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Can I clone my pc os to the SSD with the OS being OEM?

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What I would like to do is clone the HD which is now roughly 150 GB of Used space out of 1.35TB.

The OS is win7 64 Ultimate - OEM

Can I clone the Drive as it is and move it to a 250GB SSD (Now I'm leaning towards Samsung) again...

Is that an operation that Acronis could do? Would MS Windows let me do it, because it's OEM? Or that restriction only comes into play, if I were changing out Mobos? i.e. one OS install per mobo.

Thanks in advance,

CotS

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Create a full disk backup instead of cloning.

I am not a fan of cloning. Cloning is an "all or nothing" process. If something goes wrong, the user may end up with two unbootable drives and loss of data. Backup and recovery is a far safer method, and allows for multiple tries if the user is unfamiliar. Cloning has no advantage over full backup and restore, except a slight time saving at the expense of considerably more risk and complexity.

If you do want to clone, it should be performed only after booting from the ATI bootable Rescue Media. Do not allow the PC to boot to Windows with both drives still connected. But, better and safer would be to create a full disk mode backup and restore it to the new drive. Plus, you can save many full system images to a single external drive, versus only one clone.

Clone should be used only by advanced users who know what they are doing. It is riskier and can result in a loss of data and a failed system. Create a full disk mode backup and restore it, using the bootable Rescue Media, to the target disk, as it's far safer and simpler.

I would concur with Tuttle here.  A full disk backup using the bootable recovery media and then recovery of that image to you new SSD using the same recovery media is by far the safest way to go and will achieve the same end result.  When recovering the image make sure that you selecct all partitions to recover as well as the Disk Signature. 

Ok, then backup and restore it is.

But, being a new drive, SSD or otherwise, would you think the OS being tied to the mobo and cpu - or so they've said - at Tom's Hardware, do think that would copy over to the new drive? (and then boot up?)

Thanks guys for the help.

CotS

 

Yes I do, have done it before and works fine.  Making sure you restore the Disk Signature is the trick there with Windows 7.  Any other software license that you may have that ties itself to hardware usually does so using the Disk Signature so it is alsays a good idea to include it in an operation such as you have here.

Thanks Enchantech.

What's the "Disk Signature," and how do I make sure to include it?

CotS

I would recommend you read this thread https://forum.acronis.com/forum/128057. It's the first sticky on this forum. Read the whole thread because there is a lot of information to make life easier for guys like us.

Crime of the Scene wrote:

Thanks Enchantech.

What's the "Disk Signature," and how do I make sure to include it?

CotS

It's a checkbox option during restore. But, please take Ed's advice and read some of the resources and the manual to learn how to use the software.

CotS,

You might wish to review the link below for more on the subject.

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-disk-signature-2625851

Quick Question:

The Hard Drive that my OS is on has two parttitions: (C) and (D) - with D being the partition where HP put the Factory Restore Image, if that makes sense.

So, in order to include the Disk Signature, do I have to include the (D) partition in that first backup to restore it to the SSD?

Thanks in advance,

CotS

CotS, if your HDD D: partition is an HP factory restore recovery partition, then I wouldn't expect it to normally have been given a drive letter though I have seen this before!

To my knowledge, the Disk Signature is stored in a specific disk track, i.e. track 0 or MBR  area, so the choice about your D: partition shouldn't affect this.  Perhaps more relevant is if you are ever likely to want to do a factory restore?  If not, then the partition isn't going to serve much purpose on your SSD apart from taking up space.

Backup the partition and keep a copy for those 'just in case' moments in the future should you want to give this PC away and set it back to how it came?

Thanks for the reply, Steve.

I did find a copy of the (D) partition that I made, and put on a USB thumb/flash drive.

CotS

 

 

FYI see webpage: What is a Disk Signature? for a lot of information on that particular subject.