mirroring ssd onto hDD

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nevilence

nevilence

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I was considering the option of mirroring my os install which is on a SSD onto a HDD in case I ever have issues with the SSD failing. Is this possible using the two different drive types, I dont imagine it would be but I would rather ask the smart peeps first ;)

Also with an already setup os install what are my options in creating a mirrored drive? As in its not much of an option if I have to start from scrath with a fresh install.
 
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cbrunnem

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the easiest way to do this is to use a program like hdclone. hdclone asks you for a source drive and a target drive. the source drive will be cloned to the target drive and after the process the target drive will be a bootable copy of your ssd. there is no need to burn anything to disk or anything like that as dr_jre suggests. then if you ever have a problem with windows you have a fresh install copy with no problems ready to clone back to your ssd. beware if you try to boot the cloned hdd, it will be extremely slow because of the massive about of file fragmentation. ssds do not defrag themselves since they are fast enough to not need it and the extra read write cycles are not worth it to defrag them. with that said do not defrag you hdd. just directly work from it and let it be. windows might defrag it but you shouldnt ever even have to boot to it except for cloning it to your ssd.

hope this answers your question and sorry for all the randoms thoughts all in one.

http://www.miray.de/products/sat.hdclone.html
 
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nevilence

nevilence

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so if i had an internal hdd to clone to i would have a boot selection come up every time i boot my pc right? and i am assuming that to update that cloned drive I would have to do the entire clone again, it wont change updated files only?
 
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cbrunnem

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yes you would have 2 bootable hard drives/ssds to choose from. to answer you other question, im not sure what you mean but if you clone your ssd to a hdd and install a new program to your ssd it will not be on your cloned hdd. but i strongly suggest NOT leaving your hdd plugged in after it is cloned. unplug it and put it away in a safe place because if you leave it plugged in it can cause issues with windows getting confused. plus theres no reason to leave it plugged in. you cant really use it for storage at this point, technically you could but you wouldnt want to.

i do this process regurarly for the exact reason you are but im not worried about the ssd going bad i am more worried about windows. windows screws up way more than your ssd should if you consider the amount of garbage it collects and how that slows windows down. thats why i clone.
 
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