Hey everyone,
I'm currently attempting to upgrade to a 500gb SSD from a 1TB hdd.
SSD: Crucial mx200
I've tried to use the cloning software contained in the packaging, but am prompted to restart when the process is about to begin. I've also tried several other third party programs and all have failed as well...
Can someone tell me what i can do to install this thing? It seemed relatively simple at first, but now i'm in well over my head.
>>153476
Just use GParted Live. It's free.
What you're trying to do is rather "special" (usually, you clone a smaller disk onto a bigger one), which is why none of the programs you've tried can help you.
What you need to do is
1 - Boot GParted
2 - See if your "partition table" is "GPT" or "msdos". If it's GPT, read below*
3 - Resize the partitions on the hard disk so that they will fit on the SSD with a few MB to spare
4 - image the hard disk onto the SSD using dd or dd_rescue
(http://steampunkworkshop.com/quickest-way-clone-windows-and-windows-server-disk-gparted/)
5 - Reboot GParted and make sure some of the free space you left in step 2 is still there on the SSD
If the free space is not there, then the SSD ran out of space before the whole partition could be copied. Re-do from step 3, and make the partitions a bit smaller this time.
* GPT uses unique IDs for each partition, and has a partition table at both the start and the end of the drive. If you're using GPT, then when you reboot after imaging the drives, you need to let GParted mend the partition table. Before you boot Windows, format or disconnect the hard disk: Windows can't tell two cloned GPT partitions apart, because they have the same unique ID, and it will trash both of them. If you have an "msdos" partition table, you can ignore every one of these problems.
tried macrium?
>>153476
If you can't be fucked with all this, then just "acquire" eBoostr or PrimoCache, keep the install you already have on the hard disk, and use the SSD to hold your swapfile and an Intel Rapid Start partition, and dedicate the rest to caching the hard disk. The result is a 1TB hard disk where the 500gb you actually use (minus 8GB or so for Intel Rapid Start) performs like an SSD.
Pros:
Appears as one single 1TB partition
Can set it up without copying data, fiddling with partitions, or messing with BOOTMGR
If SSD fails, you lose no data
SSD boot times, thanks to Intel Rapid Start
Computer decides what goes on SSD, and fill it with only the parts you access of the files you access.
Cons:
1TB total storage instead of 1.5TB
Need two drive bays to use both drives
