"Clone SATA to NVMe not booting - Causes and Solutions?"

SATA and NVMe are two popular storage technologies that are utilized in SSD (Solid State Drive) environments. However, they differ in several aspects, including interface type, speed, form factor, appearance, cost, and security mechanisms.

Due to its superior performance, NVMe has become the go-to choice for most gamers, editors, and businessmen. With the increasing demand for high-performance storage devices, the need to clone from SATA to NVMe has arisen.

However, some issues may occur during the process, with the most common one being the SATA clone to NVMe won't boot issue. Here are user scenarios:

Why won't a cloned NVMe SSD boot?

Have you experienced any of these issues? There can be many causes, including some common ones:

• The disk connection is unstable or incorrect;
• The SATA to NVMe cloning process fails;
• The cloning process gets corrupted or interrupted;
• The boot sector isn't cloned to the NVMe SSD;
• The newly cloned NVMe isn't set as the boot drive;
• Incompatible BIOS boot mode;
• Conflicts between MBR and GPT.

Don't worry – in the next section, we'll present 7 solutions that you can try one by one to effectively resolve this issue.

7 Effective Solutions to Fix "Clone SATA to NVMe Not Booting"

Quick navigation:

1. Install the NVMe SSD Properly
2. Change the Boot Order in BIOS
3. Set BIOS Boot Mode to UEFI or Legacy
4. Make the System Partition Active
5. Run the Bootrec.exe Tool
6. Re-Clone SATA SSD to NVMe SSD
7. Seek Professional Technical Support

Method 1: Install the NVMe SSD Properly

Please ensure that the NVMe SSD is correctly installed in the M.2 slot, which is easily accessible on a desktop computer. If you're using a laptop, the location may vary, typically found beneath the bottom panel or under the keyboard.

Make sure it is installed properly and that your computer recognizes it.

Method 2: Change the Boot Order in BIOS

Alternatively, if your computer has both the original SATA drive and the new NVMe SSD installed, it might not be booting from the cloned NVMe SSD. In that case, you can change the boot order in your BIOS settings to start from the NVMe drive.

• Shut down your computer, then restart and press F2, F8, or F12 (or Del) to enter BIOS setup.
• Navigate to the Boot tab, and select the NVMe SSD as the boot drive.
• Save your changes and exit the BIOS.
• Reboot your computer and wait patiently to see if it boots from the cloned SSD.

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Method 3: Set the BIOS boot mode to UEFI or Legacy

Conflicts between MBR and GPT can also cause boot failure. If you clone a GPT hard drive to an MBR SSD or clone MBR to a GPT disk, you must change the boot mode from UEFI to Legacy or from Legacy to UEFI if you want to boot from SSD.

• Restart your computer and press F2/F8/F12/Del to enter BIOS setup.
• Navigate to the Boot tab, and click on the UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode option to switch it to either legacy or UEFI.
• Press F10 to save the settings and exit BIOS.
• Reboot your computer and check if the cloned SSD is bootable.

Note: In some cases, your computer might support only MBR or only GPT. You need to convert from MBR to GPT, or from GPT to MBR, for the SSD to boot.

Method 4: Make the System Partition Active

The system partition needs to be set as active. Otherwise, your computer won't be able to boot from the cloned SSD successfully. You can resolve this issue by following the steps below. With this method, you need to download a third-party partition manager tool in the WinPE environment.

• Restart the computer – Enter BIOS by pressing F2/F8/F12/Del key – Set the computer to boot from the tool's bootable media – Restart the computer.
• Follow the steps and video to set the SSD system drive as active.

Step 1: Run the partition manager. Right-click the target partition on the disk map and choose “Advanced”.

Step 2: Then, from the drop-down menu, select “Set as Active.” Click “OK.” Choose “Run 1 Task” and click “Apply.”

This is an embedded YouTube video player. The code provides the necessary permissions for the video to play smoothly, including access to accelerometer and gyroscope data, autoplay, clipboard writing, encrypted media, and picture-in-picture mode. The video has a width of 700 pixels and a height of 410 pixels, and it will automatically resize to fit its container. The iframe allows for full-screen viewing and is set to have no frame border. The specific video is identified by the source URL (src) and the title "YouTube video player."

• Restart your computer and press F2/F8/F12/Del to enter BIOS settings. Set your computer to boot from the cloned SSD. Restart your computer.

Method 5: Run the Bootrec.exe tool

Bootrec.exe is a utility used to repair the Master Boot Record (MBR) code, Partition Boot Sector code, and the BCD (Boot Configuration Data). You can use this command prompt in Windows to address the "Clone SATA to NVMe won't boot" issue.

1. Prepare a Windows installation CD and boot your computer from it. 2. Select "Troubleshoot" - "Advanced options" - "Command Prompt." 3. In the Command Prompt window that appears, type the command 'bootrec.exe' to initiate the tool and fix any errors.

Figure 2: Bootrec.exe command prompt

Method 6: Clone SATA SSD to NVMe SSD?

If all else fails, the SATA to NVMe SSD clone might be incomplete or unsuccessful. To ensure a successful clone from SSD to NVMe, you should use a reliable SSD cloning tool like Tools Disk Copy to clone Windows from SATA to NVMe SSD. It also has many advanced features that can make the cloning process more comfortable.

• Speedy cloning process with no data loss, user-friendly operation.
• Compatible with various HDDs and SSDs, including SATA and NVMe.
• Supports sector-by-sector cloning, copying only used space.
• Smart cloning that skips bad sectors during hard drive cloning.
• Seamless migration of the operating system from SATA to NVMe SSD.

With this powerful disk cloning tool, you don't need to worry about the process failing or losing data. Download it now and clone your Samsung SSD.

Step 1: Download, install, and launch the Disk Copy utility 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 are copying or cloning a 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, select the Target is SSD option.

If prompted, click OK to erase data from the target disk.

Click “Continue” to begin the hard drive cloning process.

Method 7: Seek Professional Support

If you've tried all of these steps and are still having issues, you can contact Tool Support. They offer personalized, one-on-one support to help diagnose and resolve issues.

Share this guide on social media to help your followers troubleshoot issues with an NVMe SSD that won't boot.

In sum

The post elaborates on 7 solutions to fix the "Clone SATA to NVMe won't boot" issue. If you're experiencing the same problem, don't panic. Stay calm and make your cloned NVMe SSD bootable following the above guide.

Disk Copy Tool is an excellent disk cloning utility that you definitely shouldn't miss. It ensures a smooth clone from SATA to NVMe SSD, and you can boot seamlessly from the cloned SSD without any hassle.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cloning SATA to NVMe and Not Booting

1. Why doesn't the NVMe drive show up during boot?

If the NVMe drive doesn't show up in the boot settings, the issue might be due to incorrect BIOS configuration, an unstable disk connection, an outdated disk, or a missing drive letter assignment.

2. Does NVMe require UEFI?

Yes, only systems that support UEFI can boot from an NVMe PCIe SSD. UEFI is a type of system firmware designed to improve upon the traditional BIOS and standardize processes like booting and driver loading. It's crucial to boot the operating system installer in UEFI mode.

3. Do I need to format the SSD before cloning?

There is no need to format SSD before cloning, because all data on the target disk will be wiped out during the cloning process. Formatting an SSD is also an operation to delete all data on it and recreate a new file system.