How to clone a hard drive
- Backup important data. While the cloning process should not result in any data being lost, it is always prudent to make sure that important files are backed up just in case. Backup your files onto a removable drive, DVDs, or onto cloud storage services online
2. Install the drive that you wish to clone to. When you clone a drive, you copy the
existing drive to a new one. The new drive needs to be installed before you can
clone your existing one.The new drive does not need to be formatted in order to
clone to it. You can use the power supply from CDROM.
3. Install your cloning software. In order to
clone a hard drive, you need to install special
software to do it. You can either buy
professional software such as Norton Ghost,
or download a freeware program such as
HDClone. I am using Casper trial edition.
4. Select the installed disk to copy the content and layout of all
partitions defined on the local disk and click next.
5. You can manage and choose the additional space in the
partitions, select one of the options given and click next.
6. Click "Perform the copy now" to start the process. This will
be your last chance to ensure that your settings are correct
before the cloning process starts.
7. Wait for the cloning process to finish. This can take a significant
amount of time, especially if your hard drives are large. Once the
process is complete, your new drive will have an exact copy of the
old drive, and the rest of the space will be unallocated.
8. The cloning process is successfully completed.
9. Remove your old drive. Once you’ve verified that the cloning process has been
successful, power down your computer and remove your old hard drive
entirely.
10. Make sure that your jumper settings are set correctly on the new
drive. Power on the system. Ensure that everything boots normally and
functions as it should. If your hard disk is not detected, make sure that your
jumper settings are set to Master on the hard drive.