Best Way to Copy Disk to SSD in Windows 10 (Secure Boot)
Quick Navigation:
- Why copy disk to SSD in Windows 10
- Best software to clone disk to SSD in Windows 10
- Detailed steps to clone disk to SSD via Qiling Disk Master
- How to boot from the cloned SSD
Why copy disk to SSD in Windows 10
Actually, copying disk to SSD in Windows 10/8/7 does not mean just copying and pasting, or dragging and dropping like you do when copying personal files/folders. The most common and easy way to copy HDD/SSD to SSD is to clone. Generally, people may want to clone disk to SSD for the following reasons:
For better performance: As we all know, SSDs can make your computer run much faster, accelerate the read and write speed during data transfer. So, many users may clone bootable HDD to SSD in Windows 10/8/7.
For larger capacity: Normally, the PC/laptops come with a low-quality and low-capacity disk, typically around 500GBs. So, user may receive the low disk space warning after just a few months and PC/laptop will run slower and slower. Therefore, user will then consider upgrading their disk to a large capacity SSD.
For old disk upgrading: If your old disk has been used for years, the disk itself will be more prone to damage. Replacing the old disk with a new SSD can avoid the disk failure and subsequent data loss.
For a backup: Cloning hard disk (especially the disk with the system installed) to SSD drive, actually, is also a process of transferring OS and all data from one disk to another, so it is also a great way to back up your computer.
Best software to clone disk to SSD in Windows 10
There is no built-in tool in Windows 11/10/8/7 that can help you clone disk to SSD directly, so, you need third-party clone software like Qiling Disk Master. It is a simple and reliable clone software for Windows 11/10/8/7, XP and Vista. With its Disk Clone function, you can clone hard drive to SSD and avoid OS reinstallation and data loss with only a few clicks. And it has the following advantages:
- Guarantee secure boot after cloning. It allows you to boot from the cloned SSD successfully as long as you set the cloned SSD as the first boot order in BIOS.
- Support intelligent clone (default). It's very useful when you clone large hard drive to smaller hard drive.
- Provide "SSD Alignment" feature, which can improve the reading and writing speed of SSDs.
- Offer "Sector By Sector Clone" feature to clone all the sectors on a hard drive that can guarantee the integrity of cloned data.
You can download the free trial of Qiling Disk Master Professional to experience its powerful cloning functions:
Detailed steps to clone disk to SSD via Qiling Disk Master
You can follow the detailed steps below to copy hard drive to SSD in Windows 11/10/8/7.
Part 1. Preparations before cloning
1. Connect the SSD to your computer and make sure it is detected successfully.
- If your computer only has one drive bay, you will need to prepare a SATA-to-USB cable to connect SSD to your computer.
- If your computer has two drive bays, you need to open the computer case, find the extra drive bay (generally located underneath or next to the main HDD bay) and install the SSD on it.
Detailed steps: Slide the SSD into the drive bay and line up the holes in the top of the drive bay with the holes in the SSD mounting kit. Secure the SSD into the drive bay with the screws. Close the computer case and start the machine.
2. Remove unnecessary files or programs on the old disk if your target SSD is not much larger than the hard disk.
3. Back up files to external hard drive in advance because all data on the target SSD will be deleted after cloning.
Part 2. Start cloning disk to SSD using Qiling Disk Master
1. Launch Qiling Disk Master, click Disk Clone option under the Clone tab.
2. Select the disk you want to clone as the source disk and then click "Next".
✎Note: Qiling Disk Master supports cloning data disks and system disks of all brands and partition styles, such as cloning MBR to MBR/MBR to GPT or GPT to GPT/GPT to MBR directly. But you still need to make sure the partition style of the target disk is compatible with your boot mode (MBR for legacy BIOS and GPT for UEFI).
3. Select your SSD as the destination disk, and then click "Next".
4. Tick "SSD Alignment" and then click "Proceed".
✎Note: You can tick 'Edit Partitions' function to resize the partitions on the target hard drive to take advantage of the increased capacity when you clone a smaller drive to a larger one.
How to boot from the cloned SSD?
After copying disk to SSD, you can follow the steps below to make your computer boot from the cloned SSD successfully.
1. Reboot your computer.
2. During the initial screen, constantly press setup key (such as F2, DEL…) to access the BIOS environment during the restarting process.
3. Once you get inside the Setup screen, look for the Boot tab and set the cloned SSD as the boot drive in BIOS.
4. Hit F10 to save the changes and exit the Setup screen. Now you should boot the computer from the SSD drive.
✎Note: MBR partition structures can only boot from Legacy mode in the BIOS and GPT structures can only be booted from UEFI mode. If you have a GPT disk, you can enter into the BIOS and change its boot mode to UEFI.
Conclusion
To copy disk to SSD in Windows 10/8/7, Qiling Disk Master is a good helper. It can help you clone disk to SSD easily and directly without reinstalling OS and losing data. And after cloning, you can boot from the cloned SSD successfully.
Besides disk clone, it also supports system clone and partition clone only, so you can clone system or a partition like Recovery Partition only to SSD, USB drive, etc. In addition, if you want to clone Server hard drive to SSD or HDD, you can use Qiling Disk Master Server.
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