Cloning to SSD -- Howl long?
Hi: I'm using Acronis 2018 to clone an existing 500GB drive to a 500GB SSD from Crucial. I used my existing Acronis Clone utility rather than downloading the one they link to. I assume they're the same? The sequence to clone was the same as shown in their instructions: start the clone app; choose automatic; choose existing drive; choose connected USB SSD; click Proceed. Message showed 'locking partition (?)' but no message since and no time slider showing progress -- nothing shown from the Clone App showing it's running.
It's been running about 15 hours now. There's only about 125GB on the 500GB drive. It's running from a USB 3 port using a USB 3 SATA to USB cable. The drive light on the computer (Dell 7050 micro) and the light on the USB connection) are both blinking indicating there's still a transfer in progress (??).
While just researching this, I found the link here that suggests this be done using the Acronis recovery boot and not from within Windows 10. Too late for that, alas. How long should I wait? If this fails, can I then reboot into Acronis recovery, choose Clone, and start over on the same SSD drive or should I format it first?
Many thanks for any help anyone can offer.
George
Steve: Thanks. I tried again with Acronis Boot USB. Had a heck of a time because this UEFI doesn't support USB boot. Finally found out how & changed settings so it does, then booted into Acronis and started clone. It was set to UEFI and Secure Boot was off.
After choosing Source disk, I got an error message: "Unable to lock dynamic disk. Boot computer from linux-based bootable media and try again." I went back into UEFI but didn't really see anything to change outside of recommendations for USB.
So started up again and this time I was able to choose both a source disk and target then chose Proceed. Looked like everything was running fine until, at the very end, I got a series of messages: "Failed to write data to the disk. Failed to write to sector '1,376,040' of hard disk '1'. Failed to write the snapshot manager volume. (0x1000D3. Unknown status. (0x9) Access is denied."
Just noticed the very first error msg. was "....to hard disk '2'" and, at the end "The system cannot find the file specified (0xFFF0)". After that the errors were as in the last paragraph.
I hit ignore a series of times and it looked like sectors were mostly (but not all) increasing incrementally, I then did Ignore All. Then got message "Clone Disk Operation Failed" I've got photos of these, but those are the verbatim messages.
A bit frustrating so standing down for day... . I had previously run the Windows chkdsk on the C drive (not the command line) and got no errors.
So, ideas? Should I reformat the ssd? Is there something in my C drive which is locking those partitions, denying access? Run chkdsk and /R from the command line?
I've got a full backup. Could a Plan 2 be to put the new SSD drive in, then Restore from my backup set on an NAS drive?
Again, thanks for any suggestions you or any other wizards here have!
George
George, with 'failed to write or read" type errors, this is normally a disk issue but the problem with using CHKDSK is that it only works on those partitions which have an assigned drive letter. This type of problem can occur on other hidden / system partitions of which there are normally 2 of such or more, i.e. an EFI System partition and a Windows Recovery partition, both of which would be needed for your clone action.
The options here are to try to assign drive letters to all partitions, one at a time, then run CHKDSK against that drive letter, or alternatively, check your drive makers support website for any disk diagnostic tools that can check the whole disk.
Alternatively, if you have a good Full disk & partitions backup of your source drive, then create the Acronis Rescue Media and verify that you can boot correctly from this using UEFI boot mode and can see your disk drive(s). You then have a couple of further options - to remove the source drive & replace by the new SSD, then recover your full backup to the SSD - or connect the new SSD externally and do the recover to it there. Note: you should not attempt to boot into Windows with both source & cloned drives connected if using the latter method.
One further point. When Acronis refer to disk 1 in error messages, they count from 1, so disk 1 is actually disk 0 in terms of how Windows sees the same disk in the Disk Management panel, as Windows counts from 0. This can be confusing, but needs to be understood to ensure you are looking at the correct disk when errors are being reported.
Excellent explanation! Always a learning curve around here. I think I'll try to restore for disk & partition backup. I'll do a new one today. Seems easier at this point.
Thanks again!
I noticed the following comment "After choosing Source disk, I got an error message: "Unable to lock dynamic disk. Boot computer from linux-based bootable media and try again.". ATI 2018 does not support cloning of dynamic disks, so not sure why it is trying to lock one.
Ian
OK. Still not going well. At the suggestion of Crucial tech, I downloaded their own Crucial Acronis utility and zapped Acronis 2018. Ran theirs under windows as administrator. Looked like it was doing well but then error. Log is below. It says format resize error, but the drives are exactly the same size, 500GB SATA ==> 500GB SSD.
Ian: don't know where that dynamic disk error came from except that's what I saw on a couple of early attempts. Could that have occured once partitions had been created and I tried again without cleaning the partitions and restoring to blank original? My C drive is not a dynamic disk. This time I saw the message 'locking disk' blink on, then disappear and continued fine.
Ideas?
Thanks yet again!
11/29/2018 2:00:29 PM: Operation Clone Disk started.
11/29/2018 2:00:29 PM: Operation description: Clone Disk 1. Clearing disk Hard disk: 2
2. Clearing disk Hard disk: 2
3. Clearing disk Hard disk: 2
4. Copying partition Hard disk: 1 -> 2 Drive letter: - File system: FAT32 Volume label: ESP Size: 499 MB
5. Copying partition Hard disk: 1 -> 2 Drive letter: C: File system: NTFS Volume label: OS Size: 464.7 GB
6. Copying partition Hard disk: 1 -> 2 Drive letter: - File system: NTFS Volume label: WINRETOOLS Size: 450 MB -> 449 MB
7. Copying MBR Hard disk: 1 -> 2
.
11/29/2018 2:01:39 PM: Pending operation 52 started: 'Clearing disk'.
11/29/2018 2:01:39 PM: Pending operation 52 started: 'Clearing disk'.
11/29/2018 2:01:39 PM: Pending operation 52 started: 'Clearing disk'.
11/29/2018 2:01:39 PM: Pending operation 14 started: 'Copying partition'.
11/29/2018 2:02:11 PM: Pending operation 14 started: 'Copying partition'.
11/29/2018 2:03:48 PM: Error 0x101f6: A format/resize error.
11/29/2018 2:03:48 PM: Pending operation 14 started: 'Copying partition'.
11/29/2018 2:03:49 PM: Error 0x101f6: A format/resize error.
11/29/2018 2:03:49 PM: Pending operation 61 started: 'Copying MBR'.
11/29/2018 2:04:38 PM: Error 0x13c0005: Operation has completed with errors.
Start: 11/29/2018 2:00:29 PM
Stop: 11/29/2018 2:04:38 PM
Total Time: 00:04:09
George, even though your 2 drives both claim to be of the same 500GB size, there can be real differences here.
Run the msinfo32 command in Windows with both drives connected, then look at System Information report and expand the Components section, then the Storage section, where you will see Drives, Disks listed.
Look at the Size shown in the right panel for each Disk listed and check if they do show the same value?
I would recommend trying to do a full disk & partitions Backup of your source HDD drive and then do a Recovery of that backup to your new SSD drive.
Note: you may need to reinstall the full ATI 2018 application if your OEM Crucial ATI program does not allow you to do the above. OEM versions of ATI have limitations compared to the full version.
Hi All: just thought I'd check in with an update. Finally got Acronis to clone SATA to SSD. Putting together suggestions here and from Crucial forum, here's the variables that were new and solved problem:
- Formatting the Acronis USB as UEFI (for future people searching for this solution: Use Advanced, then choose Windows 10. In my case, had to install MS ADK tools. Took 45 minutes or so). Previously I'd just accepted the automatic Acronis USB creation.
- Don't know if it was critical but, as suggested, held the SHIFT key when shutting down. Supposed to give full power off instead of possible W10 hibernation.
- Dell, so F12 to enter boot/UEFI options. Acronis disk showed as UEFI USB.
- Normal clone operation from there until very end. Got error message: "Cannot find the driver for the following device: ID: ACP\VEN_INT&DEV-3451 Place the driver on the removable media and Retry. Otherwise you can add the driver by applying Universal Restore under bootable media."
No real clue what that meant. Search showed similar problems but not the same driver. Finally chose Ignore figuring if I had to do it again, I'd use Universal Restore instead of the Clone tool
- Finished immediately and said drive had cloned successfully.
- Installed and it booted fine.
- Yay.
One of the more frustrating clone/restores I've ever had but happy to have solved it. IanL-S & Steven Smith: many thanks for your help!
PS: Steve. I had done a full disk & partition backup so that was my next move. Also, will now zap the Crucial ATI and back to my full version. I doubt that made a difference but was covering all bases... . Grazie!
George, always glad to read of success, well done for persevering with the process and getting it working, plus thanks for sharing your experience for others to read.
Looking for suggestions before I start cloning existing HDD to a SSD. I have created rescue media from within version 2019. The above experience is not give me lots of conference. Also have a UEFI BIOS interface.
Backup media was created with UEFI in secure boot mode. Cloning will be done in secure boot mode. Since secure boot has to be on as default when cloning is done. Not using rescue media once he SSD has everything on.
Opinions on anything relevant to this.
Dan, the majority of cloning operations go smoothly without any issues, so it is the exceptions that tend to get raised in these forums - users don't tells us of all the times all goes well!
As with any operation, always make a good full backup before you start on cloning - this is your safety net.
If you are cloning from a SATA HDD to an replacement SATA SSD, then you should be able to use the Active Clone feature of ATI 2019 to do this instead of needing to boot from the rescue media. The main caveat of using any cloning method is to never attempt to boot into Windows with both drives connected! When the clone has finished, shutdown, swap over the drives and then set aside the original HDD before booting from the cloned SSD into Windows.
Sorry about the last message. i didn't see your reply. thanks for the advice. I'll let you know.
Dan
Dan, the only other comment to add is to check your BIOS boot priority settings before you get started. Check what is shown for your current working HDD drive, i.e. this can either be the HDD drive itself (Legacy boot), or else will show the Windows Boot Manager (UEFI boot).
Repeat the check after doing the clone and swapping over the new cloned drive - you want to see the same BIOS boot priority setting albeit from the new SSD now it is installed. Switching drives can sometimes result in these settings to be changed, hence the check.
CHKDSK /F for the source HDD doesn't harm - shouldn't be needed for the new SSD.
The clone went just as planned! The HDD has 168 GB. It took about 45 minutes. I have attached a screen capture of the disk management with the cloned drive still connected via USB – Sata cable.
Disk 1 which is the SSD that was the destination, just says healthy (primary partition) where the HDD says boot, page file, crash dump, ( primary partition).
I'm assuming since the destination drive doesn't have a letter yet, and is not recognized as the boot drive, this will all change when it's actually plugged into the motherboard. Since I don't have the ability to actually put that drive inside the case in a bay and attach a data and power cable (disability forbids this) it will change once that happens, likely tomorrow.
The plan for the final configuration is to have the SSD as the primary boot drive, with Windows 10 from the clone and all of the apps and everything that is on the HDD. The HDD will remain attached (hopefully) as a secondary drive and use it for storage. I will have to change the letter on the SSD to C and on HDD to D or something else not in use. If for some reason the HDD can't be used for storage I will add another SSD for that.
I noticed when I selected the SSD as the destination drive, Acronis had a little message in yellow saying "disk is not initialized, GPT structure will remain". I'm hoping that is not some indication of a problem. I seem to remember reading something about needing a master boot record. If I need to add a second SSD will I need to initialize and format that? I'm assuming I will. That's pretty simple.
And finally, in order to assign the C to the SSD I will need to boot the system without using the current C Drive. How would I do that? I couldn't assign the C to the SSD if the current HDD was the drive that booted the system.
I guess I could try, booting from rescue media but I don't know if I would have access to the Windows files and the disk management tool.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
Dan
Dan, the screen image looks good so the next step should be to swap out the current HDD and replace this by the new SSD, then with just the SSD, check the BIOS settings are correctly showing Windows Boot Manager as the Boot priority device, then boot into Windows.
The SSD will be assigned correctly as the C: drive by the boot process.
Once all looks good and booting into Windows Ok, then reconnect the HDD via your USB cable and reformat the whole drive before shutting down and reconnecting the HDD internally on another SATA connector.
Doing as above will avoid any issues of trying to boot with two drives which are essentially identical in terms of disk signature (by doing the clone). The placement of the drives also dictates how they are seen in disk management, so you want to get the SSD to be Disk 0, then later add back the HDD to be Disk 1 as your storage drive (after being formatted to remove all the current Windows partitions).
Steve, the install was done today everything is working just the way it was planned. Really appreciate your advice and help!
The BIOS looks normal, still Windows boot manager. Boot time now is a fraction of what it used to be. Plus the apps run much better.
I was hesitant about doing the clone inside Windows, but the active cloning that ATI offers is pretty cool. Do it again in a minute.
Thanks, Dan
Dan, pleased to hear that all has gone well and you are seeing a good improvement in performance - thank you for sharing your feedback on this.