How to Clone a Hard Drive to a Bootable USB: A Complete Guide

"My system drive is failing, and my PC won't boot up properly. I have a bootable USB at hand. Can I clone hard drive to bootable USB to get my computer back on track? Will Rufus be of any help? What's the best bootable USB cloning tool?"

Yes, you can use a bootable USB to clone a hard drive.

In this post, we'll provide you with all the answers you need and offer you a complete and detailed guide on how to clone a hard drive to a bootable USB with a professional yet free downloadable disk cloning software – tools Disk Copy.

When should you use a bootable USB cloned hard drive? Cloning a hard drive is typically done in the following situations: 1. **System upgrades or migrations**: When you want to upgrade to a new operating system or switch computers, cloning ensures that all software, settings, and data are transferred intact to the new system. 2. **Backup and recovery**: Regularly cloning your hard drive is an effective way to back up important data. In case of issues with the original disk, you can quickly restore the system using the cloned version, minimizing downtime. 3. **Maintenance and troubleshooting**: While performing major updates or troubleshooting on a computer, a bootable USB cloned drive allows you to work without affecting the original system. You can test software or fix issues on the clone without impacting your actual working environment. 4. **Multiple system environments**: If you need to switch between different operating systems, like Windows and Linux, cloned drives enable you to quickly switch between them without having to reinstall each time. 5. **Data security**: In the face of virus attacks or malware threats, a cloned drive serves as a secure recovery point, allowing you to swiftly revert to the state before the incident. To use a bootable USB cloned hard drive, you'll need cloning software that supports this feature (such as Acronis True Image or Clonezilla) and a large enough USB drive to store the disk image. Make sure to back up all crucial data beforehand and follow the proper steps for the cloning process to avoid data loss.

Disk cloning creates an exact bit-for-bit copy of the source disk to a target storage device, which is often used by computer users for upgrading hard drives, backing up files, and transferring data.

However, since disk cloning also allows you to create a bootable clone of a Windows disk, many people choose to use it to restore their system to a working state when the computer fails to boot. You may want to clone hard drive to a bootable USB when you meet the following situations.

⚒️ The system files are corrupted, preventing the computer from starting up normally or booting successfully.

A bootable USB clone of the hard drive will restore the computer to its normal state.

Cloning is not possible.

• In some rare cases, disk cloning might not proceed correctly because of interference from certain programs on your computer. Booting from a USB clone will ensure that the cloning process goes smoothly.

If you find yourself in this predicament, don't panic. There are a few things you should do before using a bootable USB clone drive.

Related Reading: How to Clone Hard Drive from Boot

## Things to Prepare Before Cloning Before embarking on the cloning process, there are a few items you'll need to have in place. Here are the key points to ensure a smooth cloning experience: 1. **Source Code Repository**: Make sure you have the URL of the source code repository you want to clone. This could be a Git, GitHub, GitLab, or any other version control system repository. 2. **Install Git**: If you plan to use Git for cloning, ensure that the latest version of Git is installed on your computer. You can download and install it from the official [Git website](https://git-scm.com/downloads). 3. **Local Development Environment**: Depending on the type of project you're cloning, make sure your computer has all the necessary development tools and dependencies installed. For instance, for programming projects, you might need an IDE, specific versions of programming languages, or build tools. 4. **Account Access Permissions**: If the source code repository is private, you'll need appropriate access rights to it. Ensure you're logged in with the correct account and have been granted access. 5. **Disk Space**: Check your hard drive space to ensure there's enough room to store the cloned project. Large projects can require significant storage. 6. **Command Line Familiarity**: Being comfortable with using a command line interface (like CMD or PowerShell on Windows, or Terminal on Mac/Linux) will aid in the cloning process, as most cloning operations are done through the command line. 7. **Understanding the Clone Command**: Learn how to perform a clone operation in your chosen version control system. For Git, the command is `git clone`, followed by the repository's URL. With these preparations in place, you're ready to start cloning the source code. Ensuring you've covered these steps should make the cloning process straightforward.

There are three things you need to do to make a bootable USB clone of your hard drive.

Create a bootable USB drive

If you don't have a bootable USB device prepared, you can follow this article to create a free Windows bootable USB.

If your USB drive contains any data or files, it's recommended that you back them up elsewhere first, just in case they get lost during the process of making the USB bootable.

2️⃣ Change the boot order

When preparing the bootable USB, you should first use the USB to boot your computer and then clone the hard drive without removing it.

Here are some steps you might follow.

Step 1: Insert the bootable USB drive into the computer that won't start.

Step 2. Restart your computer and press the BIOS key repeatedly until you see the BIOS screen.

Step 3. Enter the BIOS settings, change the boot order, and set your bootable USB as the computer's boot disk.

Figure 12. Change the BIOS boot order

Step 4. Once you have made the changes, you can exit the BIOS.

Choose and download a disk cloning software.

Since Windows doesn't come with built-in cloning features or tools, you'll need to pick and download a reliable and practical disk cloning software before you can boot from USB.

There are numerous professional cloning tools available for download in the market, but their quality varies. When evaluating these tools, consider the following aspects:

Usability

Good software should be very beginner-friendly, with a clean user interface and straightforward workflows.

✔️Functionality

A great cloning app needs to bring its A-game to disk cloning and offer more advanced features for power users.

✔️Efficiency

The shorter the cloning process takes, the better the software's performance.

Based on the above, our recommended disk cloning software is AOMEI Backupper.

Download the Free USB Clone Tool

Disk Copy is a cloning tool tailored to meet the needs of both novices and professionals, boasting an extremely clean user interface that lets you execute cloning tasks with a single click. It enables you to clone your hard drive to a USB drive.

Aside from regular cloning, it also supports cloning a hard drive with bad sectors, migrating the Windows system to HDD/SSD, and adjusting disk partitions, among other advanced features.

To test the cloning efficiency of these tools, we performed some experiments using both Disk Copy and Clonezilla, and recorded the data.

Based on the software analysis and testing, we have every reason to believe that Disk Copy is one of the best bootable USB cloning tools that can greatly help you clone bootable USB or clone boot drive SSD to new NVMe SSD.

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### Steps for Cloning to a Bootable USB Drive

Now, let's learn how to clone a hard drive using a bootable USB device with the disk cloning tool provided below in the detailed tutorial.

Note: Make sure you launch the disk cloning utility first to complete the disk copy or clone successfully.

Step 1: Download, install, and run the Disk Copy tool on your computer. Click on the "Disk Mode," select the source disk that you want to copy or clone, and then click Next to proceed.

Note: If you want to copy or clone the source disk sector by sector, the target disk should be the same size as or larger than the source disk.

Step 2. Select the target disk to which you want to clone/copy your old disk, then click "Next" to proceed. If prompted, click "OK" to confirm deleting data on the target disk.

Step 3: Review and edit the disk layout, choosing to “Autofit to disk,” “Copy as on source,” or “Edit disk layout.” Choose “Autofit to disk.”

The "Copy Source" option copies the partition layout from the source disk to the target disk.
The "Edit Disk Layout" allows you to manually adjust the partition sizes or move the partition layout on the target disk.

If your target disk is an SSD, check the “Optimize for SSD” option.

Click Proceed to start cloning or copying the disk immediately.

If the cloned drive won't boot, you can refer to this post and fix the issue easily.

Expert tip: Can Rufus clone a USB? Yes, Rufus can not only create bootable USB media but also clone USB devices. To clone a USB using Rufus, follow these steps: 1. Connect the source USB drive (the one to be cloned) and the target USB drive (where the clone will be saved) to your computer. 2. Launch Rufus. 3. From the "Device" dropdown menu, select the source USB drive you want to clone. 4. Ensure the "Partition scheme and target system type" settings are appropriate for your needs. 5. Instead of selecting "Create a bootable USB flash drive" from the "Choose media type" dropdown, choose "Write from disk/image." 6. Click the "Select" button, then in the file selection dialog that appears, locate and choose your source USB drive (usually displayed as a large capacity storage device). 7. After confirming your selection, click "Start" to initiate the cloning process. This may take some time depending on the USB speed and data volume. 8. Once completed, Rufus will display a message saying "All tasks completed." You have now successfully cloned the USB. Please note that the cloning process will erase all data on the target USB, so make sure to back up any important information beforehand.

Chances are, if you use computers frequently or are well-versed with system operations, you might be familiar with Rufus. This is an application designed for Windows, which primarily offers two functionalities: formatting USB flash drives or memory sticks, and creating bootable USB installation media from a bootable ISO.

So, can Rufus clone a USB? The answer is no. It doesn't have any cloning features, but you can use Rufus to create a bootable Windows USB drive.

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The bottom line?

How do you clone a hard drive to a bootable USB? What is the best bootable USB cloning tool? Have you mastered all the tricks after reading our detailed guide? You can accomplish all cloning tasks easily with the professional cloning software tool Disk Copy, available for free download.

And, if you want even more cloning tips, don't miss these posts.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I clone a hard drive to a USB device?

Yes, you can clone a hard drive to a USB device. Here are the steps you can follow: 1. **Connect the USB Device**: Plug the USB drive into your computer's USB port. 2. **Backup Data**: If the hard drive contains important data, make sure to back it up elsewhere in case anything goes wrong during the cloning process. 3. **Cloning Software**: You'll need cloning software. There are several options available, both free and paid. Some popular ones include Clonezilla, Acronis True Image, and Macrium Reflect. Download and install the software of your choice. 4. **Launch the Software**: Run the cloning software you've installed. The interface may vary depending on the software you choose. 5. **Select Source and Destination**: In most software, you'll be prompted to select the source (your hard drive) and the destination (your USB drive). Make sure you choose correctly as selecting the wrong drive could lead to data loss. 6. **Start Cloning**: Once you've selected the drives, initiate the cloning process. The software will copy all the data from your hard drive to the USB drive. 7. **Wait for Completion**: This process can take some time depending on the size of your hard drive and the speed of your USB device. Do not interrupt the process. 8. **Verify the Clone**: After the cloning is complete, check the cloned USB drive to ensure all files and folders have been copied correctly. Remember, cloning a hard drive creates an exact replica, including operating system, applications, and all files. It's a useful tool for backup or transferring to a new computer.

1. Step 1. Prepare the USB. Back up any data stored on it and ensure it has enough space.
2. Step 2. Download a reliable cloning software, such as Disk Copy Utility.
3. Step 3. Run the cloning software and insert the USB into your computer.
4. Step 4. Follow the software's prompts to initiate the cloning process.

How do I clone an SSD to a USB flash drive?

Please follow these simple steps.

1. Step 1. Prepare your USB flash drive and insert it into your computer.
2. Step 2. Download a reliable cloning software, such as Disk Copy.
3. Step 3. Run the cloning software and select the SSD as the source disk.
4. Step 4. Choose the USB flash drive as the target disk and initiate the cloning process.