back up and restore to new hdd

The HD companies and numerous software vendors (both free and paid) provide software for this.... why the resistance to using 3rd party programs ?

1. Check your HD manufacturers site

2. http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

Your NOT restoring, what your doing is MIGRATING / Moving from your OLD HD to NEW HD.
So you have two paths here,
1) Use the OneDrive Wizard and FAQ to make sure all your DATA (not programs) is on the OneDrive (up to 30GB) so no matter what ever happens to your PC / Windows you data is automatically synch/restored from the Online Drive (OneDrive).
Then remove old drive, install new drive, insert SYSTEM RESTORE DVD, let it install the FACTORY (i.e. when you first took the computer out of the box) IMAGE to the new drive, go through all 200 patchs, go to Microsoft Store install Windows 8.1, then do the normal Windows Update to get Windows 8.1 Update installed, THEN manually install your antivirus, games, etc. During all this OneDrive will PULL DOWN and 'restore' your files to the computer.
2) Use a 3rd party program to ATTEMPT (some really don't work well with W8/8.1/8.1U) to MIRROR IMAGE from the OLD HDD to the NEW HDD usually with the NEW HDD connected to the USB port with a USB to SATA cable. Then swap drives out, when your sure new HDD works well wipe old drive and now you have a external drive to run BACKUP (just of Windows and its settings, not your DATA) to.

Okay we are running into alot of problems here with what you said, and I will try to walk you through here, but your gonna have to face there will be extra cost out of pocket here for what you want to achieve. So let's break this down;

1) Is this a Dell, Gateway, etc. (OEM) Computer you bought at the store or a 'Self Built' that you have Windows DVD sitting to oneside?
2) If this is a OEM, you need to look in the maker's folders under START (the Orb) >Programs.. so under DELL or HP, there will be some additional tools, including CREATE RESTORE DVDs (which it said to do when you first ever turned on the computer). If you can't find it there, then try the added 'Resource' app that is pretty 'dumb easy' talking about making backups, checking for updates, etc. If you STILL can't find anything like that then type CREATE FACTORY RESTORE and again the wizard will help you. In all cases the point here is to make the DVD of Windows, and if it is a OEM, all the drivers, etc. just like when you first ever turned it on.
NOTE: WORST CASE JUST GO TO THEIR WEBSITE, PUT IN your computer information to look up your computer and ORDER a set of RESTORE DVDs.
3) If this is a Self Built, then you should have your DVD in hand and license, you need to get out all the other programs you installed and set them to one side.

NOTE: IF YOU HAVE NO COPIES OF WINDOWS AT ALL - THEN YOU NEED TO BUY A COPY. Tom's Hardware does NOT support pirated copies of software.

4) If you try and REPLICATE your drive, you need someway to get it from AS IT IS NOW to WHERE YOU WANT IT NEXT, that is what the USB/SATA cable is for. You would run software on your PC while IN Windows / as a BootCD, it would then copy EVERY BIT from OLD HD to NEW HD, and takes a long while to do it this way, but makes a EXACT COPY of one drive to the other. With Windows Vista thru 8.1Update this hasn't been very reliable due to many new security enhancement and FAILS more times then works.
5) NO you can't '"copy and past" all the 'stuff' on your OLD HD to the NEW HD, then install it and 'restore' everything else. ANY RESTORE / INSTALL WIPES THE NEW DRIVE, and even if it didn't it wont' "put back" everything the way it was, it would look at the COPIES as 'some weird bunch of stuff I have no clue about' and ignore it. AGAIN what you asking for is #4.
6) BEST PRACTICE WAS to run Windows Easy Transfer (Windows Xp, Vista, 7) to BACKUP your wallpaper, documents, icons, etc. to a external drive. Install New HDD, use FACTORY RESTORE CDs to restore the computer THE FIRST TIME EVER turned on. Get it up to date with all patches fixes, then install the added software (This is called a CLEAN image) then BACKUP this WORKING IMAGE. Run WEI again and now restore stuff back 'just like before'.
Windows 8/8.1/8.1Update REMOVES this WEI backup feature, the new process is to instead put all your 'data' you want on the ONEDRIVE, the Microsoft LIVE! Web-based drives storage (up to 30GB) for all your 'stuff' (music, videos, pics, documents). Do the same other steps for swapping the HDD, FACTORY RESTORE, etc. BUT when you 'login' to your factory restored Windows 8/8.1/8.1Update it downloads all the ONEDRIVE stuff to your PC automatically.

FYI: The " i heard i can do something similar with usb" I think your misunderstanding, as that was probably where you follow the 'Install Windows from a USB' (note ONLY WINDOWS *NOT* your games, programs, data, etc.) where you 'install' the setup and ISO of Windows to a USB and boot/install from the USB, not the HDD. This requires (as I mentioned) a LEGAL LICENSE COPY and would be the SAMETHING I said above, but replace DVD with USB.

Okay some caveats here
1) NEITHER the OLD nor NEW HD can be the target for ANY backups, system images, etc. ONLY REPLICATIONS (as I outlined). Reason: As soon as you 'restore' anything it wipe the same drive you have the image on and well you can't 'write' over what your 'reading'.
2) You need SOME external drive source, be it burning a heck alot of DVDs or a external HD. You can NOT split any backups, system images, etc. over multiple THUMB drives.
3) The 'image' is based on the exact size of your drive NOW, even the empty space. So say with Windows and everything installed it takes up 100GB of your 500GB Drive, now your moving to a 2TB, no matter what method you use, your 'image' will be looking to 'store' 500GB even if it just actually makes only 100GB file. When it gets restored to the 2TB drive it will ONLY restore to 500GB, you will have to manually 'add' the rest of the unused space once your done restoring everything (or make a logical second drive, etc.)

That said
1) Okay first off system image is a exact duplicate of your drive (as I mentioned above) as noted in these steps
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/4241/how-to-create-a-system-image-in-windows-7/
So if you just make the system image to a Ext Drive, you swap drives, insert the Windows DVD (IF this was a self built, won't work if it is a OEM, again back to the previous instructions) and Install Windows, then restore from the System Image over your 'new' Windows image on the new HD, basically the simple way, you can try to get to the System Recovery menu when Windows DVD is inserted, but most time I find Windows already eager to install itself . But your done at this point.
2) No you can NOT make a recovery drive on a USB, back to what I said. It just isn't a option available because of the way USBs fall in between DVDs (closed media) and a ext HD (larger persistent media), and of course the issue of SPANNING isn't allowed across USBs.
3) What you keep focusing on (USB) is as I said, where your installing Windows the first time and you make a Windows BOOT USB, so you can install Windows (nothing else) quickly, which is important when doing multiple systems.
4) Still all goes back to the previous post where you NEED recovery media from your OEM OR you should have your Windows DVDs already. I am becoming suspicious at this point that you may have a 'Torrent' version of Windows on your computer or some other 'friend gave me copy' method.

You need a external drive, you need to backup the Image, swap drives, restore Image and PRAY it works.

NO if you use the suggested 3RD PARTY SOFTWARE. If you use one of those, they would create a system image to a ext HDD, swap HDDs, boot the 3RD PARTY DVD you made as part of the process that is a 'mini OS', and use the menu to then 'RESTORE' the system image from Ext. HDD to NEW HDD.

YES if you mean this process http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/windows-81-tip-use-system-image-backup which goes back again to what I said about needing you make your Windows o/r Factory DVD, make systems image, swap drives, use Windows o/r Factory DVD to install Windows, run system image to RESTORE from Ext HDD to New (windows) HDD.

Really at this point we are at a dead end and my ONLY AND SOLE ADVICE IS,
TAKE EVERYTHING DOWN TO A LOCAL IT SHOP / BEST BUY, FORK OVER THE $300+ FOR THEM TO DO IT AND STOP POSTING TO THE FORUMS AS YOU" barely know anything about installing hardware/os "

BTW there is absolutely NO difference between desktop and laptop EXCEPT form factor, customized parts, much lighter weight and it runs off a battery when portable.

(( Honestly you are making a bigger issue out of the most minor of things than is necessary. This is like you have a flat tire and you keep being told you put on your spare tire and get the flat tire fixed, but you keep saying you "don't want to buy (a new tire) just for this one thing"?!?!? See makes no sense!))

It doesn't (the USB) start on its own IN ANY CASE (see the link I provided). It is when (Windows 8) used to REPAIR Windows ON your HDD. REPEATING AGAIN IT ONLY WORKS WITH WINDOWS ON THE HDD

Then you should have posted "Wish to be taught about Operating Systems, Booting, and moving OSes" which everyone would tell you a Forum is NOT the place for it, it is too lengthy, (LOOK at all these posts) technical, and can't provide STEP BY STEP process for you to follow, especially when you have no clue about computers and 'the basics'.

There is MANY Youtube videos, websites, that teach 'Basics about Operating Systems' so you can 'SEE" what is being 'posted' here by myself / others which isn't sinking in (obviously since your asking the same questions every way possible not liking the answer isn't changing). I would DIRECT YOU to those resources.

As for this post, I suggest you close it, since your goal here isn't a actual 'solution' but a learning lesson.