Solved Move my OS to my new HDD

[aneslin85]

Hello Forum,
I bought a new HDD, What I need is to move all data to my new HDD. I need to use the new HDD as my boot. and I am going to remove my old HDD.

New HDD is 500GB

Old one is 250GB, with 2 partition. one is boot another one for my programme files and documents ( windows user files )

My OS is Win8 Pro ( upgraded from Win8 )
I have a 1TB External Drive with 400GB free space.

TYhe important hing is I need the exact same drive names C: and D:, because Its sync with my online cloude backup.


Thank You

 

[TVeblen]

Well, it depends on what you got.

If it's a desktop you can install the new drive and then clone the old drive to the new drive (using disk imaging software) and be done with it.

If it is a laptop you can create an image of your entire drive (using disk imaging software) to you external drive (the image will be approx. one half the size of all the data on both partitions at normal compression) and then restore the image to your new drive.

You can re-size the partitions afterward using Windows Disk Management, or a third party program like Partition Wizard.

 

[Night Hawk]

If you have the room for a second drive as you would see on a desktop you can create a full image from the 250gb to temporarily store on the external 1tb drive provided the image isn't too large and see it restore onto the new 500gb. I wouldn't recommend resizing the C volume once restored however.

If you have no plans to see a fresh install of Windows on the new drive the first thing to take care of would be running the System File Checker tool as well as scheduling a run of the Disk Check tool to make sure everything as far as any drive errors or problems with system files is taken care of before creating the image. You want everything to be in the best possible working order before seeing the hardware change.

For creating the system image you have two options one being the built in backup tool or the use of a 3rd party program like free version of Acronis provided by both Western Digital and Seagate(rebranded to Disk Wizard) which will compress images down much further then seen with the Windows option. That may even allow you to grab a pair of images in case of one not going so well while these are usually quite reliable.

 

[aneslin85]

Well, it depends on what you got.

If it's a desktop you can install the new drive and then clone the old drive to the new drive (using disk imaging software) and be done with it.

Thank You.
I hv cloed the drive using Drive Image XML. but it didnt boot.
How can I make it to boot?
Thank You

 

[aneslin85]

I tried with Win8 Repair Disk created from Win8 Pro. but it didnt make it to boot.
I dont have a physical Win8 Disk. But I have a physical Win 7 Home Premium x64 disk. Can I do any repairs with that disk? I scared to do that because I hv upgraded win7 to win8 Pro

 

[theog]

Windows 8 Upgrade ISO - Redownload

System Recovery Options - Boot to in Windows 8

How to do a Auto Repair:
Automatic Repair - Run in Windows 8
How do a Refresh:
Refresh Windows 8

How to do a Reset:
Reset Windows 8

 

[TVeblen]

Are both drives still connected?
You may need to temporarily disconnect the old drive.

 

[Night Hawk]

If the old drive was still plugged in that would see 8 start up ifrom still having the original installation intact. This is why creating a full system image and restoring that to the new drive would like have seen immediate results.

You may still see have to see a clean install however where a backup made with the Windows Easy Transfer tool for files and settings restored onto the clean install once you have all the same programs back on again. How to use Windows Easy Transfer to transfer files and settings in Windows 8

Cloning drives usually works best when both drives are identical not seeing different sizes or by different manufacturers.

 

[aneslin85]

Are both drives still connected?
You may need to temporarily disconnect the old drive.

No, my System image in an external harddisk. and I have connected my new cloned HDD on sata0.

 

[aneslin85]

Windows 8 Upgrade ISO - Redownload

System Recovery Options - Boot to in Windows 8

How to do a Auto Repair:
Automatic Repair - Run in Windows 8
How do a Refresh:
Refresh Windows 8

How to do a Reset:
Reset Windows 8

I tried this. When I boot in Repair Disk and try to do system image restore it gives me an error message, that says that HDD is in active mode. Without active mode. it wint boot. I spent 2 whole days to fix this. but I couldnt

 

[Night Hawk]

If you have the image on a 3rd external drive you could try booting up from the first drive still seeing 7 on it to try restoring the image to the new drive from there rather then booting live from the repair cd. Then you simply change the new drive to the default boot setting. There may be a problem with the repair cd itself.

 

[frumbert]

hmm, just jumping in here, but it sounds like the age old problem where microsoft haven't every gott around to making a way for a user to upgrade their hard drive, even though people (ime) have been asking for it since Windows 3.1. You have to BUY someone elses software in order to clone the drive and then extend the partition (although, yes extending partitions into free space can be done since XP, but not shrinking or resizing). It sounds like the "clone then reinstall" option doesn't work now, is that true?

 

[TVeblen]

I tried this. When I boot in Repair Disk and try to do system image restore it gives me an error message, that says that HDD is in active mode. Without active mode. it wint boot. I spent 2 whole days to fix this. but I couldnt

I think we are going to have to see what is going on here.
Can you post a screenshot of the Disk Management Window?

• Expand the window so we can see the top and bottom sections and can read all the words
• We need to see both drives, new and old

I suspect that the problem is with the 100MB System Reserved partition, the ACTIVE partition flags, or a GPT format drive.

Did this desktop computer come with Windows 8 pre-installed?

 

[Night Hawk]

hmm, just jumping in here, but it sounds like the age old problem where microsoft haven't every gott around to making a way for a user to upgrade their hard drive, even though people (ime) have been asking for it since Windows 3.1. You have to BUY someone elses software in order to clone the drive and then extend the partition (although, yes extending partitions into free space can be done since XP, but not shrinking or resizing). It sounds like the "clone then reinstall" option doesn't work now, is that true?

Windows Vista Ultimate and Corporate to be followed by all editions of Windows 7 include the option for creating a full system image backup. There's an SF guide you can look over to see how to use it. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html

With that or downloading the free version of Acronis provided by WD or Seagate where they rebranded their's to Disk Wizard you don't have to buy anything. The backup option in 7 has been found quite reliable as well as simply downloading Acronis separately.

I tried this. When I boot in Repair Disk and try to do system image restore it gives me an error message, that says that HDD is in active mode. Without active mode. it wint boot. I spent 2 whole days to fix this. but I couldnt

I think we are going to have to see what is going on here.
Can you post a screenshot of the Disk Management Window?

• Expand the window so we can see the top and bottom sections and can read all the words
• We need to see both drives, new and old

I suspect that the problem is with the 100MB System Reserved partition, the ACTIVE partition flags, or a GPT format drive.

Did this desktop computer come with Windows 8 pre-installed?

It came with 8 Home preinstalled and he upgraded to 8 Pro afterwards. Something probably foobarred during the clone however where something wasn't fully copied over or written properly. In fact the entire volume could be tainted from a bad clone and why a full image being restored usually goes much faster and reliably.

 

[TVeblen]

True that.

I am focusing on that "active partition" warning and thinking about that.

I also am thinking it could be the UEFI/GPT setup, where there is a hidden SYSTEM partition (not to be confused with the Windows System Reserved partition). I'm wondering if older versions of imaging programs can deal with that setup.

 

[aneslin85]

OK Guys. I hav successfully cloned my Boot HDD in Win 8.

I hv used True Image 2013 by Acronis trial, and it just did exactly what I want.

Thank You forum and people who help me to know a lot of things about HDD cloning.

Thank You again.
Cheers

 

[Night Hawk]

There you go! Acronis does it again!