Problem with cloning function
Hello, I recently purchased a SanDisk 3D SSD (1TB).
I plugged it in, and cloned my previous 500 GB HDD onto it using Acronis True Image WD Edition. I plan to leave the previous HDD installed as extra disk space on my desktop, so I just left it in SATA slot 1, the SSD is in SATA 2.
The cloning worked, because I can see the new SSD and start programs from it, that were cloned there from my previous HDD
Problem Part: Now, when I try to boot the system (Windows 10) from the SSD using the BIOS and manually selecting it, it doesn't work. I get a loading screen, and then a black screen with occasionally my mouse cursor flashing up with sometimes a loading circle next to it.
When I boot again from the HDD, I checked the partitioned SSD. There is 3 partitions on it, one being called "system" (the original HDD had 2 partitions (C: and D: only, don't know why the System now has it's own partition) with 220 MB free of 498 MB. When I click on it, it appears empty and shows no folders in it, despite obviously having about 280 MB in there. 'Should I see something here?
Is this the problem? Help pls, thanks
Edit: Alrdy tried only connecting the newly cloned disk and disconnecting the old HDD to avoid a conflict, it still did not boot. Started fine again when I connected the old HDD again.
Remove the new clone and only have the original attached. Do a cold boot on the system (hold power button for 10 seconds and release). Go straight into the bios and make sure the boot order is correct (that it points to the original disk... if this is a legacy/MBR OS install, you should pick the physical disk name... if it is a UEFI/GPT OS install, you should pick "windows boot manager". Pick whatever it has always been in the past).
If you can't get it too boot, with just the original, the correct boot order in the bios and the correct selection in the boot order, you may have corrupted the Windows bootloader by having 2 identical disks installed at the same time - this is BAD because it causes a hard drive disk signature collision that the bios can't figure out and so it will try to "fix" it on it's own, which can cause one or both disks to no longer boot. Usually, you have to use a Windows installer disk to repair the bootloader if this becomes the problem.
If/when you can get the old disk to boot. Then you can work on the newly cloned or restored disk. Make sure it is the only disk in the system this time. Also, how you restore an image or clone it, determines how the resulting disk will be... for instance, if the original OS disk is legacy/MBR, boot your rescue media as legacy/MBR to restore or clone so the resulting disk is also legacy/MBR. If the original disk is UEFI/GPT, boot the rescue media as UEFI/GPT so the resulting disk is also UEFI/GPT. The same applies for Windows installer discs!
Steve Smith wrote:welcome to these public User Forums.
Please see forum topic: [IMPORTANT] CLONING - How NOT to do this - which was written after dealing with many cloning issues in the forums.
In particular, you should not boot into Windows with the original and cloned drives both connected as these both now have the same disk signature.
Next, if your partitions on the cloned disk do not match those on the source, this suggests that you have performed the clone in a different BIOS mode to how your Windows OS uses, and have thus caused the extra partition by this.
Finally, see KB 2201: Support for OEM Versions of Acronis Products which applies to your WD version of ATI.
Hey, thanks for the post.
I read that post while looking for solutions online. I recloned the HDD to the SSD, and disconnedted the HDD from SATA 1, and instead put the SSD there so only one drive was connected. The same problem appeared. When I reconnected the HDD, it worked again. Also seems to work fine with both connected, I can even start programs from the SSD, it just won't boot.
My Computer uses BIOS, according to [IBS Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment: BIOS]
I don't understand the checking for the BIOS mode of the clone. The thing you linked is about Rescue Media, but I don't use a rescue media, I just try to boot from the cloned disk and it blackscreens, with the occasonal flashing mousecursor. None of the Acronis menus show up.
>Finally, see KB 2201: Support for OEM Versions of Acronis Products which applies to your WD version of ATI.
I tried posting in the SanDisk Forum, no one replied :/
What version of Windows OS are you using here?
Can you post screen images of Windows Disk Management showing the partitions on your working HDD and the non-booting SSD drives?
How are you performing the clone here?
Hello Steve, thanks for taking the time!
I'm using Windows 10
>Can you post screen images of Windows Disk Management showing the partitions on your working HDD and the non-booting SSD drives?
Done
>How are you performing the clone here?
Acronis Extras -> Clone Drive -> Manual -> [I select drives, clone HDD to new SSD] -> Proportional -> finish
Thank you for the further information / answers.
Acronis Extras -> Clone Drive -> Manual -> [I select drives, clone HDD to new SSD] -> Proportional -> finish
When you follow the above steps to clone the drive, does this result in your computer rebooting for the clone to be performed? I would expect that it would, which then boots into a temporary Linux environment.
The screen image shows as expected for the 2 drives with proportional increases in size because of the larger target disk size.
Ideally, cloning should be done by booting from the Acronis Rescue Media (not started from within Windows) and with the target drive in place of the original boot drive so that that original drive would just need to be removed then the computer booted into Windows from the new drive.
With ATI 2018 and later versions, Acronis have introduced the Active Clone feature to allow live cloning from the active Windows OS drive to a target drive (using the Microsoft VSS snapshot tools to capture locked OS files etc).
Steve Smith wrote:When you follow the above steps to clone the drive, does this result in your computer rebooting for the clone to be performed? I would expect that it would, which then boots into a temporary Linux environment.
Hello Steve,
Yes it does, then showing the cloning progress bar. When it is full and the cloning is finished, the PC shuts down because i ticked the "shut down when action completed" option, since it is recommended.
When I press the power button on my PC to restart it, the old HDD simply boots. When i try to change the boot order or manually select the SSD to boot, i get, after the windows logo the previously mentioned blackscreen with flashing cursor. With and without the HDD still connected.
>Ideally, cloning should be done by booting from the Acronis Rescue Media (not started from within Windows)
So that would work? Without me having to reinstall everything and the OS? How do I do that?
> and with the target drive in place of the original boot drive so that that original drive would just need to be removed then the computer booted into Windows from the new drive.
So I put the new SSD in SATA one and disconnect the old HDD? But i wanted to leave the old HDD connected as extra disk space, is that not possible?
>With ATI 2018 and later versions, Acronis have introduced the Active Clone feature to allow live cloning from the active Windows OS drive to a target drive (using the Microsoft VSS snapshot tools to capture locked OS files etc).
Can I use that too with my Acronis version? And does this help me with my problem?
See KB 56634: Acronis True Image: how to clone a disk - which a Step by Step guide for cloning in earlier versions of ATI (which will include your WD OEM version that is probably based on ATI 2016).
Your WD ATI does not include the Active Cloning feature as far as I understand.
After cloning from the rescue media, you should always remove the source HDD before booting into Windows for the first time from the cloned SSD drive. Once you have Windows working ok from the SSD, then attach the HDD via a USB adaptor first and reformat it for use as a data drive, then you can reinstall it on a spare SATA connector.
See KB 56634: Acronis True Image: how to clone a disk - which a Step by Step guide for cloning in earlier versions of ATI (which will include your WD OEM version that is probably based on ATI 2016).
I followed the same steps as the "cloning in windows" part.
After cloning from the rescue media, you should always remove the source HDD before booting into Windows for the first time from the cloned SSD drive.
First time I didn't remove it, and it didn't work. Second time I did remove it, and it still didn't boot so that can't be the problem.
I really think it is something to do with the weird fact that the System now has it's own visible partition F: that I can enter with the windows explorer but it appears empty, despite clearly data being in there.
You said something earlier about a different Bios mode?
> this suggests that you have performed the clone in a different BIOS mode to how your Windows OS uses, and have thus caused the extra partition by this.
How do I change this?
Once you have booted with both drives - assume an issue. Even if it appears to be accessible and not causing a problem. A clone, clones the hardware ID of the disk. We've gone through this multiple times with multiple users.
You shouldn't be changing the bios boot mode. You should be ensuring that you are booting the rescue media to match the original OS disk method (legacy/MBR or UEFI/GPT). How you boot the rescue media determines how the clone or restored image will be partitioned. For best results, they should be the same... in some cases you can convert from legacy to GPT, but never the other way around... and when it does work, sometimes you have to tweak the bios. To rule those issues out, keep it exactly the same.
check this link for how to determine your original OS install type. This will determine how you need to boot your rescue media.
https://www.eightforums.com/threads/bios-mode-see-if-windows-boot-in-uefi-or-legacy-mode.29504/
Once you know how the rescue media needs to be booted, then use your system one-time boot menu to ensure you are booting it that way. This Acronis KB article explains how you can verify how you boot your rescue media and verify it if need be. All you really need to do is use your one time boot menu and be sure to pick the correct option if your bios supports both legacy and UEFI booting.
https://kb.acronis.com/content/59877
Once you have both of this sorted out, this is what I would do...
1) Wipe the newly cloned drive - from the original OS disk, open an elevated command prompt and use diskpart and the Clean command. Make sure you clean the right disk! Then go into disk manager and initialize the disk, making sure to initialize it to match the layout of the original OS disk. If the original OS disk is legacy/MBR, initialize the new disk as legacy/MBR. If the original OS disk is GPT/UEFI, initialize the new disk as GPT/UEFI.
2) Shutdown the computer. Boot your rescue media in the proper method that matches the original OS install (legacy or UEFI). Once booted into the rescue media, start the clone and use the automatic option - not manual.
3) When the clone is complete, completely power off the computer
4) Remove the original drive. Move the cloned drive to the original disks SATA port.
5) power on the PC and immediately boot to the BIOS. Verify that the bios boot order is correct. Save the configuration, even if nothing changed.
6)COLD boot the system now (hold power 10 seconds) and then let go.
Remember, don't try to boot the system with both disk attached - ever - even if it "seems" to work. You're just messing up your chance to get a working and bootable clone. Every motherboad, bios and firmware behaves differently - no one can help you troubleshoot bios issues remotely and this has been a simple point that we have harped on with many other people that ended up being the key to success.
> Once you have booted with both drives - assume an issue
I tried recloning and booting with the old HDD disconnected, I got the same Problem
> check this link for how to determine your original OS install type. This will determine how you need to boot your rescue media.
It's BIOS, according to [IBS Callback_BootEnvironmentDetect: Detected boot environment: BIOS]
BIOS = Legacy, right?
Also, I still don't understand this Rescue Media thing?
> You should be ensuring that you are booting the rescue media to match the original OS disk method
I'm not booting a Rescue Media, I'm opening Acronis on my desktop, tell it to clone, it restarts the PC, clones and then shuts the PC down. Do you mean the SSD with Rescue Media?
What Rescue Media and how do I change/check it's boot mode? Do you mean a rescue CD-ROM or something? I don't have any empty disks here, I'd need to buy some
>6)COLD boot the system now (hold power 10 seconds) and then let go.
Wait, if I hold my Power button the PC shuts down. So I go to BIOS, check if everything is ok, then crash it with the power button and then restart?
Sorry if I'm coming across dense, I've never done this before.
BIOS = Legacy, right?
yes
I'm not booting a Rescue Media, I'm opening Acronis on my desktop, tell it to clone, it restarts the PC, clones and then shuts the PC down. Do you mean the SSD with Rescue Media?
What Rescue Media and how do I change/check it's boot mode? Do you mean a rescue CD-ROM or something? I don't have any empty disks here, I'd need to buy some
When doing a clone with older versions of Acronis, don't start it in Windows. It will need to reboot, then change your OS bootloader to a temporary Linux environment and attempt to use it to clone. This can be very BAD on some systems. If it modifies your bootloader and fails to revert it back, you won't be able to boot the OS. Other people can't get this to work because the temporary Linux enviornment doesn't have the necessary drivers, or because their bios settings prevent it from booting (their disk has bitlocker and now the disk is encrypted, or they have secure boot enabled in the bios which prevents the temporary boot environment from working).
Rescue media is bootable media that you create and boot to to start cloning or offline backups or offline recovery. It's like the Windows installer disc you use to reinstall an operating system, but in this case, it has Acronis True Image on it. You need to get familiar with this because if you ever can't boot and need to recovery, you're going to need this recovery method... and it is the recommended method for starting a clone to avoid the issues mentioned above.
Because your system is BIOS / Legacy / MBR... you need to use your bios one-time boot menu and ensure you pick the legacy mode to start rescue media. Many PC's support booting in both legacy AND UEFI and may default to UEFI for rescue media, even if your OS is installed legacy mode. This link helps identify how you might determine how you are booting your rescue media (once you build it)
https://kb.acronis.com/content/59877
This will help show you how to build your rescue media. You can make a CD/DVD or a bootable USB flash drive (just needs to be between 2GB - 32GB ... 2GB is big enough).
https://kb.acronis.com/content/56610
However, keep in mind this is the Linux version in older OEM versions of Acronis... It should likely still work on your system though since everything appears to be Legacy.
Wait, if I hold my Power button the PC shuts down. So I go to BIOS, check if everything is ok, then crash it with the power button and then restart?
After the clone is complete, power off the system. Swap your newly cloned drive to where the original was connected. Boot into the bios. Ensure the boot order has the new disk with the first boot priority. Save the bios settings, even if there is no change. Normally, there is an option to save, and an option to save with restart. If you can save, then save and then cold boot. If you have to save/restart, then do that but go into the bios first again and then cold boot.
The cold boot is just an extra step that may help some motherboards truly recognize that there is a new disk attached, even though it's a clone and might help with your boot problem.
Hey guys. thanks for all the effort you put into helping me, but I solved it differently.
I tried recloning with a different program (AOMEI) and it worked this time! So the problem might have been that I didn't start the cloning in Acronis from a rescue media but from Desktop, but with the other program that might have worked. Also no weird Partition F: this time.
Thanks again you guys, Idk who I should mark as solution. I rhink I'll pick Steve cause he wasted the most time on me :D
Good to read that you have found a solution that has worked for you - that is key! Thanks for the feedback.
I don't understand the checking for the BIOS mode of the clone. The thing you linked is about Rescue Media, but I don't use a rescue media, I just try to boot from the cloned disk and it blackscreens, with the occasonal flashing mousecursor. None of the Acronis menus show up.
snow jhon wrote:I don't understand the checking for the BIOS mode of the clone. The thing you linked is about Rescue Media, but I don't use a rescue media, I just try to boot from the cloned disk and it blackscreens, with the occasonal flashing mousecursor. None of the Acronis menus show up.
Please open a new topic by clicking on the 'Create New Topic' and start again at the beginning by telling us exactly what you have been doing? What version of ATI you use, what Windows OS etc?