swap old SSD for new one

Maranna · Feb 21, 2022

After I mechanically install a new SSD in place of an a faulty one are the following steps accurate and please correct my errors and omissions.
Go to disc management and initialize the new drive by formatting it or, creating a new simple volume. I am not sure which to do?
Boot from Macrium recue disc.
Image from the saved image to the new target drive.

The-Hive · Feb 21, 2022

I assume that is correct as you have to do that in disk management so the computer recognises the new SSD and it shows up in explorer

CornishRattler · Feb 21, 2022

Macrium won't see the disk until it is initialised and formatted

Maranna · Feb 21, 2022

I was mistakenly told, or I misunderstood, that Macrium's rescue disc has what it takes so you only have to boot from its rescue media and image to the new drive from the image in the external drive.
I understand what you have told me and thank you - Initialize first then image.

PS a quite from the tech at Macrium is misleading as it seems to say I don't initialize:

>>Go to disc management and rt click. When you install Macrium Reflect and create Image backups of all the partitions saving it to a folder on a USB external hard drive etc. it is important that you also create rescue media which you save onto CD/DVD or USB memory stick. If you change your hard drive you can boot your computer with the rescue media and restore the Image backup to the new hard drive to get back the state of your computer when the Image backup was created.

Note that the free version does not have ReDeploy, this is only on the rescue media created with the purchased version. ReDeploy is needed if you change the motherboard as it will insert new drivers into the operating system so it will boot with new hardware.<<

Ghot · Feb 21, 2022

The Macrium bootable Rescue Media, does have access to the command prompt.

However, when I hook up a new drive, it's seen by the BIOS and Windows. I just plop the image on the drive, then use Macrium's "Fix Windows Boot Problems" tool.

That's all that seems to be necessary.

Winuser · Feb 21, 2022

The-Hive said:
I assume that is correct as you have to do that in disk management so the computer recognises the new SSD and it shows up in explorer

If the BIOS see's the drive then Macrium should see the drive. If one can't boot their computer how would they restore their image to a new drive?

Maranna · Feb 21, 2022

Ghot said:
The Macrium bootable Rescue Media, does have access to the command prompt.

However, when I hook up a new drive, it's seen by the BIOS and Windows. I just plop the image on the drive, then use Macrium's "Fix Windows Boot Problems" tool.

That's all that seems to be necessary.

>>I wonder if Macrium free has the, "Fix Windows boot problems"?

Ghot · Feb 21, 2022

Winuser said:
If the BIOS see's the drive then Macrium should see the drive. If one can't boot their computer how would they restore their image to a new drive?

THIS.

Maranna said:
>>I wonder if Macrium free has the, "Fix Windows boot problems"?

Yes it does.

The-Hive · Feb 21, 2022

I think this is how we done it, initialise and format new drive in Disk management (did not need to go to BIOS) restore with rescue media using Macrium backup image

Winuser · Feb 21, 2022

The-Hive said:
I think this is how we done it, initialise and format new drive in Disk management (did not need to go to BIOS) restore with rescue media using Macrium backup image

One does not have to go into the BIOS. The BIOS just needs to be able to see the drive. To do what you said, you had to have a working computer. What if you can't boot your computer?

The-Hive · Feb 21, 2022

I see your point, I thought that was what the rescue media was for

Winuser · Feb 21, 2022

The-Hive said:
I see your point, I thought that was what the rescue media was for

The rescue media should take care of restoring an imaging to the new drive without one needing to initialize the drive.

Maranna · Feb 21, 2022

That is music to my ears, thanks so much. I think Aomei has the same rescue media as Macrium.

cereberus · Feb 21, 2022

CornishRattler said:
Macrium won't see the disk until it is initialised and formatted

This is not the case - see below.

AndreTen · Feb 21, 2022

Your plan should work, but if setting up the new drive, I usually do as follows:

1. get fresh copy of Windows from MS and put it on USB drive
2. clean install fresh Windows with this USB
3. boot from Macrium and replace the C: partition with old Windows system
4. fix boot problems (via Macrium)

Now you get all bootable partitions as they should be and your working system as it was

Maranna · Feb 21, 2022

Thanks all.

Winuser · Feb 21, 2022

AndreTen said:
Your plan should work, but if setting up the new drive, I usually do as follows:

1. get fresh copy of Windows from MS and put it on USB drive
2. clean install fresh Windows with this USB
3. boot from Macrium and replace the C: partition with old Windows system
4. fix boot problems (via Macrium)

Now you get all bootable partitions as they should be and your working system as it was

That's why I always use system images instead of cloning. The times I did try using the cloning option in Macrium the systems wouldn't boot. I never had that problem restoring an image.

spapakons · Feb 24, 2022

I mostly use Macrium Reflex through WinPE (Strelec) for cloning. Never had to initialize the new disk. I guess the same is true for backup/restore. If you are going to restore a backup, what is the point to clean install Windows 11 first? I would create a full disk backup which I can then restore directly to the new disk. If you want to replace your existing hard disk, all you need is a USB enclosure or a USB to SATA adapter. Connect the new disk with the adapter, clone your existing hard disk and then replace it. Windows 11 should boot automatically and find drivers for the new hardware (if you also replaced your computer). You may be asked to activate Windows and Microsoft Office again and you are good to go.

NavyLCDR · Feb 24, 2022

The-Hive said:
I think this is how we done it, initialise and format new drive in Disk management (did not need to go to BIOS) restore with rescue media using Macrium backup image

So let me ask you this. I have a computer with a single disk. I make Macrium Backup images and I have a Macrium Rescue USB flash drive. The disk, let's say SSD, completely fails in the computer. I replace it with a brand new SSD, and I want to restore my backup image to the brand new, fresh out of the box SSD that I just installed. How am I supposed to get into Disk management in order to initialize the new SSD before I can restore the backup image to it?

As @spapakons eluded to - there is no need to initialize the disk for. The exact reason that you have a backup image and a bootable rescue USB flash drive is so that you can restore the image to a brand new, blank disk replacing one that has failed. Having to do a clean install in order to initialize the disk first is, to be honest, silly.

The-Hive · Feb 24, 2022

That is why I used the word think... but the main disk hadn't failed

swap old SSD for new one

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