HDD (hard disk drive) to SSD (solid-state drive) cloning is used to transfer data (in most cases) and systems from small old hard disks to large new advanced disks, thus improving hard disk performance. This process creates an exact replica of all data, including the operating system, applications, files, and user settings. In this article, you will learn how to clone hard drive to SSD for free and securely with the recommended best free disk cloning software. Keep reading and if you are interested in.
Merits of cloning an HDD to SSD
Performing the disk cloning process between HDDs and SSDs has numerous benefits.
★Improved Performance. SSDs offer faster data transfer rates and reduced boot-up times compared to traditional HDDs. Cloning your HDD to an SSD can therefore provide a significant performance boost to your system.
★Increased Reliability: HDDs can be prone to physical damage due to their moving parts. In contrast, SSDs have no moving parts thus are more durable, making them less susceptible to mechanical failure.
★Lower Power Consumption: SSDs consume less power than HDDs, which can lead to longer battery life in laptops and lower energy bills for desktops.
★Quieter Operation: Without any moving parts, SSDs operate silently, making them ideal for use in quiet environments.
What is the best free HDD to SSD cloning software?
There are several free options available across the internet for cloning HDD to SSD. According to some feedback, one of the most reliable and best free disk cloning software can be deemed as AOMEI Backupper Standard. It supports you to complete the process of copying all data from an existing hard drive to a new SSD. You can benefit from the following advantages:
Easy and user-friendly interface. It comes with an easy-to-use interface that makes cloning a breeze for even inexperienced users.
Support various devices. It supports a wide range of hard drives to clone, including HDDs, SATA SSDs, NVMe M.2 SSDs, USB flash drives, and SD cards, etc.
SSD Alignment. Improve SSD’s performance with 4K partition alignment, and prolong its lifespan if you clone to an SSD.
Intelligent Clone. It allows you to clone only used parts on HDD to the SSD, which makes it possible to clone larger drive to smaller drive.
Moving on, you can learn how to backup data HDD to SSD easily and the provided steps with AOMEI Backupper Standard free of charge.
Clone HDD to SSD with AOMEI Backupper step by step
Some preparation you need to pay attention to before cloning:
- Install SSD. Properly connect the newly prepared SSD using an SSD enclosure or SATA-to-USB cable to your computer and make sure it can be detected.
- Backup important files. If you have important files on the SSD, please backup the SSD before cloning, otherwise the cloning process overwrites all the data on it.
- Initialize new SSD. If it is a new SSD, please initialize it. When setting the partition style, please set the partition style (MBR or GPT) to the same as the hard disk.
Then you can follow the illustrated steps with screenshots to perform HDD to SSD cloning:
1. Download, install and launch AOMEI Backupper on your PC. Click on Clone -> Disk Clone. If you want to migrate Windows 10 to SSD, please choose System Clone (in higher edition) instead.
Tip: The free AOMEI Backupper Standard version only supports cloning data disks. If you want to clone a system drive, please upgrade to the advanced version – AOMEI Backupper Professional to perform the task.
2. Select the current HDD as the resource disk and click Next >> button to continue.
3. Select the prepared SSD as the destination and click Next >>.
4. Tick SSD Alignment to accelerate the reading and writing speed of the new SSD. And then click Start Clone to begin cloning HDD to SSD for free.
Notes:
- Sector By Sector Clone: This can ensure that everything is copied over accurately, including hidden files and system configurations. Please DO NOT select this option when cloning larger HDD to smaller SSD.
- Edit Partitions: This feature will allow you to resize the partitions on the target SSD to take advantage of the increased capacity when you clone a smaller HDD to a larger disk.
- This process can also apply to clone SSD to SSD on Windows 10.
Conclusion
How to clone HDD to SSD free of charge? After reading the whole passage, you may have mastered the best and most secure way to clone your data disks without losing them. The best free disk cloning software AOMEI Backupper Standard offers you various outstanding features to enable the HDD to SSD cloning process with ease.
In addition, it provides other powerful features to protect your data continuously. As the best Crucial SSD backup software, you can copy the whole SSD files to other locations as you like. There are other features waiting for you to explore. Why not give it a shot?
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