Benefits of cloning large HDD to smaller SSD
Why do users want to clone larger drive to smaller SSD? What benefits do they get out of it? Here we collect the 3 main benefits below:
💻Improve computer performance
Cloning large HDD to smaller SSD has been proven to boost computer performance, such as short boot time, playing games faster, smoothly browsing multiple pages, etc. It also saves you the trouble of reinstalling Windows by including the operating system, boot partition, installed programs, etc.
💿Upgrade disk
Most hard drives last 3 to 5 years before developing problems, so it is necessary to clone aging disks before then. You also need to clone disks that show "hard disk failure imminent". It preserves all of your data on the old disk, significantly reducing downtime and data migration hassle.
📃Create an exact copy of your large drive
Hard drives are suspected of data loss due to accidental deletion, virus infection, format error, system crash, etc., and regular backups can prevent these misfortunes. It also allows you to directly access your data without the hassle of restoring image files.
Preparations for cloning to smaller SSD drive
To make sure the cloning process runs smoothly, you need to make some preparations.
1️. Prepare your SSD:
- Install the smaller SSD disk on your computer and be sure it can be detected. If your computer is a laptop, you need to prepare a SATA-to-USB cable or adapter as well.
- Check the used space of your larger drive and be sure it can fit the smaller SSD.
2. Backup files on SSD disk: If your SSD disk is not a brand new one, it's necessary to create a disk backup in advance. The cloning process will overwrite data on the SSD disk, causing irreversible data loss.
3. Disk clone vs. system clone: Opt for a method before cloning larger drive to smaller drive.
- To copy everything from one hard drive to another, select Disk Clone.
- To clone Windows OS to new SSD, select System Clone. It includes the operating system and necessary boot files required to start Windows.
4. Employ professional cloning software: To complete this task, you need to use third-party software, as Windows does not come with it. Here I’d like to recommend AOMEI Backupper Professional. It offers powerful cloning features.
● Three Cloning Methods: Disk Clone, System Clone, and Partition Clone. It gives you a choice to clone the entire disk or migrate OS to smaller SSD, especially useful when your SSD is too small to hold all data on the large HDD. ● Intelligent Clone: It’s the key feature you need to clone to a smaller drive, as it will clone only used sectors of the larger drive. ● SSD Alignment: AOMEI Backupper’s built-in technology will take care of 4K partition alignment for SSD to improve performance and prolong lifespan. ● Edit Partitions: It is able to convert smaller SSD from MBR to GPT disk and vice versa to prevent boot failure due to different disk partition styles. You can also adjust partition size as necessary. ● SSD Compatibility: It supports all branded SSDs, such as Samsung, WD, SanDisk, Crucial, etc., regardless of their capacity, and supports different interfaces like SATA, mSATA, or PCIe.
How to clone larger drive to smaller drive easily
First, free download AOMEI Backupper and install it on your PC.
Easiest cloning software for HDDs/SSDs of all kinds.
Then follow this stepwise guide to clone large HDD to smaller SSD:
Step 1. Launch AOMEI Backupper Professional, and then you will see its deep-blue interface. Click Clone and then choose Disk Clone to start the cloning process.
Step 2. Choose the larger drive as the source disk, and then click Next.
Step 3. Choose the smaller SSD drive as the destination disk and click Next.
Step 4. This software uses Intelligent Clone by default, so you can easily clone to smaller drive. Tick SSD Alignment to optimize your SSD disk performance and make your computer run faster after cloning. Then, click Start Clone to execute.
Notes: ► Don't check Sector by sector clone while cloning disk to smaller disk. Because this feature clones all sectors of a large drive. ► To clone larger HDD to smaller SSD without booting Windows, you can create a bootable media with this software and boot from it, then perform disk clone.
What to do when the cloned SSD won’t boot?
Cloned hard drive may not boot as expected due to various causes, such as a corrupted operating system, missing boot related partition, operation mistakes, wrong boot order, etc.
Don’t panic if you confront such a situation. In the first place, you need to understand that the cloning operation has no harm to the original hard drive since it just makes duplications. You can then check if you set the correct boot drive or mode.
Step 1. Continuously press a specific key (usually F2, F8, F12, Del) to enter BIOS Setup.
Step 2. Go to the Boot tab and check if your new SSD is the first choice. If not, set it as.
Step 3. Then, go to UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode, and you will see if it's Legacy or UEFI. Set it according to the destination disk’s partition style (Legacy for an MBR disk and UEFI for a GPT disk).
Step 4. Press F10 to save the settings and then exit. Then, restart your computer from the cloned SSD.
Summary
It is quite easy to clone larger drive to smaller drive like smaller SSD on the condition that you choose the right cloning tool. AOMEI Backupper can be a great choice because it can ensure a safe boot after cloning. At the same time, it provides some useful features to optimize the process, such as intelligent clone, 4k alignment technology, and edit partitions.
Also, you can use it to backup Windows 11/10/8/7 or run automatic file sync, etc. If you happen to have these needs, download it to have a try right now. After all, practice is the truth of everything.
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