Cloning from a 2TB HDD to a 500GB SSD, Will This Work?

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kingluke2222

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Jul 9, 2015
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My plan is to backup my internal HDD (which is about full) to my external HDD, then delete almost everything except what I want to move to my SSD. Then proceed with cloning my HDD to my SSD, and then restore my files on the external HDD to my internal one.

This is my first time upgrading to an SSD, would my plan above work? All I really want to do is move my OS and some steam games over to the SSD.
 
Solution
Jwpanz
Just to clarify, you want to copy your files from your current HDD to an external as a backup. Then, you want to delete those files on your 2TB HDD to make it small enough to clone to a 500GB SSD. And then take the files you need from your external drive and move them back to your newly cloned SSD. Am I right?

If so, you can do this. When you back up all of your files to your external drive they’ll be safe there for you to delete from your main HDD. Delete enough from it to make it as small as possible to clone it to your SSD. The size of the drives is irrelevant as long as the amount of data you’re cloning isn’t larger than the source drive.
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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How much space is consumed on your current C drive?

Once you get that used space to below 400GB or so, then you can clone the whole thing into that 500GB drive.
Specific steps later, if that is what you want to do.
 
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Jwpanz

Jwpanz

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Apr 17, 2016
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Just to clarify, you want to copy your files from your current HDD to an external as a backup. Then, you want to delete those files on your 2TB HDD to make it small enough to clone to a 500GB SSD. And then take the files you need from your external drive and move them back to your newly cloned SSD. Am I right?

If so, you can do this. When you back up all of your files to your external drive they’ll be safe there for you to delete from your main HDD. Delete enough from it to make it as small as possible to clone it to your SSD. The size of the drives is irrelevant as long as the amount of data you’re cloning isn’t larger than the source drive.
 
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kingluke2222

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My C drive has most of the storage, like 1.6TB.


At the last step I'm moving the external HDD files to the internal HDD, not SSD. The files I want on the SSD I'll just leave on for when I clone it. Otherwise, yes that's my plan.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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As said...for a 500GB target drive, actual used space to below 400GB.

Once you get to that level...

Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive
Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe as necessary.
Delete the original boot partitions, here:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/4f1b84ac-b193-40e3-943a-f45d52e23685/cant-delete-extra-healthy-recovery-partitions-and-healthy-efi-system-partition?forum=w8itproinstall
-----------------------------
 
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kingluke2222

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Ok, thanks. Once my computer finishes backing up my internal HDD (which could take overnight) I'll delete files until it's small enough that I can clone it, and then try restoring that backup on the internal HDD.
 
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