I have in my laptop (with Win7) a 500GB hard drive, which has become too small for me. Now I have a 2TB HD increased and would like to clone this 1: 1 (via USB), so that they are installed and I can boot from it as well. Can you help me how to do that and with what program (if possible for free) can I do that?
I thought EaseUS Partition Master was fine, but probably also with others.
The m.E. The best tool for this is the freeware Macrium Reflect Free, here a cloning guide (everything runs completely under Windows, no booting, etc.):
https://www.heise.de/...89710.html
Tip: Macrium is also an excellent backup tool for system images, because you can forget the corresponding Windows functions.
There are special clone programs for this. The corresponding process is called: Imgage (equal to complete image).
I use "Acronis True Image", so I have had good experiences. However, this program costs something.
But there are also free programs, but I have no experience.
I have the full 30-day version of the Acronis True Image, but I do not seem to get it right. Have the system cloned on a USB, then want to boot from the USB, but it did not work…
Can you help?
In principle, this should work relatively easily, only:
What do you mean by USB? Hard disk or USB stick?
Is this disk set up to be used as a boot drive?
In the past (yes I know, everything was better) you could copy a mini version of the operating system together with the basic function of Acronis to a floppy disk. And that was then automatically recognized as a boot system when starting the PC.
I did that later (also) with a CD-ROM.
And currently even with a USB stick. This does not take up so much space, because the actual back-up system is then the external hard drive, but he then controls the boot process of the PC. And allows you to decide immediately after starting the computer, if you want to copy the external copy of your hard drive to the internal hard drive.
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Important, and probably your current problem.
You have to, so that all this can work at all, in the BIOS of your computer.
Because this is usually set so that it always boots first from the hard drive, and since it finds there so the standard operating system information, then also starts your standard operating system.
So if you created a bootable media with Akronis True Image startup information (for example a USB stick) according to Akronis True Image's specifications, then you have to enter the USB stick in the BIOS as the first boot medium.
Then plug a USB stick in the computer, then its boot information is used, so Akronis True Imge.
If no USB stick is in the computer, then the computer uses the second source for boot information, so (if correctly set) your internal hard drive and then starts your standard operating system.
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Sounds harder than it is.
In the Bios program there's a place to set boot order. And then you can then select USB (as additional) and then put in the first place in the order.
The only additional condition: Do not delete the previous boot medium (internal hard disk), but keep it as 2nd digit.
Good luck, can't go wrong.
Additional tip: Do not be afraid of the change in the bios:
Study the individual pages in peace, then the correction I have suggested is very easy.
If you are not sure then you can leave any BIOS editing program in such a way that the old state remains.
