Title: Guide 2022 | How to Clone Windows 10/8/7 HDD to a Bootable New HDD/SSD

Updated by Tracy King on December 6, 2021 to Disk/Partition Clone | How-to Guides

Can I create a bootable clone of a Windows disk without the boot files?

Does anyone know how to clone a Windows disk to another new HDD or SSD without boot issues? I'm trying to clone my Windows system disk and upgrade it to a larger drive. But the issue is, from my online search, many people have reported that their cloned disks won't boot properly.

I don't want to waste my time cloning a Windows disk only to end up with an unbootable drive. So, the question is: Can I create a bootable clone of a Windows disk, and if so, how?

What is a Bootable Clone for Windows 10/8/7?

A Windows 10 bootable clone is an exact copy of a bootable hard drive, including the operating system and other files. To clone a bootable drive for Windows 10, you can choose to clone the entire disk or just the partition that contains the OS and related boot files. Users can easily clone the system drive to upgrade the OS and all data to a new drive without encountering any boot or startup issues.

But how? How to clone Windows disk without boot issue on Windows 10/8/7? This guide will offer you the right tool – a powerful bootable disk cloning software, as well as a detailed guide to help you clone Windows disk without any boot problem effectively.

Download the Best Disk Clone Software for Windows 10/8/7 (UTF-8)

To ensure a smooth disk cloning process on your Windows PC and save precious time and effort, we recommend downloading the best bootable disk cloning software for assistance.

AOMEI Backupper is a user-friendly yet powerful disk cloning tool that allows you to easily clone or copy your entire disk and partition to a new drive. One of the most remarkable features of this software is that it can clone your hard drive and save data to a new device by ignoring bad sectors during the copying process, should your disk have any.

With it, you can even clone disk data to a smaller drive. It's fully compatible with all Windows OS, so you can download and install it on your PC and start creating a bootable clone of your Windows disk yourself.

Highlight:

- User-friendly: This simple disk cloning software helps you copy everything on the disk and migrate your data, system, or apps to another hard drive. - Safe and reliable: The tool won't harm your disk, and the clone must be able to boot your computer after cloning to the SSD/HDD. - One-click OS migration: When a new disk is available, the tool will automatically detect your disk space and prompt you to "Migrate OS to the new disk."

Note: Make sure you launch the disk cloning tool before you begin. If you encounter any issues, you can contact our support team for free online assistance.

Video Tutorial: How to Clone Your Windows System to a New Disk and Create a Bootable Copy

In this video, you'll learn how to clone your Windows disk to another new HDD or SSD without boot issues. Let's dive in:

How to Create a Bootable Clone of Your Windows Disk in 5 Easy Steps

Before you begin the cloning process, connect the new drive or SSD to your computer. Now let's see how to clone a Windows PC without any boot issues.

Step 1: Download, install, and run 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: If the program asks whether you want to erase data from the target disk, click “OK” to confirm.

Step 4: Check and edit the disk layout.

If your target disk is an SSD, make sure to check the Optimize for SSD option.

Step 5: Click “Continue” to begin the hard drive cloning process.

How to Boot Windows 10/8/7 from a Newly Cloned Bootable Disk

To make sure that your cloned Windows disk boots on your computer, remember to update your boot order after you start the disk cloning process so your computer boots from the new disk:

Step 1: Shut down your computer, then insert the cloned drive into your Windows PC.

Step 2. Restart your computer and press F2 or F8 repeatedly to enter the BIOS settings.

3. Go to the "Boot" or "Startup" section, and set your computer to boot from the new hard drive.

Step 4. Save the changes and restart your computer. You should no longer have any additional boot issues or other problems.

Additional tips to fix issues with a cloned drive not booting

If you're unable to boot from the cloned drive, try these fixes:

1. Select the correct boot drive 2. Properly connect the SSD or HDD to your computer 3. Add necessary drivers to the cloned SSD/HDD 4. Restart the cloning process and fix errors 5. Resolve GPT/MBR conflicts

If your cloned SSD still won't boot, please contact us with more details so we can assist you as soon as possible.

Conclusions

With tools like Disk Copy, you can easily create a bootable clone of a Windows disk. This software also supports cloning Linux HDD to SSD. If you're unsure how to boot from a cloned drive, you can find detailed instructions in the linked content. For any suggestions on bootable cloning methods, feel free to share them with us.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bootable Clone for Windows 10/8/7

If you still have questions, you can review the following related questions and answers.

How do I make a bootable clone?

Step 1. Download, install, and run a disk cloning utility on your computer.

Step 2. Select the target disk to which you want to clone/copy the old drive, and then click “Next” to proceed.

Step 3: Check and edit the disk layout, selecting either "Auto adjust for the disk," "Match source," or "Edit disk layout." Selecting "Auto adjust for the disk" is recommended.

Click “Next” to begin cloning the hard drive or copying its contents.

Can you clone Windows 10?

Yes, you can. With the help of disk cloning tools, you can easily clone Windows 10 to a larger hard drive without any boot issues.

What is the best cloning software for Windows 10?

Best Windows PC Disk Cloning and Imaging Software:

• Hard Disk Copy Tools
• Todo Backup
• Paragon Drive Copy
• Macrium Reflect
• CloneZilla

Can a cloned hard drive boot?

Normally, the target disk can be booted after cloning the active system disk with professional disk cloning software.