Clone a hard drive onto an SSD is nothing difficult, even if you don’t have much knowledge in the field. The operation involves transferring saved data from one storage device to another. Whatever your reason for wanting to copy your important files, you need to make sure it happens safely for them. Here’s how to make an exact copy of your storage drive.
Cloning a hard drive: what is it?
How do you clone a hard drive ? As we mentioned earlier, the operation involves making an exact copy of all the information contained on that drive, and saving it to another location of your choice. You can carry out this migration without having to reinstall your entire system. For this procedure to work perfectly, you need substantial storage space.
Why clone a hard drive to an SSD ?
How does cloning work? It’s an ideal way to back up files so you can recover them in case of a failure of your main drive. This technique is used by many IT professionals to reduce data management issues. It gives you access to all your information in very little time, whenever you need it. To carry out this operation, you need to take several criteria into account.
Criteria to check before cloning a hard drive to an SSD.
Before starting the cloning process, here’s what you need to do :
- Check that the two storage devices you are using are compatible. If your first device is a 600 GB drive, for example, make sure the second one has a similar capacity, so it can hold all your data after cloning.
- To avoid any mishap during your cloning process, remember to run a virus scan and remove any malware from your computer.
- Also make sure your SSD is connected to your computer. To do this, use suitable SATA/USB cables. These two tools power your drive and make data transfer easier.
Would you like to know how to clone your hard drive to an SSD? Here’s the procedure to follow.
How to clone your hard drive to an SSD ?
Would you like to know how to clone your hard drive to an SSD ? You need to use cloning software to do the job. In some cases, cloning software is provided with the SSD. These utilities give you free tools to make cloning easier.
If the software isn’t built into your storage device, you can download one.
Aomei Backupper
This software offers several types of data backup. Aomei Backupper lets you back up the entire contents of a hard drive. Whether it’s files, programs, or an operating system, the software keeps a secure copy of your files on the external drive of your choice. Here’s how to use it :
- Download, install and launch the application.
- Then, click on the “Clone” tab located on the application’s main interface.
- Select the hard drive and then the SSD, and click “Next”.
- Choose the “Alignment” option and finally, click “Clone” to duplicate the information on your hard drive to the SSD.
Acronis True Image
Acronis True Image is a benchmark when it comes to disk cloning. Its simple interface lets you schedule backups and restore them in one click. With the software, you can also make automatic, regular copies of your files. The application also lets you access them from several devices.
Here’s how to clone a hard drive to an SSD with Acronis True Image :
- Download the application and launch it.
- Click “clone” the disk
- Select the cloning method and click “next”
- Select the source disk you want to clone and click “next”.
- Select your SSD, then click “next”.
- After a short while, you’ll receive a message telling you that you need to restart your PC.
- Close all your applications before restarting. The cloning process can then begin!
- When the computer shuts down, the cloning is complete. You can now turn your PC back on so that you can check the cloning on the SSD.
Several other cloning applications and software let you duplicate your hard drive. Among these, we can mention:
- iPerius Backup
- Macrium Reflect FREE
- Cobian backup
- Easeus Todo Backup Home Edition
- Clonezilla
- Hdclone Free Edition, etc.
Now you know how to clone a hard drive to an SSD. It’s a simple procedure that takes just a few steps. With cloning software, you won’t have to worry anymore. Migrating your data with this tool is guaranteed and secure. What’s more, data loss is minimized. If you’ve lost your files instead, you can contact our data recovery agency for a fast and effective service. Whatever the nature of the failure, we succeed in meeting your restoration needs.