Seagate Free Agent 2.0 USB drive doesn't boot after cloning Windows 11 pro.


I was finally able( or so I thought) to make a portable full Windows with RUFUS 4.42103 p. on a Kingston USB 3.0 pen drive but I am not out of the woods yet.

I had set the Kingston USB key as a1st boot priority in the BIOS. The boot started with a never ending “ getting ready” prompt, but it never booted. After a couple of minutes I got a message “ the computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpected error. Windows cannot proceed with the installation”.

When I checked the USB drive I was surprised that all my programs, applications and files were gone and the portable Windows contained a fresh Windows ISO installation, not the full current OS , even though I had taken care that RUFUS was set for the full ISO image containing all my apps.

There is no point for me in going through all this if I cannot have in the USB drive my current OS with all the Apps and personal documents. .

I wonder if I’ll ever able be to solve this problem! Any ideas of what is wrong?



Thanks



Gundo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
Try formatting the USB using RUFUS first, before creating the to Go USB.

  • Select USB
  • Select Non bootable
  • Click start

Clip-1465.png



You can also Show advanced drive properties


Win-1466.png



Show advanced format options


Win-1467.png


Cheers.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5039
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    100/40Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
When I checked the USB drive I was surprised that all my programs, applications and files were gone and the portable Windows contained a fresh Windows ISO installation, not the full current OS , even though I had taken care that RUFUS was set for the full ISO image containing all my apps.

Is this .ISO that has all your apps and such made from your existing Windows installation?

If so, can you boot from the .ISO directly (say if you were to put it on a DVD)?

I suspect not - if you want to install Windows To Go via Rufus, it needs to be from a bootable Windows installation disc. Without the .ISO being bootable, it won't have the necessary files to make the installation bootable.

So, let's backtrack.

What, exactly, are you trying to accomplish here?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 RGB + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge , Arc
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
If I want to do a full Windows 11 backup of my data including apps and documents, do I have to select the entire disk or just the partition containing the current OS? So far I had selected only the partition C:\ of disk 2.as a backup source May be this is the problem.

I attach a screenshot of the Disk Management layout

Thanks

Gundo
 

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  • Disk Management.webp
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
Here is the thing. For backup that you can use to RESTORE to a working installation if that one partition goes bad, you need the one partition.

If you need to restore it because the HD goes bad, for example it is not booting, or experiences a full crash, where some / all data is lost, you need all the partitions. Similarly, to clone it so it is bootable from a different hard drive / SSD, you need to clone all the partitions (technically, you'd only need *one* of those recovery partitions, but you'd have to figure out which one you need for your current install, and they are quite small, relatively speaking, so it won't hurt to just do the whole drive). The OS partition doesn't have all the boot information to actually boot from.

Since the more effective backup strategy is the whole disk backup (as this covered a single partition failure, multiple partition failure, and entire drive failure), from which you can restore just the partitions needed or the entire drive, you're much better off doing all the partitions instead of the single system partition. So, there is no need for 2 backups sets, one being that one partition and another being the whole drive. And the whole drive backup will only be (at most) 1.3 GB larger, as those other 3 partitions are tiny (100 MB + ~600 MB + ~660 MB = ~1360 MB). And probably not that large, unless those tiny partitions are actually full.

Now, that all being said, were you trying to make the bootable Windows on your external drive for the purpose to have a backup way to log in and get back working, or to take with you to other computers and boot from with your own installation? Either way, creating a Windows to Go from Rufus would require that you start with a fresh installation .ISO to create a new Windows to Go installation, and would have to set that up independently. The benefit here is that it would be set up properly as a bootable OS from an external drive, and would be completely independent of your existing OS on your computer, and would not have to be updated very often as the data on the WinToGo install would be of limited use - i.e. you'd only use it when you needed to, and mostly for the purposes of having a way to restore your computer's actual OS back to the original drive / a new (replacement) drive, instead of having to boot via DVD or USB to your backup program's restore program.

But if you are trying to clone your entire system to run from the external drive, then it could (potentially) have issues if you took it to another computer, as it would be set up for your computer with your hardware and the related drivers, etc. Even then, though, if your aim is to have your entire system cloned to the external drive, every time you make a backup you'd have to clone it to the external drive to be a current copy (mainly for your data, as that is what will be changing the most).

So, that is why I am asking what, exactly, is your aim here.

1. Are you simply making backups that you can use to restore data from in the event of some sort of failure?

2. Are you trying to make a Windows To Go installation as a way to be able to have something to boot to with a full OS environment for a variety of reasons (hardware failure, just for fun, to play with WTG, etc.)

3. Are you trying to actually clone your OS and data to a second, external drive, for a (specific) purpose?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 RGB + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge , Arc
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
Here is the thing. For backup that you can use to RESTORE to a working installation if that one partition goes bad, you need the one partition.

If you need to restore it because the HD goes bad, for example it is not booting, or experiences a full crash, where some / all data is lost, you need all the partitions. Similarly, to clone it so it is bootable from a different hard drive / SSD, you need to clone all the partitions (technically, you'd only need *one* of those recovery partitions, but you'd have to figure out which one you need for your current install, and they are quite small, relatively speaking, so it won't hurt to just do the whole drive). The OS partition doesn't have all the boot information to actually boot from.

Since the more effective backup strategy is the whole disk backup (as this covered a single partition failure, multiple partition failure, and entire drive failure), from which you can restore just the partitions needed or the entire drive, you're much better off doing all the partitions instead of the single system partition. So, there is no need for 2 backups sets, one being that one partition and another being the whole drive. And the whole drive backup will only be (at most) 1.3 GB larger, as those other 3 partitions are tiny (100 MB + ~600 MB + ~660 MB = ~1360 MB). And probably not that large, unless those tiny partitions are actually full.

Now, that all being said, were you trying to make the bootable Windows on your external drive for the purpose to have a backup way to log in and get back working, or to take with you to other computers and boot from with your own installation? Either way, creating a Windows to Go from Rufus would require that you start with a fresh installation .ISO to create a new Windows to Go installation, and would have to set that up independently. The benefit here is that it would be set up properly as a bootable OS from an external drive, and would be completely independent of your existing OS on your computer, and would not have to be updated very often as the data on the WinToGo install would be of limited use - i.e. you'd only use it when you needed to, and mostly for the purposes of having a way to restore your computer's actual OS back to the original drive / a new (replacement) drive, instead of having to boot via DVD or USB to your backup program's restore program.

But if you are trying to clone your entire system to run from the external drive, then it could (potentially) have issues if you took it to another computer, as it would be set up for your computer with your hardware and the related drivers, etc. Even then, though, if your aim is to have your entire system cloned to the external drive, every time you make a backup you'd have to clone it to the external drive to be a current copy (mainly for your data, as that is what will be changing the most).

So, that is why I am asking what, exactly, is your aim here.

1. Are you simply making backups that you can use to restore data from in the event of some sort of failure?

2. Are you trying to make a Windows To Go installation as a way to be able to have something to boot to with a full OS environment for a variety of reasons (hardware failure, just for fun, to play with WTG, etc.)

3. Are you trying to actually clone your OS and data to a second, external drive, for a (specific) purpose?
My aim is to
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
aomei-wtg1jpg.webp

aomei-wtg2.webp

aomei-wtg3.webp
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7,Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7,win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
Here is the thing. For backup that you can use to RESTORE to a working installation if that one partition goes bad, you need the one partition.

If you need to restore it because the HD goes bad, for example it is not booting, or experiences a full crash, where some / all data is lost, you need all the partitions. Similarly, to clone it so it is bootable from a different hard drive / SSD, you need to clone all the partitions (technically, you'd only need *one* of those recovery partitions, but you'd have to figure out which one you need for your current install, and they are quite small, relatively speaking, so it won't hurt to just do the whole drive). The OS partition doesn't have all the boot information to actually boot from.

Since the more effective backup strategy is the whole disk backup (as this covered a single partition failure, multiple partition failure, and entire drive failure), from which you can restore just the partitions needed or the entire drive, you're much better off doing all the partitions instead of the single system partition. So, there is no need for 2 backups sets, one being that one partition and another being the whole drive. And the whole drive backup will only be (at most) 1.3 GB larger, as those other 3 partitions are tiny (100 MB + ~600 MB + ~660 MB = ~1360 MB). And probably not that large, unless those tiny partitions are actually full.

Now, that all being said, were you trying to make the bootable Windows on your external drive for the purpose to have a backup way to log in and get back working, or to take with you to other computers and boot from with your own installation? Either way, creating a Windows to Go from Rufus would require that you start with a fresh installation .ISO to create a new Windows to Go installation, and would have to set that up independently. The benefit here is that it would be set up properly as a bootable OS from an external drive, and would be completely independent of your existing OS on your computer, and would not have to be updated very often as the data on the WinToGo install would be of limited use - i.e. you'd only use it when you needed to, and mostly for the purposes of having a way to restore your computer's actual OS back to the original drive / a new (replacement) drive, instead of having to boot via DVD or USB to your backup program's restore program.

But if you are trying to clone your entire system to run from the external drive, then it could (potentially) have issues if you took it to another computer, as it would be set up for your computer with your hardware and the related drivers, etc. Even then, though, if your aim is to have your entire system cloned to the external drive, every time you make a backup you'd have to clone it to the external drive to be a current copy (mainly for your data, as that is what will be changing the most).

So, that is why I am asking what, exactly, is your aim here.

1. Are you simply making backups that you can use to restore data from in the event of some sort of failure?

2. Are you trying to make a Windows To Go installation as a way to be able to have something to boot to with a full OS environment for a variety of reasons (hardware failure, just for fun, to play with WTG, etc.)

3. Are you trying to actually clone your OS and data to a second, external drive, for a (specific) purpose?
My aim is to have a 2nd bootable external device ( typically a USB flash drive) with my current Windows 11 OS on it, complete with all my APPs and personal data, so that I can boot from it , if need be, without having to waste time in reinstalling them, as I would have to do if it were a fresh install.
Lately, among other things,I tried RUFUS portable, using an ISO image of my complete OS, It won't work.

I also tried cloning to a USB drive, etc. The device won't boot..
Today I have revisited Macrium Reflect . With the previous computer it was very easy to recover the full drive image with their Media Disc in the CD/Rom drive. Unfortunately, with the new computer ( a Dell Optrex 3000 tower) this is not possible, even though I set it as 1st BIOS priority. I don't know why.
I tried to use a USB Pen drive as a boot media for Macrium, instead of a CD , but it says that it is unsupported.
This is where I stand now. I have spent way too much time on this . This Forum has been very helpful, but perhaps there are things beyond my level of computer literacy. I think I'll it a quit

THanks for the help

Gundobaldo 66
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
Thanks for the suggestion of choosing The Windows to Go option. I selected the 2nd mode ( "Creating WTG with the current system" , because I want to have all my apps and files on it, which is not possible with a fresh installation of Windows 11 ISO.
As a source, I used a previously created ISO file of my current full Windows 11 OS and as a destination an oldish 232 GB Seagate Free agent Desktop USB. 2.0 drive. Should it have been a USB 3.0 , perhaps?

THe process kicked in and it got 100% completed, but it closed with an message that the installation failed. When I checked the content of the USB drive, I found that there were only 9 GB of files and folders on it, whereas the size of the current OS on the HD was about 100 GB.
Something went wrong., just like in all my previous attempts. I can't understand why , but I'm getting closer and closer to quit..

Thanks for your help

Gundo



theHDW
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
"Creating WTG with the current system"
I expect that means it will copy the os from a hdd/ssd to the destination.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7,Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7,win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
I expect that means it will copy the os from a hdd/ssd to the destination.
Exactly. What I copied to the USB destination drive was the ISO image of the current Windows 11 OS on partition C of the SSD drive
As noted, only 9 GB were copied to the USB, which is way less of the 100 GB of the current Windows 11 OS on partition C:\ of the SSD.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
The iso is not an hdd/ssd.

If you insist on using an iso as the source, perhaps try the first the first option. I dont know if that will work because the first option is expecting a regular ms installation iso. If you have created the iso correctly including the install.wim file it might still work

The second option is to copy a current installation from and hdd/ssd not from an iso file. The second option is not set up to extract the contents of a wim file.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7,Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7,win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
Here is the thing. For backup that you can use to RESTORE to a working installation if that one partition goes bad, you need the one partition.

If you need to restore it because the HD goes bad, for example it is not booting, or experiences a full crash, where some / all data is lost, you need all the partitions. Similarly, to clone it so it is bootable from a different hard drive / SSD, you need to clone all the partitions (technically, you'd only need *one* of those recovery partitions, but you'd have to figure out which one you need for your current install, and they are quite small, relatively speaking, so it won't hurt to just do the whole drive). The OS partition doesn't have all the boot information to actually boot from.

Since the more effective backup strategy is the whole disk backup (as this covered a single partition failure, multiple partition failure, and entire drive failure), from which you can restore just the partitions needed or the entire drive, you're much better off doing all the partitions instead of the single system partition. So, there is no need for 2 backups sets, one being that one partition and another being the whole drive. And the whole drive backup will only be (at most) 1.3 GB larger, as those other 3 partitions are tiny (100 MB + ~600 MB + ~660 MB = ~1360 MB). And probably not that large, unless those tiny partitions are actually full.

Now, that all being said, were you trying to make the bootable Windows on your external drive for the purpose to have a backup way to log in and get back working, or to take with you to other computers and boot from with your own installation? Either way, creating a Windows to Go from Rufus would require that you start with a fresh installation .ISO to create a new Windows to Go installation, and would have to set that up independently. The benefit here is that it would be set up properly as a bootable OS from an external drive, and would be completely independent of your existing OS on your computer, and would not have to be updated very often as the data on the WinToGo install would be of limited use - i.e. you'd only use it when you needed to, and mostly for the purposes of having a way to restore your computer's actual OS back to the original drive / a new (replacement) drive, instead of having to boot via DVD or USB to your backup program's restore program.

But if you are trying to clone your entire system to run from the external drive, then it could (potentially) have issues if you took it to another computer, as it would be set up for your computer with your hardware and the related drivers, etc. Even then, though, if your aim is to have your entire system cloned to the external drive, every time you make a backup you'd have to clone it to the external drive to be a current copy (mainly for your data, as that is what will be changing the most).

So, that is why I am asking what, exactly, is your aim here.

1. Are you simply making backups that you can use to restore data from in the event of some sort of failure?

2. Are you trying to make a Windows To Go installation as a way to be able to have something to boot to with a full OS environment for a variety of reasons (hardware failure, just for fun, to play with WTG, etc.)

3. Are you trying to actually clone your OS and data to a second, external drive, for a (specific) purpose?
Thanks



I read your excellent analysis more thoroughly now and I’ll give you a more thorough reply, because it looks like there were things I overlooked .

To your points:


1.No, I do not intend to clone the current OS to a USB drive in order to work on another computer. I’d still use it on my PC.

2 I don’t need to continuously update/back up the cloned OS to the most recent status, as long as it contains the basic apps, files and documents I envisage to use regularly or from time to time. In fact, In the past, my drive image BUP ‘s were good enough for months, until new apps, files and documents required an updated Drive Image

3.I realize that it is better to clone the whole disk and not just the OS partition. Perhaps this is part of the problem. I’ll redo the clone this way.

4.Concerning RUFUS Windows To Go, you say I have to start from a fresh Installation ISO. Does this mean that this will wipe the current OS on the HDD and then I’ll have to reinstall all my apps? This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.

My purpose is to have a bootable USD drive with the ISO image of the current system, but it doesn’t boot.
I have also tried AOMEI Partition Assistant (Window to Go). Same result. It won't boot from the USB drive.
Also, It doesn't help the fact that the Dell BIOS( UEFI only) is very difficult to navigate, compared to the Legacy system. Sometimes the boot devices don't show up in the list and the ADD ON option is not easy to handle because mouse and keyboard are disabled and I cannot type in the File name for the (Root) device to be added to the BOOT configuration list.

THanks

Gundo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
Try formatting the USB using RUFUS first, before creating the to Go USB.

  • Select USB
  • Select Non bootable
  • Click start

Clip-1465.png



You can also Show advanced drive properties


Win-1466.png



Show advanced format options


Win-1467.png


Thanks for the hint

I Formatted the USB drive with RUFUS 4.6.2208 as per your instructions, then I re-ran the same RUFUS supposedly to create the BOOTABlE USB drive.
When I press START, the process starts but stops shortly with a FAILED message.

I notice that the partition scheme in RUFUS is MBR. Shouldn't it be GPT? My BIOS is UEFI only. I cannot change it to GPT. in the RUFUS display. May be this is the problem.

There is also BURN feature mentioned somewhere. Do I have to burn something, somewhere, to create the bootable USB? Also, what do I do with the Media Creation Tool I had downloaded? It starts the Windows Install process. Do I have to do it now or a t a later stage? Are there other earlier vesrsions of RUFUS that I should use?
It would help if I could know if and at what stage of the sequence the BURN and the Media Creation Tool fit in the sequence.have a sequence of steps for creating a Boota



Thanks



Gundo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
All I sugested was formatting the USB before you started. In case the USB was corrupt.

It doesn’t matter what you format the USB to because when the Media is created, the USB will be formatted appropriately.
There has been a lot mentioned since my post, from people that know a lot more than I do, and to be honest, I have no idea what you are trying to do anymore. Maybe it’s because I just woke up and have yet to finish my first Espresso. I will re read it when I am in the land of the living.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5039
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    4 x LG 23MP75 - 2 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    100/40Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
It is becoming increasingly clear that by using the Media Creation tool , with or without Rufus , even if I choose the option of keeping my files and documents on the 2nd installation, it will be practically a fresh installation, which I want to avoid because I'll have to reinstall all the apps.
I think the only way is to make drive image of the OS and if it fails for whatever reason( virus, etc) I'd recover it from the Drive IMAGE. ( Macrium). It takes only a few minutes.
I thought that having two bootable HDD with the same OS to switch to and from would be faster than re-install each time all the apps after a fresh installation , but I was wrong.

Thanks again for the help

GUNDO
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 3000
    CPU
    12 Gen Intel core i5-12500 3,00 Ghz
    Memory
    16 GB
Thanks

I read your excellent analysis more thoroughly now and I’ll give you a more thorough reply, because it looks like there were things I overlooked .

Sorry for the late reply - it's been bitterly cold and icy (for SE USA) here lately, and I've had a few things going on lol.

To your points:


1.No, I do not intend to clone the current OS to a USB drive in order to work on another computer. I’d still use it on my PC.

OK, good to know.

2 I don’t need to continuously update/back up the cloned OS to the most recent status, as long as it contains the basic apps, files and documents I envisage to use regularly or from time to time. In fact, In the past, my drive image BUP ‘s were good enough for months, until new apps, files and documents required an updated Drive Image

Sounds good so far.

3.I realize that it is better to clone the whole disk and not just the OS partition. Perhaps this is part of the problem. I’ll redo the clone this way.

Very good., This is what is the best approach moving forward.

4.Concerning RUFUS Windows To Go, you say I have to start from a fresh Installation ISO. Does this mean that this will wipe the current OS on the HDD and then I’ll have to reinstall all my apps? This is exactly what I wanted to avoid.

My purpose is to have a bootable USD drive with the ISO image of the current system, but it doesn’t boot.
I have also tried AOMEI Partition Assistant (Window to Go). Same result. It won't boot from the USB drive.
Also, It doesn't help the fact that the Dell BIOS( UEFI only) is very difficult to navigate, compared to the Legacy system. Sometimes the boot devices don't show up in the list and the ADD ON option is not easy to handle because mouse and keyboard are disabled and I cannot type in the File name for the (Root) device to be added to the BOOT configuration list.

THanks

Gundo

OK, so I think it sounds like there are two things here.

1) You want a backup of your system and apps and data through any given backup program that you can restore at will.

2) You want an alternate method to have bootable on the fly with a good collection of your apps and such to be able to boot if your main PC stops working.

Correct?

Now, as to Rufus - the Windows To Go would be on the external drive - that is where you would be starting from scratch. It does not take a current install and make it a portable installation - it starts with a clean USB drive and a bootable Windows installation disc (or also USB drive) and makes a new Windows To Go installation - from scratch. This does not affect your current installation on your internal hard drive.

So, what it sounds like (and what might be the much better option for you) would be to take a look at making a Virtual Machine of your system exactly as it is (minus the drive space, unless you have that much available on the external drive) that can then be made to be bootable directly. I think it can be done. However, it is a bit more technical.

I think at least a couple of members here done this, let me see if they can help.

@hsehestedt @Brink any ideas here?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 RGB + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge , Arc
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
Thanks for the hint

I Formatted the USB drive with RUFUS 4.6.2208 as per your instructions, then I re-ran the same RUFUS supposedly to create the BOOTABlE USB drive.
When I press START, the process starts but stops shortly with a FAILED message.

I notice that the partition scheme in RUFUS is MBR. Shouldn't it be GPT? My BIOS is UEFI only. I cannot change it to GPT. in the RUFUS display. May be this is the problem.

There is also BURN feature mentioned somewhere. Do I have to burn something, somewhere, to create the bootable USB? Also, what do I do with the Media Creation Tool I had downloaded? It starts the Windows Install process. Do I have to do it now or a t a later stage? Are there other earlier vesrsions of RUFUS that I should use?
It would help if I could know if and at what stage of the sequence the BURN and the Media Creation Tool fit in the sequence.have a sequence of steps for creating a Boota



Thanks



Gundo


The options that ants suggested were only to be used when formatting the USB drive (which you could have done without using Rufus at all).

Those options are *not* to be used when trying to make the bootable USB drive - in order to run Windows it has to boot into Windows, so making it non-bootable defeats that whole purpose of the drive.

Your final post about making the drive images and restoring from those is good, but you've intrigued me and my previous post alludes to a possible alternate method that might just be right up your alley (and mine, too, technically speaking).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 RGB + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge , Arc
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
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