So you bought an SSD drive, and now you want to move your Windows 10 operating system plus all the data to the new drive. While Windows 10 doesn’t make this easy for you, there are ways you can clone and swap the OS install to an SSD. The best part about this process is once it’s done, it’ll make your system faster.
Here’s a guide that shows you how to clone the entire Windows OS with all files and settings intact over to the SSD drive.
Today, I’ll show you one of the best alternative to Carbon Copy Cloner for Windows. Carbon Copy Cloner Windows alternative. AOMEI Backupper, a magic backup software similar to Carbon Copy Cloner for Windows users, can help you backup files, partitions, disks, system and clone partition, disk, system.
Note: before moving your OS to the SSD drive, make sure you back up your data. This protects you in case something goes wrong, as the data is needed for the entire process.
Preliminary steps
Now that you’ve backed up your drive, here are a few other steps to take just before performing the cloning (migration) of Windows 10 to the SSD drive.
- Shrink your disk contents to get rid of additional space, as SSD drives usually have less space compared to regular HDDs. This ensures your system partition fits on the new drive.
- Delete any personal files, multimedia files like photos, videos, music, and non-system files so your partition is as small as possible. Don’t worry about deleting these files because they’re already backed up anyway.
- Check that your system partition can fit on the SSD drive, and then you can begin the cloning process.
If you prefer, you can use Windows’ Disk Cleanup tool to prepare your system for a smooth, fast, and painless transition to your SSD drive.
To do this, following the below steps.
1. In the Windows search bar type Disk Cleanup, and click on its link.
2. A box with a list of file types will open. Check the files you want to get rid of or delete. Most of them will be checked already, as they’re the files you don’t need like temp files and other data. Double check to make sure you didn’t include files you actually want to keep.
3. Click “Clean up system files.”
4. Click OK to begin the cleanup process.
Related: How to Create a Bootable Clone of your Windows 10 Drive
Cloning Windows 10 to an SSD drive
There are different methods you can use to clone Windows 10 OS to your SSD drive, some of which will require third-party tools to get the job done. The most common third-party tools you can use to clone Windows 10 without a reinstall to your SSD are EaseUS and AOMEI Backupper.
Using EaseUS software
EaseUS is a free cloning software that allows you to migrate Windows 10 without reinstalling the system on your SSD drive.
1. Download EaseUS Todo Backup clone software.
2. Launch and run the software on your computer.
Windows 10 Clone C Drive
3. Select “Clone.”
4. Select the disk partition you’d like cloned and the destination disk you want to save the cloned disk to, or to partition with data.
5. Click “Proceed” to start the cloning process or partition now.
6. Reboot your computer.
Note: in case you get an error saying the drive is too big, just delete more files from your HDD.
You can now continue using Windows 10 on your SSD drive. If you like, you can remove the old Windows HDD or use it as extra storage.
Using AOMEI Backupper software
AOMEI Backupper is another third-party tool you can use to move your OS to your SSD drive. It is easy to use, versatile, and offers data backup, disk cloning, disaster recovery, and file syncing solutions.
1. Download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard to your computer.
2. Connect your hard drive to your computer.
3. Launch the process by going to “Clone -> System Clone.”
4. A new window will open asking you where you’d like the OS files to be moved to.
5. Select your SSD drive.
6. Confirm your selection.
7. Click Next and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the cloning.
You have now successfully cloned your OS to the SSD drive.
The next steps
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After cloning your OS to the SSD drive, restore your personal files and user folders to the old and formatted HDD.
1. Create a new folder in your old drive to store personal files and user folders – give the folder whatever name you want – for example, MyOldStuff.
2. Go to “C://Users/<username>.” (Here you’ll see all your user folders.)
3. Right-click on each folder and select the “Properties -> Location” tab.
4. Click “Move.”
5. Select the new folder as the target. Avg antivirus business download.
All your folders will now be placed in the old drive (HDD).
To restore your personal files to the old HDD, follow the two steps below.
1. Open the backup destination (can be external storage, cloud, or another partition).
2. Drag all user files to the new user folders like My Documents/My Music or other user folders.
All your personal files will now be accessible, even if they’re not within the system partition.
Were you able to clone your OS successfully to your SSD drive? Comment below.
Image credit: AOMEI Backupper, EaseUS
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Disk cloning perfectly copies every bit of information from your computer’s hard drive to another disk. It replicates your computer’s operating system, drivers, software, and data. It creates a bootable backup of your hard drive, an exact copy of the original.
Carbon Copy Cloner has a name that exactly describes what is achieved, and is one of the best cloning apps in existence. That is if you’re on a Mac. We found it “Best Choice for Hard Drive Cloning” in our Best Backup Software for Mac review. What’s the closest alternative for a Windows user?
Note: There is currently no Carbon Copy Cloner for Windows, and the maker Bombich Software doesn’t plan to launch a Windows version. We reached out to Bombich on Twitter and here was their official reply:
No, we don’t have any plans for making Windows software, we’re 100% a Mac shop here.
— Bombich Software (@bombichsoftware) March 7, 2019
How Disk Cloning Software Can Help
The terms “disk cloning” and “disk imaging” are often used interchangeably, but technically, they’re not the same thing. TechRadar explains:
Disk cloning is the process of creating an exact, uncompressed replica of your system’s hard drive onto another drive. A related term that sometimes folks use interchangeably, but is not, is the process of disk imaging, which is to backup the hard drive to a compressed file. As hard drives fail more often than we want to admit, all computer users need to prepare for the worst and need disk cloning software.
Why is disk cloning software so useful?
What Can Disk Cloning Software Do For Me?
When you clone a drive, you’re making a backup. Not just a normal backup, but one with some surprising benefits:
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- If your computer or hard drive dies, you can boot from your clone drive and keep working. It’s the fastest way to get back on your feet after a disaster.
- Cloning software will allow you to replicate your setup on a computer with the same or similar hardware. Schools and other organizations do this a lot.
- If you purchase a new hard drive for your computer, a clone backup can put you back where you left off quickly and without fuss, without having to reinstall all your apps.
- It can give your computer a fresh start. Create a clone backup just after you install Windows and your apps, and everything’s running well, and keep it in a safe place. If in the future it breaks or bogs down, restoring it will make it run smoothly again.
- A clone backup doesn’t just contain your files, it also has the remnants of files that were lost or deleted. Data recovery software may be able to get back a valuable lost file from the clone.
Why Is Carbon Copy Cloner So Good?
Carbon Copy Cloner For Windows
When we reviewed the top Mac backup apps, we found Carbon Copy Cloner to be the “Best Choice for Hard Drive Cloning”. We’re not the only ones who are impressed. Even their competitor, EaseUS, give it respect:
Carbon Copy Cloner, which is simply called CCC, is a Mac only program. It’s so far the most downloaded application for data backup and restore, hard drive copy and clone.
Why is it so good? It suits beginners and power users by providing two modes: simple and advanced. A “Cloning Coach” will alert you to any configuration concerns, and it contains a range of backup features that go well beyond cloning, providing just about everything you need for a complete solution.
In short, Carbon Copy Cloner offers Mac users the easiest way to get up and running after a disaster. In the next section, we’ll introduce you to seven good alternatives (plus a spare) for Windows.
7 Carbon Copy Cloner Alternatives for Windows Users
1. Acronis True Image
Acronis True Image costs $49.99 for a single computer, can back up your PC or Mac, and includes cloning and imaging. It’s an all-around backup app that can handle local backups and cloud backups as well as cloning and was the winner of our Best Backup Software for Windows 10 review. We recommend it.
2. Paragon Drive Copy Professional
Paragon Drive Copy Professional is a specialized tool for creating clone drives and migrating your data. It’s licensed for home use and costs $49.95.
3. EaseUS Partition Master
EaseUS Partition Master 13.0 includes cloning of hard drives and partitions. It can also modify partitions with no data loss, and restore lost partitions. A free edition supports drives up to 8TB, and a Pro Edition is available for $39.95.
4. MiniTool Drive Copy
MiniTool Drive Copy Free is a free and easy-to-use tool that can copy your data from drive to drive or partition to partition.
5. Macrium Reflect
Macrium Reflect 7 Free Edition is a free backup, disk imaging and cloning solution for commercial and personal use. It includes a task scheduler and can create clones of your drive while Windows is running.
6. AOMEI Backupper
AOMEI Backupper Standard 4.6.2 is a multi-talented, free tool that will back up, sync, and clone your Windows system, apps, and data. It’s easy to use and suitable for both home and business use. In our review of The Best Backup Software for Windows 10, Thomas found it to be the best free backup system for Windows.
7. DriveImage XML
Carbon Copy Cloner Windows 10
DriveImage XML v2.60 is free for personal use (a commercial version is available for $100). You can copy directly from drive to drive, and backups can be scheduled. Your drive can be cloned while Windows is running, and DriveImage can also be run from a bootable CD.
8. Clonezilla
Here’s an extra suggestion I’ll give you for free that’s a bit different. It isn’t a Windows app—it runs on Linux—but bear with me here. Clonezilla has a cool name, runs from a bootable CD, can clone your Windows drive, and is absolutely free. It’s not the best option for beginners but works well. I used it successfully some years ago to clone a Windows server that was on its last legs.
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So What Should I Do?
That’s a long (and incomplete) list of Windows cloning programs. Which one is the best choice for you?
If you’re looking for full-featured backup software that can also clone drives, I recommend Acronis True Image. It’s a great all-around backup solution that’s worth paying for. Two good free alternatives are AOMEI Backupper Standard 4.6.2 and Macrium Reflect 7 Free Edition.
But if you’d rather use a specialist app that only does cloning and won’t cost you anything, give MiniTool Drive Copy Free or DriveImage XML v2.60 a try.
Finally, if you’ve realized it’s time to have a careful look at your complete PC backup strategy, check out our review of The Best Backup Software for Windows 10. It contains some excellent advice about backing up your PC, as well as recommendations of the top Windows software.
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