Solved Best way to clone my boot drive


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rpetruzz

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Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2
I have a Western Digital Black 1tb SN850X as the boot drive in my AMD based desktop PC. I've ordered a new Western Digital 2tb SN850X to upgrade the boot drive. I have licenses for both AOMEI Partition Assistant and Macrium Reflect. I want to be able to just swap out the 1tb for the 2tb drive. Can you tell me which software I should use to get the result I want? What process in the software should I use. Macrium has Clone vs Image and I'm not sure about which process I would use. AOMEI has Clone and COPY partition. I'm equally unsure about which way to go with AOMEI. I'm hoping not to do this by trial and (as usual for me) error. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Pro / 23H2 / 22631.3737

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2AMD Ryzen 9 9950XCORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) ...NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero AMD X870E AM5 ATX
    Memory
    CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) 6000MHz CL30
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition
    Sound Card
    On motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 - NEC PA241W
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    1 - WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 C:
    1 - WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 D:
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low Noise ATX
    Case
    Corsair 7000D AirFlow
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i Elite CAPELLIX XT Liquid CPU Cooler
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    Xfinity - 900mbs
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  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current 25H2Intel Core i7 9750H32gb - Kingston DDR4 1333 Mhz Dual channelNVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max Q
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Maingear Element
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 9750H
    Motherboard
    Intel LAPQC71B
    Memory
    32gb - Kingston DDR4 1333 Mhz Dual channel
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max Q
    Sound Card
    On board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2tb INTEL SSD PEKNW020T8
    PSU
    On board
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    On Board
    Mouse
    TeckNet
    Internet Speed
    Xfinity 900 mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I'm familiar with Macrium Reflect. Honestly using either method, Image or Clone, will work. Using either method however you have to pay attention to settings when moving to a larger drive otherwise you'll end up with unformatted/unused space on the larger drive. It's not complex you just have to pay attention.

I have Cloned dozens of HDDs to larger SSDs using MR. Sometimes smaller SSDs on older systems.
 

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Win 7/10/11
OS
Win 7/10/11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Other Info
I'm a computer enthusiast so have quite a few systems that I run. More like an advanced hobby.
MACRUIM REFLECT

If you clone your SSD to the larger SSD it will be same size and you will unallocated space.

If you start the clone process and then change to copy larger disk will be fully allocated.
 

My Computer My Computer

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windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering onlyIntel i51140016 GB0
OS
windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
CPU
Intel i511400
Motherboard
ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
Memory
16 GB
Graphics Card(s)
0
Sound Card
0
Monitor(s) Displays
25 in BenQ
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
PSU
600w
Case
Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
Internet Speed
Bell pure fibre optic. 3 GB package. 6E Wireless adapter 1.5GB/ 1.0 GB best result
Browser
Firefox, Microsoft Edge
Antivirus
Defender
As was stated if you clone you will have to do some manual partitioning to be able to utilize the extra space. I always image, I never clone. I take an image of the old drive, replace the drive, and restore the image to the new drive. Macrium will do it all, initialize, partition, and restore
With Macrium, your can resize your C: partitition during the restore process to utilize the extra space so there is no need for manual partitioning.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9457i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9457
Thanks for the replies.... I did find a Macrium video on cloning


This seems to imply that I can do it using cloning. It seems simple enough so I'm going to start that way. I don't have to worry about pulling my hair out over this.... Its fallen out already ;-)

If this fails I'll be giving the other methods trial and error(s)..
Bob
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2AMD Ryzen 9 9950XCORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) ...NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero AMD X870E AM5 ATX
    Memory
    CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) 6000MHz CL30
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition
    Sound Card
    On motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 - NEC PA241W
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    1 - WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 C:
    1 - WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 D:
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low Noise ATX
    Case
    Corsair 7000D AirFlow
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i Elite CAPELLIX XT Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Sidewinder
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    Xfinity - 900mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current 25H2Intel Core i7 9750H32gb - Kingston DDR4 1333 Mhz Dual channelNVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max Q
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Maingear Element
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 9750H
    Motherboard
    Intel LAPQC71B
    Memory
    32gb - Kingston DDR4 1333 Mhz Dual channel
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max Q
    Sound Card
    On board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2tb INTEL SSD PEKNW020T8
    PSU
    On board
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    On Board
    Mouse
    TeckNet
    Internet Speed
    Xfinity 900 mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Hello,
Just to follow up on my question and my results. The new 2tb SSD came yesterday. I followed the instructions in the video link I posted above and Macrium did expand the data volume from the 1tb SSD I was replacing to the 2tb SSD. I powered down and removed the 1tb boot SSD and installed the cloned 2tb SSD and my desktop PC just booted up like nothing had changed. Easy peasy........... thanks for all your suggestions
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2AMD Ryzen 9 9950XCORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) ...NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero AMD X870E AM5 ATX
    Memory
    CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) 6000MHz CL30
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition
    Sound Card
    On motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 - NEC PA241W
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    1 - WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 C:
    1 - WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 D:
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low Noise ATX
    Case
    Corsair 7000D AirFlow
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i Elite CAPELLIX XT Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Sidewinder
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    Xfinity - 900mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current 25H2Intel Core i7 9750H32gb - Kingston DDR4 1333 Mhz Dual channelNVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max Q
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Maingear Element
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 9750H
    Motherboard
    Intel LAPQC71B
    Memory
    32gb - Kingston DDR4 1333 Mhz Dual channel
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max Q
    Sound Card
    On board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2tb INTEL SSD PEKNW020T8
    PSU
    On board
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    On Board
    Mouse
    TeckNet
    Internet Speed
    Xfinity 900 mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Don't forget to mark the thread solved.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win11Intel® Core™ i7-1255U16 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 x 8 GB); 512 GB PCIe...
    OS
    Win11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    2023 HP Pavilion 15t-eg200
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 x 8 GB); 512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080

  • At a glance

    Win 11 23H213th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700T 1.40 GHz500GB Samsung M.2 SSD WD HD 1TB RAM 16GBGForce RTX 3050
    Operating System
    Win 11 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP AIO
    CPU
    13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700T 1.40 GHz
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    500GB Samsung M.2 SSD WD HD 1TB RAM 16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GForce RTX 3050
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung M.2 SSD
    WD HD 1TB
Thanks for that, I forgot. I guess you marked it for me.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2AMD Ryzen 9 9950XCORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) ...NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current. 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero AMD X870E AM5 ATX
    Memory
    CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 96GB (2x48GB) 6000MHz CL30
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition
    Sound Card
    On motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 - NEC PA241W
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    1 - WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 C:
    1 - WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 D:
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i Fully Modular Ultra-Low Noise ATX
    Case
    Corsair 7000D AirFlow
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i Elite CAPELLIX XT Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Sidewinder
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    Xfinity - 900mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current 25H2Intel Core i7 9750H32gb - Kingston DDR4 1333 Mhz Dual channelNVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max Q
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro X64 - always current 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Maingear Element
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 9750H
    Motherboard
    Intel LAPQC71B
    Memory
    32gb - Kingston DDR4 1333 Mhz Dual channel
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max Q
    Sound Card
    On board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    2tb INTEL SSD PEKNW020T8
    PSU
    On board
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    On Board
    Mouse
    TeckNet
    Internet Speed
    Xfinity 900 mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I did not. Not sure who did.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win11Intel® Core™ i7-1255U16 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 x 8 GB); 512 GB PCIe...
    OS
    Win11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    2023 HP Pavilion 15t-eg200
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 x 8 GB); 512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080

  • At a glance

    Win 11 23H213th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700T 1.40 GHz500GB Samsung M.2 SSD WD HD 1TB RAM 16GBGForce RTX 3050
    Operating System
    Win 11 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP AIO
    CPU
    13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700T 1.40 GHz
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    500GB Samsung M.2 SSD WD HD 1TB RAM 16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    GForce RTX 3050
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung M.2 SSD
    WD HD 1TB

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel Series 3 Core Ultra X9 388H64GB LPDDR5x 9600 MT/sIntel Arc graphics B390 Panther Lake
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 DA16260
    CPU
    Intel Series 3 Core Ultra X9 388H
    Memory
    64GB LPDDR5x 9600 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Arc graphics B390 Panther Lake
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" 3.2K Tandem OLED Infinity Edge
    Screen Resolution
    3200 x 2000 16:10 236 PPI
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    NPU delivering 67 TOPS
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft Office 365
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon® X Elite (12 Core) with Hexagon NP...32GB LPDDR5x 8448 MT/sIntegrated Adreno GPU
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Snapdragon® X Elite (12 Core) with Hexagon NPU delivering 45 TOPS
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Adreno GPU
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.8″ PixelSense Flow touchscreen 120 Hz 600 NIT
    Screen Resolution
    2304 × 1536 (201 PPI), 3:2 aspect ratio
    Hard Drives
    1 TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft Office 365
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio 2026
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
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