Migrating Win 11 install from 1TB SSD to 256gb NVME - Using Linux

Being a Linux dude, I attempted this by, booting Ubuntu USB, into "Try Linux Mode", and;

• Using fdisk to identify last sector of last partition on Windows Disk, and sector size
• Calculated total count of sectors to be copied,
• Created GPT partition table on NVMe disk
• Executed "dd" command using block size of 4096 (8x secors), and using count=(total num sectors/8)

Copy executed OK, but Windows failed to boot.

Luckily only 3x apps needed, so new install, was quicker than trying to figure it out.

Next time, may just create clonezilla usb, but any ideas what was missing from above?
Don't like the method of just dd'ing complete 1TB disk to 256gb disk, and letting dd exit out.

Silvio said:

Being a Linux dude, I attempted this by, booting Ubuntu USB, into "Try Linux Mode", and;

• Using fdisk to identify last sector of last partition on Windows Disk, and sector size
• Calculated total count of sectors to be copied,
• Created GPT partition table on NVMe disk
• Executed "dd" command using block size of 4096 (8x secors), and using count=(total num sectors/8)

Copy executed OK, but Windows failed to boot.

Luckily only 3x apps needed, so new install, was quicker than trying to figure it out.

Next time, may just create clonezilla usb, but any ideas what was missing from above?
Don't like the method of just dd'ing complete 1TB disk to 256gb disk, and letting dd exit out.

Click to expand...

@Silvio

Easiest way for Linux users (also works for "cloning" Linux systems too")

1) obtain download bootable copy of gparted
2) boot it with the Windows disks also connected --
3) on bootable gparted boot it (free download) select don't touch keymap, select the keyboard for your country and hit enter
4) hit enter again at the next prompt which then starts the GUI.

now the work :

5) create new partition table on the target device (gpt)
6) from the source device /(dev/sdx) select each partition in turn and select copy
7) select target device (dev/sdy) and apply
8) for the efi partition on the target device choose manage flags and set to boot, esp
9) remove source disk and reboot into windows.

Note on partition copy on the target device you can re-size / adjust partitions for the partition though the data on the source partition must fit on the target partition

i.e if source partition is 500GB but data is only 40GB then you can copy into a 40GB partition (i'd add 5% though or whatever if you need more space).

(Create bootable gparted via Rufus- windows or simply dd - linux)

gparted from here :




Cheers
jimbo

The Linux LiveUSB Thumb drives usually include GPARTED and there's also a downloadable GPARTED LiveCD .iso file that can be used to burn a bootable CD-R disc.

Thanks for that, I may have tried your method in the past and forgot the setting EFI partition flags.

In the past, may even have tangled with also manually copying MBR on MBR setups (aaaargh)

Thank God for EFI.

Tempted to try copy from NVME to SSD, just for fun.

Berton said:

The Linux LiveUSB Thumb drives usually include GPARTED and there's also a downloadable GPARTED LiveCD .iso file that can be used to burn a bootable CD-R disc.

Click to expand...

The problem with some of these "built in" gparted systems is that they don't always have all the stuff required for copying partitions correctly.
bootable gparted is regularly updated -- based on very stable debian type system and always without fail works. (It has so far for absolutely Donkeys years).

It's also got a terminal command mode both in superuser and basic user mode if you need it.

It's a good thing to have on a bootable thumb drive.

Cheers
jimbo

Even I have a Gparted Live USB stick.





My bootable Minitool Partition Wizard, only boots with Secure Boot disabled. Thanks Microsoft. :/

I don't use GPARTED [GNU Partition Editor] for copying partitions, only for creating, deleting, manipulating their sizes/locations, fully cleaning drives.

Just tried Gparted on (Ubuntu Live USB), to copy 256gb Win11 from nvme to SSD.

Win 11 boot failed, saying device missing.
Startup repair, also failed.

Time to try good old Clonezilla.

Just an update.

• I was attempting to clone Nvme Windows 11 install, onto SSD
• Will try cloning Nvme to Nvme, to see if result difffers,
• The, fact that I had to manually adjust partition flags, after "copy", causes concern
• Looks like partition comparison is in order (Yawn)

Silvio said:

Just an update.

• I was attempting to clone Nvme Windows 11 install, onto SSD
• Will try cloning Nvme to Nvme, to see if result difffers,
• The, fact that I had to manually adjust partition flags, after "copy", causes concern
• Looks like partition comparison is in order (Yawn)

Click to expand...

You need to set the EFI partition to "bootable, ESP".

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

You need to set the EFI partition to "bootable, ESP".

Cheers
jimbo

Click to expand...

Yep tried that, did not work.

Will try full disk copy with dd, later.

Silvio said:

Yep tried that, did not work.

Will try full disk copy with dd, later.

Click to expand...

Note also that EFI partition needs to be formatted as FAT32 not NTFS.

Cheers
jimbo

So the initial post queried how to migrate Win 11 install from 1TB ssd to 256gb NVME..

Initial attempts failed, so I gave up and just did fresh install on nvme.
Not happy with leaving it there, I re-attempted the reverse, migration from 256gb NVME to 500gb SSD, here are the results.

Update,

1. Created "latest" Linux Ubuntu usb,
2. Booted off that, into "Try Ubuntu Mode",
3. Open terminal, used "dd" command, to clone Win11/23H2 from 256gb nvme disk, to 500gb SSD,
4. Checked SSD afterwards with gparted, and allowed it to correct GPT partition table, for larger disk,
5. Verified cloned disk partitions flags, (No changes needed)
6. Moved SSD from usb port, to SATA P0 in machine.
7. Machine booted, no issues, first time..

Objective achieved.