There are many reasons why you might need to replace your hard disk. Is there a free cloning program that can complete the cloning process
Yes, you can search free online disk clone software, but you will get countless results. You may be asking yourself many questions such as: Which one should I choose? It is it possible to boot the cloned drive? It is enough to have reliable disk cloning software, which can successfully copy a hard drive from one drive to another.
The best free bootable clone program
A reliable, bootable clone program is required to clone a hard disk with secure boot. AOMEI Backupper standard is such a great choice. Here are some of its outstanding features:
There are three cloning options available: “Disk Clone”, System Clone, and “Partition Clone”. The first two options can clone an operating system and make it bootable.
It supports “Intelligent Clone”, and “Sector-by-Sector Clone”. It will automatically copy only the used sectors of one hard drive. This greatly increases the success rate when cloning larger drives to smaller ones. If your target disk is large enough to hold all the data, you can also choose to clone all of the sectors.
It can boost the performance of SSD disks with “SSD Alignment”.
It applies to all Windows systems, including Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista.
Let’s now learn how to clone a hard drive using the best bootable clone program – AOMEI backupper standard.
How do you clone your hard drive to make it bootable?
Follow these steps to mount a hard drive. Before you can start, connect your new SSD or hard drive and ensure it is initialized. Next, download and install AOMEI Backupper standard free disk clone software.
Not all data will be erased by the cloning process. Backups of any data should be done in advance. You can backup files to the cloud using cloud backup services if you don’t own an external storage device.
Step 1. Step 1.
Step 2. Step 2. Then, click Next.
Step 3. Step 3. Then, click Next.
Step 4. Step 4. Next, confirm the disk information and click Start Clone.
Tips:
* Edit Partitions (available in the advanced edition): This feature can be used to clone a disk to a larger disk. Disk cloning software creates an exact copy of the original disk, but leaves extra space at the end. It is not possible to use it directly unless you create a partition or extend the unallocated area.
* Sector by sector Clone: This software will resolve the issue of a cloned disk not booting due to a missing EFI system partition or system reserved partition. This feature can be used to clone all the sectors on a disk if your target disk is large enough for everything to fit on the bootable drive.
Step 5. Step 5. Wait for the process to complete, then click Finish to close this program.
Although you should be able to clone a drive to boot from, many users have reported that it doesn’t work. This problem can be avoided by letting Windows boot from the drive and checking if it is bootable. These are the steps:
Completely shut down your computer
Use a screwdriver to swap the bootable disk for the new hard drive, or SSD.
Start your computer again and then press a specific key on the screen to see the Windows logo. Usually it’s F1, F2, F12 or ESC, but you need to confirm.
Navigate to the Boot option, and select the SSD or new hard drive as the first option.
You can save the changes and allow Windows to boot from the SSD or new hard drive.
If the partition is bootable, then it is possible to clone it. If it’s not bootable, the problem must be fixed. The root cause could be a wrong boot mode, missing System Reserved Partition, or EFI system part.
Summary
AOMEI Backupper standard is a great choice if you are looking for a free bootable clone program. It supports cloning only the used sectors of a hard disk to another hard drive, even to a smaller one. Also, it can clone all sectors including System Reserved Partitions or EFI system partitions. You can also increase the SSD disk’s performance by using its 4k alignment. You can download the software to learn more.
