How to Upgrade Your SSD (And Retain All Data)

The replacement boot SSD should ideally have a capacity that is at least as large as the new disk. If this isn't the case, though, you might need to remove some superfluous files in order to make sure the new disk will hold enough data.

Over-provisioning, or reserving a fraction of available capacity, is a common practice for modern SSDs. This usually varies based on the SSD kind and usage scenario, from 5% to 30% of total free capacity. Make sure your account for this over-provisioning when switching from a larger to a smaller drive to guarantee you have enough storage space.

The Cloning Process - Step by Step

Assuming that the new drive has been installed in the computer and that all data on the existing drive has been completely backed up, perform the following actions in advance of the cloning process:

The SSD must be properly formatted before it can be utilized.

Set Up the New Drive

The new SSD needs to go through disk initialization before it can be used. To launch diskmgmt.msc, either right-click on the Start button or hit the Win key + R. A list of all the drives-including the new one-that are attached to your computer will be shown to you.

Make sure the new drive has the same format as the old one by following Windows' setup prompts. Choose this option if your motherboard supports UEFI by using GPT at the moment. Select the older MBR option if not.

This is a fairly quick process. When it's finished, the new drive should be visible in the disk management tool, with the majority of its space marked as unallocated. This is expected since the contents of the old disk will be moved into this area by the copying program.

It is vital to remember that the clone drive will not automatically use up all of the available space if it is smaller than the disk it is being copied into. For example, the new disk will start with the same size if the old one has 512 GB. We'll talk about how to handle this shortly.

Launch the Process of Cloning

Now, use Macrium Reflect 8 or your favorite cloning program to begin the cloning process. The tool usually opens in a manner akin to Windows Disk Management, listing all of the drives on your computer.

Make sure the checkboxes next to each drive you want to avoid copying are empty by clicking on each one. Next, choose the drive you want to copy by either checking the boxes next to each partition on the drive or by clicking in that general area.

See if you can find a "Clone this disk" option. When you select this option, a new window with the Source drive and an empty space for the Destination disk will open. When prompted to "Select a disk to clone to," select the relevant drive.

If, instead of starting the cloning process right now, you would prefer to schedule it for a later time, you can do so by clicking the 'Next' button. Press 'Next' once again to view an overview of all upcoming tasks.

Once you click "Next" once more to confirm this, a backup file with the cloning setup will be available for you to create. You can skip this step unless you want to do this process more than once. After deselecting the two options, press "OK."

A new screen with a final confirmation of the copying process will appear. Refrain from turning off your computer once you've started. To avoid interfering with the data copying process, it is best to leave the machine alone.

The operation may take many hours, depending on the volume of data to replicate and the disk speeds. In this case, though, it was finished in a mere twenty minutes.

Modify the SSD that the Computer Boots From

Even with two SSDs holding the same data, your computer continues to boot from the old disk by default. Take these actions to transition to the new one:

1. Keep the power cable attached while you shut down and turn off the PC at the wall socket or power supply unit. Turning off the computer is sufficient; this step is merely a precaution to make sure none of the drive ports are live.
2. Take off the old drive from its port and swap it out with the new SSD using its adapter or temporary socket. Take carenot to overtighten the screw holding the SSD in place if you're using M.2 sockets.
3. After everything is safe, turn the computer on. When installing new hardware, certain computers may restart several times before booting into Windows. Have patience and let the machine figure things out on its own.

This should be a sufficient method for most users. As cloning creates an exact replica of the original drive, everything ought to boot up and function normally.

Upgrading from a 512 GB SSD to a 1 TB drive presented a problem in the example case study of this article because half of the new drive wasn't being used. Reflect replicates partition sizes precisely, which is why the new SSD only shows 512 GB of partitioned capacity.

Resolving Partition Size Problems

We used MiniTool Partition Wizard, a free program for non-commercial use that is well-known for being effective in resizing and moving partitions to solve issues. Similar to Reflect, the home screen shows information, as shown below...

The old drive in our case had four partitions: the primary partition, three recovery partitions, and one primary partition. The whole space that followed the last partition was left empty when the SSD was copied to the new one. Relocating the unallocated space adjacent to the primary Windows partition is the solution.

Moving minor partitions, such as recovery ones, to the end of the drive's capacity is a secure method. Crucially, the software updates information about the location of items on the drive rather than physically moving data around on the SSD.

1. To move a partition, right-click on it to bring up a full menu of choices. By choosing "Move," a new window with a slider to adjust the partition's position will open. In our scenario, we moved the slider to the right to move each recovery segment to the end.
2. The unallocated space is automatically positioned next to the Windows partition by this process. The "Apply" button is located in the lower-left corner of the Partition Wizard software. After everything is in its proper place, selecting "Apply" starts the process of moving each partition.
3. To utilize all available space, right-click on the Windows partition, select "Extend," and then proceed. Now, the cloned version makes use of the whole SSD.

Restarting the computer is advised after selecting "Apply" once more. After everything is finished, your Windows boot SSD has been successfully upgraded without any data loss!

Turning on Over-Provisioning

Although this is optional, it is a good idea to do so if you want to make sure your SSD lasts as long as possible and performs as well overall.

In contrast to Windows settings, the drive's maker provides specialized software for controlling this capability. Such software is available from companies like Adata/XPG, Corsair, Crucial, Intel, Kingston, Sabrent, Samsung, Sandisk, Seagate, Transcend, & WD.

Here, using a Samsung SSD requires using its Magician application.

1. Launch the manufacturer's software, Magician, in the case of Samsung.
2. Find the setting to allow over-provisioning within the program. In the aforementioned illustration, Magician suggests allocating 10% of the primary Windows partition. Although customers are free to change this percentage according to their tastes, most users won't see any major advantages from a bigger allocation.

By taking these measures and strategically allocating your over-provisioned space, you may extend the life and improve the performance of your SSD.

How to Handle Your Old SSD

Now that your files and programs have moved over without any problems and are operating as intended, you may want to think about using the old SSD for other purposes, such as gaming storage, putting it on a different computer, or even selling it.

That being said, because your previous SSD is now a fantastic full-disk backup of your Windows system, you should give these possibilities some thought. This suggests that you may quickly restore the old SSD and resume regular PC functionality in the event that the new one fails.

You are welcome to use the previous disk for other purposes if you have an adequate backup already or if you don't need a separate copy of the operating system and files.