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#1
Cloning questions re: upgrading to SSD
I have never attempted to clone a drive before, so this is a new one for me. Plus, the SSD is going to be 2x the size of the original drive. Current machine is a Windows 7 64 bit, and am going to start a new build. Haven't decided about Windows 8 yet. So, the questions are:
1. Macrium Professional seems to be able to clone to "dissimilar hardware". I assume that means it can clone a Western HD to a larger SSD with no issues. Per some threads, there are issues with Norton Ghost and Windows 7 64 bit, so is Macrium the best choice, or should I be thinking of other software?
2. Dumb question perhaps, but the new SSD, with the cloned image, should be able to be inserted into a new build, with my existing registry information, and be bootable, correct? Any software issues normally encountered while doing this?
Any known issues with Windows 7 64 bit on being transferred to new hardware/box?
I have heard I may have to do something with MS Office Pro due to the other changes in the computer that would be taking place due to the new build (motherboard, cpu, memory, etc.)
3. Particularly with Windows 8 coming out, if my existing build is with Windows 7 64 bit, can I install Windows 8 on the new SSD, and somehow restore all programs to the SSD, as opposed to a complete clone? Any advantages / disadvantages?
4. If cloning does cause issues with the software operating properly (OS or one of the software packages), I could always resort to loading a new drive with my software. While laborious, if this causes a more trouble free environment, that's what I would do. Any thoughts on this?
5. Can I retain the original drive as a backup, or should I be using imaging software at that point?
Appreciate your thoughts on this. Thx,