Installing a larger hard drive is one of the most common upgrades. Many users prefer to set it up as a secondary drive to move all their personal files there, but on laptops or compact systems with no extra bays, the best option is to clone the existing drive. In the past, cloning disks was quite tedious; however, today we have free tools that simplify the process considerably.
I imagine many of our readers, especially those who lived through the MS-DOS era, remember the venerable Norton Ghost. Two drives connected, a couple of configuration tweaks, and then wait. In some cases the job took a bit longer, but it was always worth it. The advantages of disk cloning weren't limited to data backup, but also included avoiding the entire installation process, including the operating system, programs, and drivers. Fortunately, these advantages are as valid as ever, and on top of that, the tools have improved. More advanced users might feel comfortable with tools that work "outside" the operating system, like CloneZilla. But if you use Windows and prefer something simpler, the free version of Macrium Reflect is an excellent choice.
The Cloning Process
- Connect the drive that will receive the clone to your computer and let Windows detect it as a new drive (no need to format; if it asks for an extra reboot, allow it). Then, download a copy of Macrium Reflect Free (it's actually a launcher that downloads the main files) and install it. Registration is not required at any step.
- In the main interface, select the disk you want to clone and click "Clone this Disk". In the next section, choose the new disk as the destination, and if you want an exact replica, make sure the box next to "Copy selected partitions when I click Next" is checked. If the new disk is larger than the old one, you'll need to specify the partition sizes beforehand. Select the partition, click "Cloned partition properties", and set its final size to take advantage of the rest of the drive's space.
- The program will offer the option to "schedule" the clone, but you don't need that. Just choose "Backup now" and let Macrium Reflect Free do its job. The speed depends on your computer, both drives, and the content on the source drive. If it's a relatively clean installation, Macrium will take just a few minutes, but if we're talking about hundreds of gigabytes... better arm yourself with patience.
- Once the clone is finished, all that's left is to change the boot order in your computer's BIOS so it uses the new drive with the cloned data. If for some strange reason Windows refuses to start, the automatic repair options on a DVD or USB drive with the OS installation files should fix any issue. As a last resort, your previous drive remains intact, and you can always boot from it.
It goes without saying that cloning works perfectly for solid-state drives, and Macrium Reflect Free also allows you to clone to smaller disks, but you must ensure the data volume "fits" on that disk, or you'll get an error during cloning. This text combined with the official Macrium video should clear up any additional doubts. Good luck!
