If your old Windows 11/10 PC is running slowly, or has become very unstable, the easiest way to get it working again faster is to replace the hard drive with a new one. SSD (Solid State Drive), i.e. solid state memory drives. Unlike the hard disk head, an SSD drive with solid state memory allows you to save large quantities of data in a “non-volatile” way without the use of mechanical parts (platters, heads, motors, etc.). This small but big difference makes the Much better performing SSDs compared to traditional hard disks.
Although upgrading and installing an SSD in a PC is not complex to do (just disconnect the hard drive and mount the SSD in its place), there is only one problem you may face and that is: how migrate and clone Windows 11/10 and all data to the new SSD without reinstalling everything from scratch. Fortunately, it is possible clone Windows 11/10 from HDD to SSD using software like the one we will describe below.
Here’s a guide that shows you how migrate Windows to SSD with all the files and settings you had on the old disk, without risk of data loss.
Cloning process preparation
You need to make some important preparations before clone HDD data to SSD. These preparations include the partitioning of the SSD drive to create an extra volume into which data transfer will take place.
You should also try to keep all your data in one partition to reduce the chance of not completely cloning the drive. It is important to close all programs before starting cloning.
It is recommended to also perform one disk cleanup to delete unnecessary files from HDD drive before proceeding with cloning Windows 11/10 and related data to SSD. This helps reduce the size of the data to be transferred and will therefore speed up the migration process.
Here’s how to do this cleaning before cloning Windows 11/10 to SSD.
Step 1. Go to the Windows 11/10 search bar, at the bottom left of the desktop and type Pulizia Disco and then click on the relevant result that appears
Step 2. Select the drive to clean (for example C:\) and click OK. The tool will then display a window with a list of file types. Select the files you want to delete from the disk. Most of them will already be checked, since they are the files you don’t need, such as temporary files and other data. Double-check to make sure you haven’t included important files that you can no longer recover (in case of deletion)
Step 3. Click on “Clean system files”
Step 4. Click OK to confirm the cleaning process.
This is the best method to clean Windows PC so as to recover disk space and also optimize the performance of the entire system. Once this preliminary operation has been done, you will be able to proceed with the desired operation, namely clone Windows 11/10 to SSD with all data and programs already installed!
Clone Windows 11/10 to SSD
For those computers that only have one hard drive slot, using a hard drive enclosure allows you to access the SSD via USB. Allows you to proceed with the cloning via USB port. Laptops typically have 3.5-inch hard drives, so you need a 3.5mm USB enclosure to access the drive via USB.
Using Partition Assistant to clone Windows to SSD
A program that we recommend using to proceed with the migration and cloning of the operating system on an SSD disk is Partition Assistant. You can immediately download it (in demo version) on your Windows 11/10 from the following button.
Step 1. Install and launch the program. Here is the main interface:
From the menu at the top of the program, access the function Clone and then select Migrate OS
Step 2. Press the “” button at the bottomAfter you” to start the cloning wizard. The first thing you will be asked is to choose the unallocated space on the SSD disk, the space where Windows will be copied.
Step 3. Click Next again to choose size, disk letter, disk type (primary partition if you want to install Windows on it).
Step 4. Finally read the warning that appears and press FINISH to complete the operation.
That’s all!
Using CloneGO to clone Windows to SSD
CloneGo is another cloning software available in free and commercial versions. The free version has limited functionality but is available to everyone and can easily clone your operating system and data. Here are the steps to follow.
1. Download and install CloneGo in Windows 11/10, then open the program.
2. Click Copythen select the source partition (the HDD drive) and a destination partition (the drive SSD).
3. Select “Set the destination partition as your startup disk“. This will allow you to boot from the SSD drive once the cloning is complete.
4. After selecting the relevant options, click Start. Make sure your destination partition (the SSD) has no necessary data as it will be formatted during the process.
5. The program will first format the SSD into the necessary format, and then copy (clone) all data from the HDD to the SSD.
6. After successfully cloning data to the SSD, turn off your computer. If you connect the SSD via USB, you can boot the computer, take out the existing HDD, and insert the SSD card in its place. Make sure your computer is turned off and unplugged.
System startup
With the SSD in place, you can turn on and boot your computer as you normally do. On the screen of BIOS, make sure SSD is selected as the first boot option. If all goes well, you should be able to boot Windows 11/10 and all your files and data will be intact in their place. You will find that it works much faster than before. In practice you will have a PC like new, fast and performing!
As you can see, it’s really easy clone Windows 11/10 to an SSD. You can also use the same steps to clone SSD to SSD. You will need to use the same precautions and software we described above. You just need to have a little patience but all this will then be compensated by the joy of seeing your Windows PC be as fast as a bullet again!
