Cloning refers to an exact copy of a hard drive, an animal, or even a human. Why would we want to replicate something for backup or emergency resuscitation? The internet, with all its possibilities, has also brought many risks, making it all the more important for users to manage and protect their data.
Regardless, trying to clone a hard drive by copying and pasting the formula always falls short. This can lead to insufficient support, inability to move system-protected files, and target disk issues. This is why it's better to opt for professional cloning software and applications to bypass these problems. In this article, we'll review an efficient disk cloning software – the Acronis Clone – and its perfect alternative with better features.
Acronis True Image (and Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office) is a professional backup and [disk cloning](/backup-utility/what-is-disk-cloning-and-why-is-it-necessary.html) software used to create clones and images of computer hard drives. It allows you to create duplicates of your computer's operating system, hard disk drives, and disk partitions, and plan the management of your backup data. The tool even lets you create a [bootable USB drive](/system-to-go/what-is-bootable-usb-drive.html) or CD/DVD.
Acronis Clone is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. This integrated application lets users clone a hard drive without any boot media. You can also clone basic disks, such as MBR and GPT, to other disks, even if the target disk has a different capacity.
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After downloading and activating your Acronis account, follow these steps to use the Acronis disk cloning software to clone your HDD/SSD.
Step 1: Launch the Acronis Clone Disk utility.
Step 2: Next, in the left-hand panel, go to the Tools section and choose Clone Disk.
Select the Clone Disk option:
Step 3: Under Clone mode, select Automatic (recommended), then click Next.
Step 4: Select the “Source Disk” you want to clone and click Next.
Step 5: Select the “Destination disk,” then click “Next.”
Note: If the target disk contains data, you might be prompted to confirm. Make sure that you have selected the correct disk, or change the target disk.
Step 6: Choose the cloning method you want from the options. To clone a disk, select Replace the disk on this computer.
Step 7: A summary screen appears with all the details of the clone. Tap “Continue,” and you'll see a notification that the cloning process has started.
A summary page showing all the details of the cloning process:
Step eight: When the clone is finished, shut down everything, and you have a bootable system drive that you can use on another machine.
Acronis Disk Cloning software or Acronis True Image cloning has many advanced technologies applied to its work, but there are also some drawbacks. Let's look at the pros and cons:
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SaaS tools need to work flawlessly, especially when cloning backup data. What could be better than using a disk cloning tool to address the shortcomings of Acronis cloning software?
AOMEI Backupper Disk Clone is one of the best cloning software options available. It securely and reliably replicates disks with advanced algorithms, making it the go-to choice for both home and business users. It enables you to create an image of a USB drive and migrate your system from HDD to SSD or SSD to SSD.
Moreover, features such as sector-by-sector cloning can help you work around bad sectors on your hard drive. All of these functions are integrated into a simple user interface that makes it easy to browse and manage backup and recovery processes.
Step 1: Download, install, and run a hard drive cloning tool on your computer.
Click “Disk Mode,” then select the hard drive you want to copy or clone. Click “Next.”
Step 2: Select the target disk.
Note: If you're cloning or copying the source disk, the target disk should be at least as large as the source disk, or larger.
Step 3: Check and edit the disk layout.
If the target disk is an SSD, check the “Target is SSD” option.
If prompted to erase the data on the target disk, click OK.
Step 5: Click “Proceed” to start the cloning process.
If you wish to clone a disk manually using copy and paste methods, cloning software like Acronis is more feasible and accurate. You can utilize the Acronis cloning software to replicate your current system and have a complete system image for backup and recovery purposes. For seamless software-based data backup and recovery management, you should consider a disk cloning tool suitable for both home and business use.
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Here are some frequently asked questions about Acronis cloning software. Hopefully, these can address your concerns if you have similar issues.
1. Is Acronis True Image cloning free?
The answer is no. Acronis is not a free cloning software. However, Acronis Cloning tool offers users a free trial for 30 days. You can sign up and take advantage of this trial period to test features such as disk cloning, backup, recovery, and remote management. Nevertheless, you can only test these functionalities but cannot actually perform them. To carry out operations, you would need to purchase an Acronis software license.
2. Is Acronis suitable for cloning?
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is an excellent tool, particularly for disk cloning. In addition to cloning disks, it offers backup, migration, duplication, and remote management capabilities, both locally and in the cloud. It quickly and securely handles upgrades from HDD to SSD or cloning between MBR and GPT.
3. Does Windows 10 Have a Cloning Software?
The answer is both Yes and No. Windows 10 includes a free disk-imaging tool called “System Image Backup” that works similarly to cloning. This feature lets you clone your hard drive (or SSD) to an external drive. The main difference is that a disk image creates a compressed, exact copy of your OS that takes up less space, whereas a clone is an exact duplicate that you can boot from directly.