start, the user will be prompted to create an emergency drive; here you should act at your own discretion. In the utility itself, you should select Create a backup, then you need to specify the drive with the system and click Clone this disk.

In the next window you need to specify the sections that should be copied. Typically these are all boot partitions and partitions used for recovery.

At the bottom, all you have to do is select your solid state drive.

Then you will need to click on next and wait end of the process. After transferring, you will need to remove the second disk or change the boot order in the BIOS.

Acronis True Image

It is best to download the program from the official website https://www.acronis.com/ru-ru/personal/computer-backup/, a trial version is available there. After installation, go to the tools section and select “Clone disk”.

You can select automatic or manual mode. In the first case, all data will be transferred, however, the size of the SSD must be no less than all the data on the drive.

In the second case, you will need to select the disk that will be copied and the disk to which all data will be transferred. At the same time, it will be possible to remove those files that are not required to be transferred.

Then you can set the sections or leave everything as is. The process will begin, which may take some time, after its completion the drive will be usable, all that remains is change boot order.

Aomei Partition Assistant Standard Edition

It is also better to download from the official website https://www.disk-partition.com/free-partition-manager.html. After installation, you need to select Transfer OS SSD or HDD.

Next, you will need to indicate the drive to which the transfer will be carried out, and do not forget to check the box at the bottom of this window. After which a warning will pop up indicating that all data will be deleted and the transfer process will begin. After it is completed, you will be able to boot from new media.

ToDo Backup Free

It is worth downloading from the official page https://www.easeus.com/. Afterwards, you should install it and click on the cloning icon.

The first step will require select drive, which will be copied, and the second is the one to which the data will be transferred.

The last window will display the disk structure; all you have to do is agree and wait for the process to complete.

Samsung data migration

The utility is available on the developer's website http://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools/. Suitable mainly for Samsung drives. After downloading, you will need to click on the start button.

Next you will need to select source and destination disk, if all the data fits, then everything will be transferred; if not, then you will have to specify those files that are not needed.

All you have to do is click on start and wait for the process to complete; files that do not fit can be transferred to another medium.

Now the drive can be used.

Settings after transfer

It was written about how to configure a solid-state drive for proper operation, the main thing is to check several functions:

• turn on TRIM function;
• disable disk defragmentation;
• disable file indexing.

You can also turn off the hibernation file; the system will boot very quickly without it, and it takes up extra space; moreover, it constantly records and retrieves information from it.

Moving the AppData folder

In some cases, this folder is not migrated. Then can be created on the new drive this folder and all subfolders (Roaming, Local, LocalLow) in it. Now you should go to the original folder, go into it and right-click on one of the folders, select properties, location and click on move, specify the path to the new folder and click apply. This should be done with each of the three directories.

Common mistakes and their solutions

The main error is that the system does not see the drive. The reason may be that he not initialized via disk management, this is worth doing. If this does not help, then you need to connect the SSD as the main one, and the HDD as the auxiliary one.

If the system does not see the old media, then you should also go to disk management and give it a different letter.

The main problems arise in laptop users. In some cases, manufacturers are against installing SSDs, so they may not be detected or work. It is worth clarifying this issue before purchasing a solid state drive.

Moving your system to an SSD is an effective way to organize your computer.

Content:

Please note that depending on the version of Windows and the parameters of the purchased flash drive, transfer methods may vary.

What data can be transferred to SSD

Storing the operating system on an SSD not only speeds up its operation, but also improves the response of other programs and files that are stored on the disk.

The user can transfer the following types of data to a flash drive:

• Operating system . It is added to the SSD with all ready-made drivers and settings. In essence, a duplicate of it is created, which was previously stored on the HDD;
• Programs – choose yourself which applications you want to add to and which you want to leave on (HDD). We advise you to leave extensive programs for video editing and software development/testing on your computer - this way they will work many times faster;
• User files . This can be any of your documents, photos, music, videos and other types of data.

Components to move

To add used Windows to the SSD, the following objects are required:

If you only work with OS resources, you won't need to install a third-party utility to transfer.

Computer requirements

Before you perform any OS migration steps, make sure that your device meets all the minimum requirements that allow the utility to interact with the SSD and transfer large amounts of data.

The minimum requirements are shown in the following table:

Parameter name:	Minimum value:
OS	· Windows XP (32x only); · Windows Vista (all bits); · Windows 7 (all bits); · Windows 8\8.1 (all bits); · Windows 10 (all bits).
RAM	At least 1GB
Types of drives you carry	GPT or MBR
Copied sections	Standard. Without the ability to transfer RAID arrays

You can compare your computer's settings with the specifications listed above using the About window.

It displays correct data about the main hardware and software components of the device:

We use the built-in capabilities of Windows

Follow the instructions to transfer the operating system to a flash device:

• Open the window "Disk Management". To do this, enter the command diskmgmt.msc in the Run window and confirm the action;

Fig.3 - launching disk management tool

• Now you need to reduce the size of the OS on the disk. You can perform this action using the Shrink Volume function. All data will remain in the same state, only the space occupied on the HDD will decrease. Right-click on the “System” section, and then on “Shrink Volume”;

Fig.4 - Volume compression

• After successfully reducing the size of the OS, a free partition will appear in the disk layout. This means that everything was done correctly;
• Connect the drive to your computer and reboot the window "Disk Management";
• Now click on the “Wizard” tab and select “OS SSD Transfer” from the list;

Fig.5 - “Master” tab

• The standard utility for . Click on the "Next" button to go to the settings;
• Click on the item "Unoccupied space" and go to the next window;

Fig.6 – disk space selection

• Now you can independently change the size of the future disk or leave all parameters unchanged;

Fig.7 - changing the disk partition size

• After clicking the “Next” button, the wizard will begin moving the system. After completing the action, you can turn off the computer and the next time you boot, select the OS that is located on the SSD.

Windows will also remain on the hard drive. You can delete it or use it as a backup copy when you need to restore the system.

Fig. 8 - the result of a successful Windows move

Don't forget to click on the "Apply" button in the upper left part of the window "Disk Management", otherwise all changes made will not be saved.

If you encounter error windows or freezes during the transfer, you should reset the settings, restart your PC, and try the transfer again.

Fig.9 - applying changes

Instructions for SSD from Samsung

The company has released an official utility that allows you to quickly move the OS from your hard drive to a purchased flash drive.

The utility is called Samsung Data Migration. You can download it for free from the company’s official website (section “Memory” - “SSD”) or using the disk that comes with the device.

The initial program window looks like this:

Fig. 10 – Samsung Data Migration utility window

Immediately after launching the utility, connect the SSD to your computer using the appropriate adapter. Click on the “Start” button.

Fig. 11 – analysis of a disk with an installed copy of Windows

After analysis, the program will automatically detect the SSD connected to the computer and display it on the screen:

Fig. 12 – reconciliation of the source and destination disk

If the space occupied by Windows on the HDD does not exceed the available space on the SSD, you can immediately begin the transfer by clicking on the “Start” button.

The automatic movement of all components will begin. The procedure can take from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the version of Windows used.

Fig. 13 - successful system transfer

As a result, you will receive a success notification. Close the window and delete all Windows data from the HDD.

The advantage of using Samsung Data Migration is its simple interface. The program will do all the work for you and minimize the likelihood of errors or bugs appearing after transferring the OS.

What to do if during the analysis stage you find that there is not enough space for the OS on the SSD? In this case, you need to clean Windows of unused data and applications.

You can do this directly in the Samsung Data Migration utility window.

Fig. 14 - Error. Not enough SSD space

After the error text appears (highlighted in red), click on the “Next” button and in a new window, delete all library files that are cluttering the system.

Clean the OS until the text appears in the main utility window "Ready to clone to SSD".

Fig. 15 - successful cleaning of unnecessary files

Acronis True Image utility

Acroins is the most popular utility for transferring an OS to removable media. It recognizes all SSD brands. The application is supported by all versions of Windows, so there will be no compatibility problems.

Remember, you can only use the application if your PC hardware has a disk from the manufacturer Acronis.

If a component is missing, the utility will not start, and the user will be notified that it is impossible to work with the program.

Fig. 16 – main window of the Acroins application

To move the system, connect the removable drive to the computer and click on the tile in the program window "Disk cloning"-"Copying partitions".

In the window that opens, select automatic movement mode. It is suitable for all tasks and copies data quickly.

Fig.17 - selection of cloning mode

All sections will be copied to . All data that was on the SSD before cloning will be deleted.

The disk itself will become bootable and can only be used to run operating systems installed on it.

Fig. 18 – copying process

Seagate DiscWizard utility

The utility completely replicates the Acronis interface. It must be used if your PC has at least one hard drive from the manufacturer Seagate.

To clone, you should follow the same steps as described in the previous paragraph of the article.

Fig. 19 – Seagate Disc Wizard main window

Changing bootloader configuration

After cloning the system, a copy of the OS will remain on the computer, and every time you boot, a window will appear with a boot selection. After the transfer, we recommend that you perform a number of actions:

• Without deleting the original copy from the HDD, test the operation of Windows on the HDD. There are times when the system starts to slow down and performance deteriorates. This happens extremely rarely and depends solely on the selected SSD. As long as the first copy is not deleted, you will always have the opportunity to return to using it and remove the OS from the SSD;
• Change your system bootloader settings.

The boot manager is a built-in component that helps your computer determine which installed operating system to run. You can also configure the startup order of hardware components.

Immediately after, the manager will show two systems with identical names - the original and the copied one.

If Windows runs normally on an SSD, you need to remove the version that remains on the computer’s hard drive. Follow the instructions:

• Restart your PC and run the version that was moved to the flash drive;
• Open ;
• Enter the command shown in the figure below, giving the OS copies on the SSD a unique name;

Fig.20 - command for renaming the bootloader component

• Now configure the dispatcher so that it always launches the new OS first. You can do this using the following command:

Fig. 21 – automatic launch of the cloned OS

• To remove the old system, enter the following command (where ID is the number of the old copy of the OS in the bootloader list):

Fig. 22 - deleting the original copy of Windows

Bottom line

As you can see, to transfer the system to a removable flash drive, you just need to use a universal utility for duplicating components or perform the move yourself.

Don't forget to delete the boot record of a disk that is no longer in use. If this is not done, errors may occur when turning on the OS.

Users who have migrated their system to an SSD note increased computer performance and faster completion of complex tasks and processes.

The loading speed of the operating system increases by 2-3 times.

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