Your hard drive is showing signs of weakness, and you’re telling yourself it’s time to replace it before facing a disaster like losing your data? You’ve just treated yourself to an SSD on sale and you’re ready to take things up a notch by using this technology to give your aging PC a new lease of life? We’ll explain how to reinstall your system identically in just a few minutes.
Desktop and laptop PCs often have a fast processor and sufficient RAM, but the hard drive is generally the slowest and most fragile component in our machines. It slows down software performance and its mechanical parts naturally wear out over time. Whether you decide to switch to SSD technology, which is significantly faster, or you simply want to replace your old drive to avoid a risky data recovery situation, you’ll need to use cloning software such as Acronis True Image (paid) or XxClone (free) to make an exact copy of your system on a new drive.
Today, SSDs have become widely accessible and many models are available for under 100€. If you choose an SSD for your desktop PC, some manufacturers offer upgrade kits that include the storage unit as well as the bracket needed to fit it into a 3.5-inch bay.
For your laptop, the SSDs you’ll find come in the standard 2.5-inch format and are often bundled with system migration software, which is frequently a white-label version of Acronis True Image rebranded by the SSD manufacturer. Before you get started, make sure your motherboard supports SSDs. Some manufacturers lock down the BIOS, preventing you from accessing UEFI mode.
Also note that you’ll need a SATA/USB adapter for a few euros, or better yet, an external enclosure to connect it to your PC and perform the cloning. This enclosure can later be used to house your old drive, turning it into an external backup hard drive, for example.
Prepare your original hard drive
The first step is to prepare your source hard drive containing your operating system and personal files. Start with a first round of sorting. Take the opportunity to remove software you no longer use, obsolete files you won’t need again, multiple backups that are no longer relevant, and so on. This will save you storage space and time when copying to your new hard drive. This step is even more important if you’re using the free version of Xxclone, since it doesn’t allow you to exclude specific folders or files. It will make an identical copy of your entire hard drive, so you’ll need a drive with equal or greater capacity. Don’t hesitate to also run a full system scan with your antivirus software. It would be a shame to contaminate your new drive.
Install the cloning software
Now that your hard drive is cleaned up, it’s necessary to install cloning software capable of making perfect copies of your system. If your hard drive came with migration software, there’s a good chance it’s a version of Acronis True Image. This is the case for some hard drives from Crucial or Intel. Otherwise, you can find a 30-day trial version on the website. Other publishers, such as Paragon Software, offer Drive Copy to easily migrate your system to any storage device, HDD or SSD. We’ll focus on the freeware version of Xxclone, though paid versions can offer particularly useful options for managing your data (scheduled backup, cloud backup, etc.).
Connect your new drive to a USB port
Once your cloning software is installed, it’s time to copy the necessary data. To do this, simply click on the wizard for cloning a disk and carefully follow the various steps. You’ll need to select your source disk, the one inside your computer, and the target disk, the one connected to your USB port.
Excluding folders and partitions
If this option is available and there isn’t enough space on your new drive before copying, the software (True Image, Drive Copy, etc…) will detect this automatically and offer to help you sort through your files and folders again. Similarly, if you have several partitions on your disk, you can exclude the ones you no longer need. Be careful, however, not to exclude any system files or elements required by your software. For switching to SSD, check out our tips for optimizing its lifespan.
Start copying the files
Once you’ve reached the ideal size, you can start copying the files by clicking Run. Your computer will then restart and make a perfect copy of your system and your documents. What we call a “perfect copy” in IT jargon is actually a “bit-for-bit” copy of the binary data on your drive. Unlike a standard backup, the software will not only copy your disk but also make the new drive bootable by applying the same “Volume ID” as your original disk. The duration of the copy will, of course, depend on the size of the data being copied. Grab a drink and relax.
If you’d prefer to use free software such as Xxclone, follow this guide…
Cloning with Xxclone freeware
After downloading and installing Xxclone on your machine and connecting your new drive, launch the cloning software.
Create a clone of your hard drive with Xxclone
Choose the source disk (Source Volume) and the target disk (Target Volume) where your data will be copied.
Check the first option, Back up the entire volume by copying all the files from scratch.
Click Start. Then wait.
Once your copy is complete, two options may be useful to you. Go to the Cool Tools tab.
Make your disk “bootable” and duplicate your “Volume ID”
Make Bootable:
During the copy, Xxclone automatically made your new hard drive bootable. However, if you find when replacing the drive that it doesn’t boot, you can use the Make bootable option to redo the action (or even do it preventively). Check the three boxes (MBR, Boot sector, BOOT.INI) shown in the next window, then click Start.
Duplicate Volume ID:
The Volume ID can be necessary for certain software or applications to work properly, particularly antivirus software. Click Duplicate Vol. ID then Yes if your source and target disks match. Once you’ve found your system on your new drive, we recommend checking that your software launches correctly before erasing the source disk.
Install your new drive in your PC
Your clone is ready, disconnect it then shut down your machine. You can now remove the hard drive from your PC with a screwdriver and a gentle touch to install your cloned drive in its place, connecting it the same way. Once the operation is complete, turn your computer back on and your system should start automatically. If this is not the case, access the system boot menu to change the boot order.
Recycle your old hard drive
Although old, your hard drive can still be useful. You can use it in a suitable external enclosure to turn it into a backup drive. Before any formatting, check that your clone is working correctly. It’s always recommended to back up your personal data on two different drives, in two different physical locations. Your data is often valuable, so don’t neglect regular backups and the occasional check that your drives are working properly. These simple habits can save you a lot of time and money.