How to Clone Your IDE Drive to a SATA HDD/SSD (2 Methods)

Updated by Tracy King on February 17, 2022, about Disk/Partition Clone | How-to Guides

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"Hello, do you know how to clone an IDE hard drive to a SATA hard drive and make it a boot drive? My computer has been running slower lately, and I'm wondering if it's possible to migrate the operating system from IDE to a SATA SSD without reinstalling Windows?"

Why do I need to clone IDE to SATA?

With the rapid popularization of SSDs, more and more users are upgrading their system disks from HDD to SSD via disk cloning. Most of these hard drives are now SATA interfaces.

However, there are still some users who use IDE hard drive as the boot disk. This brings some inconvenience to their computer for some advanced tests or work, so they want to migrate system disk to SATA or SSD to replace the original IDE hard drive.

Difference Between SATA and IDE

There are also other reasons why an IDE user would want to upgrade their IDE disk to SATA HDD/SSD. Below is a comparison table of SATA and IDE that shows why you need to clone IDE to SATA HDD or SSD:

• No need to reinstall Windows system after cloning IDE hard drive to SATA SSD/HDD. All contents on the old IDE disk will be cloned to the new SATA SSD or HDD.

Then how to clone IDE to SATA? How can I clone IDE hard drive to SATA HDD or SSD without boot issue under Windows system? Before cloning IDE disk to SATA drive, you need to do some preparations. Let's check them out.

Part 1: Preparations for Cloning IDE Hard Drive to SATA HDD/SSD

To clone an IDE drive to SATA without reinstalling the system and encountering boot problems, some preparation is required.

#1. Check if your computer motherboard supports SATA

If your computer's motherboard has SATA ports, connect your SATA HDD/SSD to it with a SATA data cable and a power cable. If your computer's motherboard doesn't have SATA ports, you'll need to buy an IDE-to-SATA adapter to connect your SATA HDD/SSD to your computer.

#2. Get a new SATA hard drive or SSD

If it's a brand new SATA hard drive or SSD, connect it to your computer and initialize it first. See how to initialize a new HDD/SSD:

Connect the SSD/HDD to a Windows PC via a USB-to-SATA cable > Right-click the SATA disk in Disk Management > Select "Initialize Disk" > Set the disk as GPT or MBR.

If you are using a used SATA HDD/SSD that contains some data, back up and save your data to another secure location or disk beforehand.

#3 Download a reliable IDE to SATA clone software

The last key point to ensure a successful IDE to SATA hard drive upgrade is to choose a reliable disk cloning software. Here, we recommend trying the Disk Copy tool, which allows you to effectively upgrade your disk without losing any data or encountering boot issues.

Video Tutorial - Clone IDE HDD to SSD on Windows 10/8/7

The video has all the information you need to clone, including setup, the cloning procedure, and troubleshooting startup issues.

With that done, you're ready to clone your IDE drive to the SATA drive or SSD.

Part 2: Clone IDE Hard Drive to SATA HDD/SSD without Boot Issue

To clone IDE disk to SATA HDD/SSD without any trouble, now you just need to follow the steps below to clone IDE disk to SATA HDD/SSD without system reinstallation:

First, set the SATA drive to IDE mode in the BIOS.

Step 1. Connect the SATA HDD/SSD to your computer using a SATA data cable and power cable, or an IDE-to-SATA adapter.

Step 2. Restart your computer and press F2, F12, Del, or a similar key to enter BIOS.

Step 3. Go to the 'Advanced' menu and locate the option to change the SATA Controller Mode to 'IDE Mode'.

The exact menu option may vary in BIOS, but look for “SATA Configuration,” “SATA Mode,” “SATA Controller Mode,” or “SATA Operation.” Make sure to change the mode from AHCI/RAID to IDE.

Step 4. Save your changes and exit the BIOS, then boot your computer to continue with the disk cloning process.

Next, clone the IDE hard drive to a SATA HDD/SSD, or upgrade the IDE to a SATA HDD or SSD.

Now, you can follow the tutorial steps below to start the process of cloning IDE hard drive data to SATA HDD/SSD with the tool “Disk Clone”:

Also: Before you begin, make sure to activate the software to ensure a smooth cloning process from IDE to SATA without any data loss or issues:

Here's how to upgrade and clone your IDE hard drive to a SATA HDD/SSD without losing data:

Step 1: Under Disk Mode, select the HDD that you want to clone.

Step 2: Select the SSD as the target disk.

A warning message will appear, telling you that the data on the SSD will be erased. If you don't have any important data on the target disk, click "OK" to proceed.

Step 3: After editing the disk layout, click Proceed.

Since the destination is an SSD, it's recommended to check the option “If target is SSD, please check this option.”

Step 4: Wait for the process to complete.

Finally, set the computer to boot from the SATA HDD/SSD.

After the cloning process is complete, do not rush to restart your computer. There's one more step you need to take – change your BIOS settings to boot from the SATA HDD/SSD:

Step 1: Restart your computer and press F2, F12, Del, or another key to enter BIOS as it boots up. Release the key when you see the BIOS screen.

Step 2. In the BIOS, go to the “Boot” section and set your cloned SATA HDD or SSD as the boot drive.

Step 3: Save the changes and restart your computer.

Your Windows PC should now boot from the new disk, and all your content should be visible on the SATA drive. If you want to use the IDE drive as a data drive, you can delete the operating system partition, clear out the entire disk, and save new data to it.

Further reading: How to migrate an operating system from IDE to SATA HDD/SSD

Perhaps you don't want to clone the entire IDE disk data to SATA, but only want to migrate the operating system from IDE drive to SATA HDD or SSD. If that's what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.

Here, we will guide you through the process of migrating your operating system or just the Windows system from IDE disk to SATA HDD or SSD with a reliable system cloning software - Todo Backup.

Meanwhile, ensure that your computer's motherboard supports SATA and have an SATA data cable and power cable on hand to connect it to the IDE PC. Here are the detailed steps to migrate your operating system from IDE to SATA HDD/SSD: 1. **Backup Data**: Before making any changes, make sure to backup all important data on your IDE hard drive to prevent any potential data loss. 2. **Acquire a SATA HDD/SSD**: Purchase a suitable SATA hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD) with enough storage capacity to accommodate your existing operating system and files. 3. **Connect the SATA Drive**: Shut down your computer, unplug the power cord, and open the case. Locate an available SATA port on the motherboard and plug in the SATA data cable, connecting one end to the motherboard and the other to the SATA HDD/SSD. Connect the SATA power cable from the power supply to the new drive. 4. **Set SATA Mode**: In the BIOS settings, locate the "Integrated Peripherals" or "Onboard Devices" section, then find the "SATA Controller Mode." Set it to either "IDE Compatibility Mode" or "AHCI" mode, depending on which mode your IDE drive was operating in. Save the changes and exit the BIOS. 5. **Boot from the IDE Drive**: Plug in the power cord and turn on the computer. Make sure your computer boots from the IDE drive, where your current OS is installed. 6. **Install SATA Drivers**: Insert the installation disc for your operating system (Windows, Linux, etc.) or boot from a USB drive if available. When prompted to choose the installation type, select "Upgrade" or "Custom" (depending on the OS). This will allow you to keep your existing system while updating drivers. 7. **Detect SATA Drive**: During the installation process, the system should detect your new SATA HDD/SSD. If not, you may need to manually add the SATA controller drivers using a USB drive or floppy disk (if supported). 8. **Format and Partition**: Select the new SATA HDD/SSD and format it with the appropriate file system (e.g., NTFS for Windows). Create a new partition if needed. 9. **Clone the System**: Use cloning software like Clonezilla, Acronis True Image, or Windows' built-in "Disk Management" tool to clone your IDE drive to the SATA HDD/SSD. Ensure the target drive is selected correctly. 10. **Modify Boot Order**: After the cloning process completes, enter the BIOS again and change the boot order so that the SATA HDD/SSD is the first boot device. 11. **Save and Exit**: Save your changes and exit the BIOS. Your computer should now boot from the SATA HDD/SSD with the migrated operating system. 12. **Finalize Configuration**: Once booted, update the system drivers, especially storage controllers, to ensure optimal performance. You may also need to update the system registry entries and boot configuration data. By following these steps, you should successfully migrate your operating system from an IDE hard drive to a SATA HDD/SSD.

Step 1: On the home screen, find and tap on "Tools. " This is where you'll find System Clone and other utilities.

Step 2: Todo Backup will automatically select the boot and system partitions. Choose the destination disk and click "Next".

* System Clone will wipe all data, and doesn't support cloning MBR disk to GPT or vice versa. Please make sure the partition style of source disk and target disk is the same.

If the target disk is an SSD, check “Optimize for SSD” in the advanced options.

Optimized for SSD

Step 4: Click "Start Clone" to begin the cloning process.

You have now successfully cloned your OS from an IDE hard drive to a SATA HDD or SSD with no data loss or errors. You can continue to use the old IDE drive as a storage device on your computer.

Conclusions

This page offers two reliable methods for upgrading your system drive (an IDE drive) to a new SATA hard disk or SSD, by either cloning the entire disk or migrating the system.

If you prefer to replace the whole disk without causing boot problems for the OS, as recommended in Part 2, a disk cloning tool that copies the entire disk can help.

If you only need to migrate your OS to a SATA HDD/SSD, you can refer to the system migration guide in Further Reading.