Cloning HDD parition to SDD

Hi guys quick question

Basically i want to clone a 160GB HDD with 2 partitions (60GB OS and 100GB storage). I want to copy the 60GB OS partition to a single partition 128GB SSD (Crucial m4).

Will there be any 4k sector issues in doing so? (since im doing a clone instead of a clean install)

Is Acronis TI the best program for cloning to SSD's?

TIA

 

Yes Acronis (latest version) does seem to be the best choice, I assume you already own it?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...-hdd-ssd-clone-image-partition-alignment.html
Opinons naturally vary see post 37.
Once you are up and running verify that Trim is enabled
Open an elevated command prompt fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify (Should return 0)

 

flipfire, what OS will you be cloning?

 

Windows 7 HP 64bit

 

Using Acronis will take care of the alignment. I'm pretty sure you could align it manually if worse comes to pass though. I'm kind of in the same boat as you, but i'm cloning from SSD to SSD.

 

Just wondering if you go from an HDD to a SDD do you need to check the aligmnet on the HDD prior to cloning? Thanks, joe

 

No, HDDs and SSDs align differently, thus the potential issues when cloning, if you want it to be hassle free, you need cloning software that will take care of aligning the SSD when it starts the cloning process. Alternatively, you can align the drive manually by moving the partitions with a tool like gparted or diskpart in windows, but it is a hassle compared to using software like Acronis 2012 Anyways, this tutorial seems to have good enough instructions if you're feeling DIY: http://www.howtogeek.com/97242/how-to-migrate-windows-7-to-a-solid-state-drive/

They defrag the HDD though and i really don't see a need for that given that you're moving to a SSD.

 

OK. The reason I ask, is you may want to consider just doing a backup of data only, running a fresh install, installing all the apps, and then restoring your data.

By cloning from platter based to SSD, along with the partition alignment check (which was mentioned that Acronis will do), Windows 7 will *not* be optimally configured as if you did a fresh install. It would be configured w/ settings as installed to an SSD. So, when cloning from Platter based HDD to SSD, you would need to enable TRIM, turn off disk defrag, and some other possible Win 7 features.

However, by running a fresh install, you'll eliminate the need to find/tweak most of those settings, and remove some of the cruft around an older installation. The downside to all of this is the pain of re-installing everything.

Just wanted to throw that out as a suggestion.

 

As much of a pain.. i would suggest a fresh install too.

 

Unfortunately a clean install is out. There's too many apps, settings, security certificates and pre-saved passwords on this current install (which I've had since the RTM release of W7). It would take me a long time restoring them. I do plan to do a clean install later on when I do major hardware upgrades.

Looks like ill go with the acronis clone route, and enabling trim/disable defrag in windows.. What's the best app to check sector alignments? AS-SSD?

 

diskpart.

Run a command prompt as an admin, type diskpart, then Select disk n (n being the number for your SSD) and finally List partition. The offset has to be a number that is divisible by 4, e.g. 1024kb or 101MB.

 

Understood. When done, try to go through something like this - SSD Tweaks and Optimizations in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums to make sure things are running as smooth as can be expected.

 

I'm kinda running into the same question about alignment, however, mine is for SSD to SSD. Is it safe to assume that the alignment will be preserved when migrating from one SSD to another. Worse comes to pass, i can do a clean install, but it would be so much easier to just clone everything as i have quite a few settings customized in windows that i don't remember exactly how to set so i'd like to avoid having to configure everything again if at all possible. I'd like to do it using a free tool sinc ei already one or two lying around, but if it has to be acronis, then so be it.

 

Thanks guys.. that guide is pretty neat.

So when i get my M4, i will:

1)Update SSD to latest firmware
2)Clone with Acronis
3)Do a Windows Repair Install
4)Check for Alignment and Windows SSD optimizations
5) Install Intel Driver (?)

Isnt Acronis TI still free for 30days? Ive used it to clone several times in the past and it always had a free trial.

 

BAD News the 2012 trial version does not support cloning! Damn
Trial Version Limitations of Acronis Products | Knowledge Base
A quick scan here http://download.cnet.com/Paragon-Drive-Copy-Professional/3000-2094_4-10530622.html seems to be a free solution, I can only vouch for Paragon Backup & Recovery™ 2012 Free (which does not clone).
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/dc-professional/comparison.html

 

My two cents of experience for what it's worth...

I've upgraded four Win 7 machines from HDD to SSDs the same way, one was a dual Vista/Win7 laptop.

1) Format SSD from Windows 7 (takes care of alignment)
2) Backup HDD using Acronis
3) Restore to SSD using Acronis (using restore, not cloning)
4) Swap out drives, making sure HDD is completely disconnected
5) Boot into SSD, turn of hibernate (if it was previously on)
6) Check defrag settings - even though it was from a restore, Win7 always automatically removed the SSD from the drives to be defragged
7) Adjust page file, moving to a non-boot partion on a 2nd HDD if available or made it fixed for single SSD laptop
8) Check alignment - every time was correct

If you have a Seagate or Western Digital drive you can at least temporarily connect to your system, both those companies have free versions of Acronis you can use.

 

I'm a bit late to the party but nevertheless I'll give my input.

As JRS mentioned above; see my post in this thread from my past experience doing this.

 

I recently cloned my HDD to my smaller SSD. I found that in the end GParted probably is the simpolest way of doing this.

Guide here: Guide cloning HDD -> SSD *with alignment* quickly with GParted

 

I think i will try out Paragon first, its got a Windows OS migration to SSD feature and auto alignment.

 

Well, i just cloned from SSD to SSD using clonezilla and i decided to align before hand just in case. I used diskpart to align it, after cloning, i checked the alignment and everything was ok. Benchmarks are also on par with what an aligned SSD should give.

The command lines i used in diskpart after selecting the empty SSD are:
create partition primary align =1024
active

I then proceeded to clone using a clonezilla live cd. In any case, just check alignment after you're done.