Unable to clone HD

[TjB3653]

I posted this in Tutorials last week, with no responses....maybe I'll have better luck here?

Can't Clone A Samsung Laptop....
Newbie here, and lost in space.

I've tried cloning my Samsung laptop at least 9 times using different programs, without success.
I have Windows home premium, an Intel i7 2675QM @ 2.20GHz processor. 4 GB Ram, 64bit, and a 1T HD.
I thought my HDD was starting to fail, as it would run slow, or appear to freeze up, occasionally.

I bought a Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD. I installed the Samsung Data Migration Software,
and tried to clone my HD, as Admin. It appeared to be working for about 2.5 Hours, 57%, then everything froze. The elapsed timers stopped. The HD light on my computer stayed solid, as did the light on the external device I had the SDD plugged into.
I waited for hours for it to move...it did not. I had to do a hard power shutdown to start up my laptop again.

I tried the procedure several more times. Samsung support was no help, as there was no error code, or any other information.

My 1T HD has 1 MBR Disk, with 3 partitions, and an iSSD. (I did shrink the partitions when I used Macrium)

I searched the forums, and FAQ's. I tried MSCONFIG to start only Microsoft related stuff. Nothing was running in the background.
I ran chkdisk a couple times, with no issues. I ran virus scans, and malware scans....all ok.
I tried a few more times...sometimes it would freeze at 56%, sometimes 57%....all different elapsed times around 2.5 hours. I tried letting it run over night after it froze....Nope!

I downloaded Macrium Reflect. That also froze up after cloning the 1st partition, (System) sucessfully.
The message was "Clone failed-Read failed- 22 - Invalid argument - 32 m_pSegmentToRestore->m_FileSystem.ReadFile failed
WriteFilemSystemData failed pDataRun == NULL RemapMFTRecord failed" Every time it showed 0% done.

I tried Macrium several times, and tried Samsung Data Migration several more times too.

To test myself, and the SSD I tried the whole process on an old Sony desktop running XP....it worked 100%, cloning just like it should.

I did try a couple other free programs, that I can't remember now, and I'm not real sure I was using them right.

I'm just an old guy so please be gentle, as I'm not very computer savvy....I know about enough to get myself into trouble.

Thanks for any help, or suggestions you can give me.

 

[essenbe]

Hello TjB3653 and welcome to the forums. Sorry you didn't get a response from your first post. The Samsung data migration tool is notoriously unreliable. Most people on this forum, including me, recommend Macrium. I have done exactly what you are trying to do quite a few times. The error message you received from Macrium sounds to be errors on your current hard drive.

If there at problems with your current hard drive causing read errors, I don't believe any clone program would work. It is, in very basic terms, trying to copy one drive to another. If it can't read one drive it won't be able to copy the files.

 

[mrjimphelps]

Try making an image rather than a clone.

Use Macrium Reflect Free.

 

[TjB3653]

Thank you for the quick replies. Essenbe, I think you're right, I used WD LifeGuard Diagnostics, and it too, stopped after awhile doing the extended test, although the quick test passed...but, is there a way to work around my HD errors.

Mr Phelps, I do have an image backed up on an eternal drive, but don't really know how to get it onto the SSD. Can I just copy it onto the SSD, and will it boot up my computer as a clone would?
Thanks guys

 

[essenbe]

Is it a Macrium image or something else?

 

[samuria]

If you clone a disk with bad sectors those sectors will be marked on the new drive

 

[TjB3653]

I have been doing Windows system images.

 

[mrjimphelps]

Mr Phelps, I do have an image backed up on an eternal drive, but don't really know how to get it onto the SSD. Can I just copy it onto the SSD, and will it boot up my computer as a clone would?

Make sure that the SSD is installed in the computer; then boot the computer with your backup software's emergency boot disk. Once you have booted that way, you will be able to do the restore to the SSD using the restore feature in the emergency boot disk environment.

I did that same thing several months ago, when I replaced my laptop's HDD with an SSD. I then set up TRIM on the SSD. Everything is perfect after doing that.

 

[TjB3653]

Mr Phelps....If I understand you correctly, I need a boot disk which I created some time ago, but I do not have the OS restore disks for Win 7....I bought this computer as a re-manufactured unit, and the OS is somewhere on the HD. So, I'm not really sure how I could restore my system. I think I'm in over my head...lol...but thanks.

 

[mrjimphelps]

I gather from your various posts here that the only good backups you have are ones you made using Windows backup tools. I'm not sure that Windows will allow you to make a standard emergency boot disk like the backup programs do. However, they may be similar options in Windows. (I'm not familiar with them.)

Here's a possibility: Make a Macrium emergency boot disk (it's called something other than that in Macrium); be sure to include the USB drivers on the disk; then boot from that disk. Now try to do a backup of your disk to the external hard drive. It's just possible that there is some Windows issue snagging you here, and if you bypass Windows (that is what happens when you boot with the emergency boot disk), you might be able to get the backup successfully done. And be sure to do an image rather than a clone.

Another possibility: Install your laptop's hard drive into a desktop computer as the 2nd hard drive; then back it up using that computer.

Good luck.

 

[mjf]

For Windows inbuilt system imaging you restore using a system repair boot disc. In the "Backup and Restore" screen there is an option "Create a system repair disk".
Windows imaging has a constraint that you must restore to a drive at least as large as the original irrespective of the size of the information being imaged. Macrium does not have this constraint.

If you don't have a good system image then you probably need to do a clean install or factory restore and you could contact Samsung to obtain restore discs if needed.

 

[TjB3653]

Mr Phelps...
Thank you. I was able to make a "rescue disk" using Macrium, and a HD image to an external HD. I also made an image of the "Disk 2 iSSD" of about 8 GB. My Mission, (should I choose to accept it ), will be to do as you suggest, install the SSD, and start with the boot disk, and restore, using it.
Unfortunately, I have a bunch of stuff I have to do today, some using my laptop.....I hope to get to my "mission" later tonight, or tomorrow.

"MJF"....yes, I have the Win restore disk, and system image created with backup and restore. The support person I talked to at Samsung didn't appear interested in sending me the restore disks, and I didn't pursue the issue....I probably should, as I have all the documentation from when I bought the laptop.

Thanks again, guys....
I will report back when I can.

 

[mrjimphelps]

I'll make sure that the tape doesn't self-destruct till you have had time to restore the image to the SSD!

As far as factory rebuild disks for your computer, there may be an option in Windows for making these disks. HP and other brands have that option. Be forewarned that HP (and perhaps your computer as well) gives you only one chance to make the rescue disks, so proceed very carefully.

 

[TjB3653]

Impossible Mission Accomplished !!

Mr Phelps....it took me awhile, but I think I succeeded. It took over 8.5 hours to do the image transfer, and then I couldn't boot, but with Macrium's help, and program, everything appears to be working now.....and quicker with a SSD.

Thank you a billion times....I was in way over my head, but with your help, and the forum, I did it!!

Thanks also to Essenbe, MJF, and Samuria for your advice and input.

You guys are GREAT !!!

THANKS again !!

 

[mrjimphelps]

Glad you got it done!

Now make sure you do regular image backups, so that if something goes wrong, you can easily get back in business. I personally think that once a month is good enough, because:
(1) You'll actually do it, because it isn't that often.
(2) Your data won't be that old.

And if you have a critically-important document that is less than a month old, you can always make a backup copy of that one document (e.g. email it to yourself), so that it isn't lost because your drive failed before that document made it into a monthly backup.

 

[TjB3653]

OOPS....well, I said I know enough to get into trouble....I started messing with performance settings, and other stuff with Samsung Magician, and now I can't boot up. I get to the user screen, and then it goes black. I am only starting in Safe Mode. First thing I did was create a restore point before I starting doing stuff, but I'm not seeing any restore points. Should I repeat the whole image process again? Sorry to be so needy. I tried the Macrium boot repair, but that won't fix it either.
Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[TjB3653]

UPDATE to OOPS

OK< after messing around a bit, I restored the "tweaks" that got me in trouble, and used Macrium boot repair a few times, and appear to be back in business. I will create another restore point, and do an image backup....now.
Thanks for listening !!

 

[TjB3653]

Damn

Spoke too soon....as soon as I tried to open up a program, laptop crashed, and won't boot up again....back to the drawing board!! Weird, as I was able to get online, and post on the forum.....now using my painfully slow XP desk top.

 

[TjB3653]

Just to keep you informed. Got booted up again. Was able to create a restore point. Will try running some programs.....keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[TjB3653]

Just to keep you informed. Got booted up again. Was able to create a restore point. Will try running some programs.....keeping my fingers crossed.