Can't Clone HDD to SSD

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Mjgamer

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Hey guys, I need some help again. So my current storage device has had some issues. Please see this for information: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2724180/hard-drive-failure-imminent.html

I was able to get enough money to buy a 500gb Samsung 850 EVO by selling an old graphics card on craigslist. My issue now is that I can't clone my old hdd to the ssd using Samsung's software because it said that the HDD has bad sectors (or something along those lines). Keep in mind that I reduced the stuff on the HDD to the point where it would all fit on the SSD. Is there any solution for me here? If I give it to the guys at Best Buy (where I bought the HDD) and have them replace it and recover the data, will they have any success?

I can't do a fresh windows install because I don't have a disk and the key that this computer is under is an OEM key (oops). Windows 10 is coming out tomorrow and I think I'm supposed to get an ISO in the first couple of days of release. Would I be able to use that iso for a fresh install and still be able to get the data off this HDD?

Also, when I check device manager, the ssd shows up, but I don't see it show up in "Computer" next to my HDD. Am I missing something here? Sorry for my ignorance. This is the first time I have tried to use a new drive and transfer over the old data. Please help me guys, I am kind of lost.
 
Solution
drtweak
Yes. Buy upgrading the files in the bad sectors could have been erased so when it when to clone the drive it didn't have to read the bad sectors and fail.

Some cloning software will work. Some won't. I've had hit and misses. I also have other more advanced software but takes for ever to image (Makes a bit for bit image though so you have to have a drive to save it to bigger than the drive you are saving) and then piece it all together and then move it to the new drive.

And yes you can go ahead and delete the stuff on the old HDD.

Just to make sure though, remove the HDD from the system (just unplug the SATA Cable) and make sure you can boot just fine. Sometimes the boot sector get stuck on the old drive but that is usually when...
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drtweak

drtweak

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Because you have Bad Sectors you won't be able to clone it. Not in any easy way that is.

First of all if you have a STORE bought OEM PC then you may be able to get away with just cloning over the Boot (100MB) and Restore partitions and then do a system restore back to factory defaults. IF it is because you bought a OEM Windows 7 Install disk and you have lost your key there are ways to find your key and then reinstall windows and you are in every right, even under OEM, to reinstall windows and activate which will NOT be an issue (You only run into those issues with new Motherboards).

But yes you CAN do a fresh install of windows 10. From what i "Hear" is that when you reserve your copy you then get a new Windows 10 key that is good for your machine. I think you must FIRST Upgrade to windows 10, THEN make a recovery disk (As of now that is the plan until an ISO is release) Then you should be able to reinstall it to the new SSD. So I would say just wait it out and start clean and fresh on the new SSD.

Also you need to do into Disk Management (Right click Computer/This PC --> Manage --> Disk management --> and will probably have to initlize and then partition the SSD. YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO THIS TO CLONE/OR INSTALL WINDOWS. ONLY if you are adding a drive as extra storage and the cloning/installing does all that for you.

Now DO NOT TAKE IT TO BEST GUY. That so called Geek Squad isn't much better than then so called "Geniuses" at the Genius Bar at the apple store. Sure they can fix basic stuff but too many of my clients have they told your hard drive is bad and I can't recover your data. I laugh like really? It's easy to recover data (For me at least).

But yea Just wait for windows 10, Backup any of you data you have to another drive as a bad sector in wrong spot will render your machine useless and unbootable so use it sparingly.
 
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Mjgamer

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Technically, it was a store-bought pc, but it has since been modified to the point where absolutely NONE of the components including the hard drive are the same as when I bought it from the store. The original hard drive had something spectacular happen to it. It basically exploded. Upon opening it up I discovered that the read-write arm thingy was dislodged from its socket and the actuator (my terminology might be bad here) looked like somebody shot small bullets into it. I replaced that drive with a brand new 2tb hard drive (the one that is failing now) and used HP's recovery discs to set windows up and everything was fine for a while.

I then upgraded my mobo, cpu, and gpu around this past christmas and not too long after, microsoft was telling me I may be using an illegitimate version of windows. When I saw that I went back to the original case my computer had and copied down the windows sticker that was on it to use its key for the new gear. That is the OEM key I am using now.

Would I be able to use that OEM key for a fresh Windows 7 install on my ssd and how would that work? Would I use HP's recovery disks to do that even though it thinks I have different components than I actually do or can I download a Win 7 iso off the internet and use my legitimate Win 7 OEM key with it? I apologize if even mentioning that breaks some piracy rule; I don't know how the whole legal thing works out if I have a key but not an iso.

The whole reason I even mentioned Best Buy is that I think the Hard Drive is still under warranty and I was planning on getting them to replace it. I just don't know how far down the death cycle a hard drive has to be before the Best Buy warranty will kick in (meaning do the bad sectors count or does it have to become completely useless before they replace it), although I'm sure I can persuade them to replace it anyways. Looking at my purchase history on my Best Buy account, the SKU doesn't match up with model of the actual hard drive I have in my system and the one I have in my system isn't even sold by Best Buy anymore so there seems to be an error somewhere in their system.

 
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drtweak

drtweak

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Yea if that is the case then you can't use the recovery partitions/disk since it is designed for that motherboard.

You can down the ISO of the version of windows your Key is for, install that, it won't ask for a key on install and if it does just skip it. Then toss in your key, and it will most likely fail and then call up microsoft and just be like "My motherboard took a dump, had to replace it" yadda yadda yadda. DON"T tell them it is a whole different PC lol. If that person doesn't let you do it just be like ok thanks and hang up. Call back, hope you get someone else.

And gotcha on the warrenty part. The thing is did you buy a warrenty though best buy or no? If you didn't then you have to use the manufactors warrenty not best buy. Unless you buy it all they can do is return/replace it if it is under the 14 or 30 days i think.

And most of the time the warrenty though them is a Oh its bad. He's a new one. Or well that is how it should be.


 
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Mjgamer

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My case is kind of unique so this probably won't work for many people in the future but I'll post how I was able to clone the HDD with bad sectors over to the SSD.

So as we all know, Windows 10 allows everyone with a legit Win 7 or 8.1 key to upgrade for free. I decided to upgrade the OS on the HDD instead of clean install Win 10 on the SSD for two reasons.

1. I couldn't find a flash drive or blank disk since I just moved and those are still packed up in some random unorganized box that I didn't want to dig through.

2. Some people report being unable to perform a clean install of Windows 10 until AFTER they do their free upgrade which apparently registers the key on the system so they can do a clean install later.

The upgrade went over perfectly aside from a few driver update issues so out of curiosity, I decided to try cloning the HDD to the SSD again using Samsung's software and it went incredibly slow, but it worked and I now have a boot time of about 12 seconds. The upgrade didn't work some kind of voodoo magic on the HDD because CrystalDiskInfo is still giving bad readings but I was at least able to fix the cloning issue. I hope this is able to help somebody else.

Edit: I assume that I can now delete any folders I want on the HDD right? I booted off the SSD perfectly already. When I try to delete Windows on the HDD it says I need TrustedInstaller. Is this normal even if you aren't running off that drive anymore?
 
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drtweak

drtweak

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Sep 17, 2012
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Yes. Buy upgrading the files in the bad sectors could have been erased so when it when to clone the drive it didn't have to read the bad sectors and fail.

Some cloning software will work. Some won't. I've had hit and misses. I also have other more advanced software but takes for ever to image (Makes a bit for bit image though so you have to have a drive to save it to bigger than the drive you are saving) and then piece it all together and then move it to the new drive.

And yes you can go ahead and delete the stuff on the old HDD.

Just to make sure though, remove the HDD from the system (just unplug the SATA Cable) and make sure you can boot just fine. Sometimes the boot sector get stuck on the old drive but that is usually when installing windows with multiple drives at install not on cloning but just to be safe.
 
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