How to Mirror a Hard Drive to SSD without Losing Data [2 Ways]
Why mirror a hard drive in Windows?
Mirroring is a data backup technique that creates multiple copies of data to ensure continuity in case of a disk hardware failure. By mirroring a hard drive, a system can automatically maintain a duplicate copy of the data, allowing it to quickly recover or continue processing even if the primary drive fails.
Mirroring a hard drive involves keeping copies of the drive in different devices, such as another hard drive, SSD, or external hard drive, to ensure continuity in case the original drive fails, similar to backing up a PC to an external hard drive.
Cloning a hard drive has become synonymous with mirroring, but technically, they're different operations from hard drive backup. Cloning a hard drive can still achieve data protection, making it an essential skill to learn. As a result, understanding how to mirror a hard drive in various Windows versions, such as Windows 10, Windows 7, and Windows 8, has become increasingly important and urgent.
How to mirror hard drive with professional software in Windows
You can create a mirror image of your hard drive using Windows' built-in tools, such as Backup and Restore or File History, if you just want to create a backup image of the hard drive.
Using Windows snap-in tool is a roundabout solution for mirroring, especially with File History, which requires backing up one hard drive twice, once for files and once for system programs, with a high chance of the mirrored images not being restorable. If it fails, an alternative to File History may be needed.
To mirror a hard drive to another, you can use professional software such as Qiling Disk Master Professional. This intuitive software allows you to clone a hard drive and backup it, and can mirror it to an SSD, external drive, or another hard drive. Additionally, it can clone a large hard drive to a smaller drive, as long as the source data fits on the smaller drive.
To mirror a hard drive to an SSD in Windows 7, you have two options. Follow the next part to learn how to do it using either of these methods.
How to clone a hard drive to smaller SSD quickly in Windows 7
Step 1. To mirror your laptop's hard drive, install a smaller SSD and connect it to your computer via a USB-to-SATA cable, ensuring it can be detected by your Windows operating system.
Step 2. To install and use Qiling Disk Master Professional, click the download button to install it, then run the program. Once installed, click on the "Clone" menu and select "Disk Clone" from the dropdown options. This will initiate the disk cloning process.
Step 3. Choose computer hard drive as the source.
Step 4. Choose the smaller SSD as the destination.
Step 5. To improve SSD performance and prolong its lifespan, it is recommended to tick the option "SSD Alignment" and then click "Proceed".
Tips:
- The "Sector by sector clone" option is available for cloning a hard drive to a larger or same capacity disk.
- To mirror a hard drive on Windows Server 2012, you can use the Qiling Disk Master Server edition.
How to mirror hard drive to external drive in Windows
This method will take a backup image of a hard drive, creating a snapshot of its current state, allowing for easy restoration in case of data loss or system failure.
Step 1. Connect your external drive to the computer, ensure it's formatted for use, and launch Qiling Disk Master Professional. Click on "Backup" and then select "Disk Backup" to proceed.
Step 2. To mirror a hard drive, click on the "Disks" tab and select the hard drive you want to mirror from in the pop-up window.
Step 3. Select a partition on external drive as the destination path.
Step 4. Configure custom settings, compression level, and encryption in the Options section. Set up backup schedules in the Schedule section, including daily, weekly, and monthly backups. Manage disk space in the Scheme section, then click Proceed.
Tip: The mirroring process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the size of your files and the write speed of your hard drive.
Summary
Qiling Disk Master is a useful software that allows you to mirror a hard drive in Windows 11, 10, 7, and other Windows OS, as well as clone a single partition like the system drive to an SSD, and even clone a hard drive with bad sectors. It also enables you to create a bootable USB in case of unexpected system failures.
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