Cloned SSD Won't Boot? Make Cloned SSD Bootable [5 Ways]

Don't worry if you tried all means to upgrade and clone old HDD to SSD but it turned out the cloned SSD won't boot on your computer. Here we've collected 5 effective ways that will make SSD bootable again in Windows 10/8/7:

SSD Not Booting After Clone - Full Guide Content:

Method 1. Correctly Install the Cloned SSD with a SATA Cable
Method 2. Change Boot Order in BIOS, Make SSD Bootable as the Boot Disk
Method 3. Set System Partition as an Active Partition - for MBR OS Disk Only
Method 4. Re-Clone HDD to SSD
Method 5. Customize 1-to-1 Service to Make Cloned SSD Bootable

If you're also struggling with the same problem and don't know how to fix the SSD is not booting error, you've come to the right place. This post explains why cloned SSD won't boot and offers 5 effective solutions here to solve SSD unbootable error after clone. Read in-depth.

Causes - Why Is Cloned SSD Not Booting

Here is a list of all possible reasons that can explain why does the SSD won't boot after clone. If you have any one of them, stay here and follow the fixes below to get rid of this error immediately :

The SSD is connected to the PC as an external disk.
The cloned SSD is not set as the boot disk.
BIOS boot mode is incompatible with the SSD.
The disk cloning process was corrupted or interrupted.
Incomplete clones, missing boot partitions, or boot components.
The source disk is unbootable.
The SSD needs specific drivers, etc.

Solutions - How to Fix Cloned SSD Won't Boot Issue, Make SSD Bootable

The following methods are bound to resolve SSD not working after cloning for particular reasons. Follow the step-by-step guides to make the cloned SSD boot normally.

Method 1. Correctly Install the Cloned SSD with a SATA Cable

The disk clone software does not guarantee that the external disk can boot smoothly when using a USB cable. It is best to connect devices to a computer via SATA.

Step 1. Use a SATA cable instead of a USB connection cable.

Step 2. Install the SSD to the computer correctly via the SATA cable.

Step 3. Close the computer case and restart the computer.

If the SSD boots up, congratulations. Your problem gets resolved. If not, continue with Method 2.

Method 2. Change Boot Order in BIOS, Make SSD Bootable as the Boot Disk

If the cloned SSD is not set to be the first boot option in BIOS, your computer won't boot from it. Therefore, you need to access BIOS and change the boot order to set SSD as the boot disk. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Restart the PC. When the startup screen appears, constantly press F2/F12/DEL to enter BIOS.

Step 2. Next, use the arrow key to choose the Boot tap and select the cloned SSD as the first boot option.

Step 3. Press F10 to save and exit BIOS. And restart your computer.

Wait patiently, and if your computer boots up, congratulations. The problem gets resolved.

Note that, if your original boot disk is MBR, you'll need to set the partition active to make the SSD bootable after clone. And you can fix this issue in the next Method.

Method 3. Set System Partition as an Active Partition

The system partition should be set as the active partition. If the system partition is not set as an active partition, Windows 10 can't boot from cloned SSD. You can set the system partition as an active partition with an easy-to-use partition manager in the WinPE environment. Here is how to do it:

#1. Create a bootable disk and boot PC from it

Reboot PC > Press F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS > Set PC to boot from Qiling bootable Disk > Reboot PC.

#2. Set SSD system drive as active

Step 1. Run Qiling partition manager software. On the disk map in the disk management page, click the traget partition.

Step 2. Then, select "Set Active" from the tool bar. The software will automatically execute the operation and create an active partition for you.

#3. Set PC to boot from cloned SSD

Reboot PC > Press F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS > Set PC to boot from the cloned SSD > Reboot PC

After this, your computer should be able to boot up from the cloned SSD and you can make use of all cloned files on the new disk again.

Notice:

If you've followed through the above three methods, the SSD is still not booting, your SSD may have a problematic clone of your old hard drive.

The best way out is to re-do the clone. And we'll show you the process in the next Method.

Method 4. Re-Clone HDD to SSD

Incomplete clone or clone failure will cause the cloned SSD won't boot problem. Besides, if you haven't cloned the boot partition, the cloned hard drive will not be able to boot either.

Reliable disk cloning software - Qiling Backup can re-execute the disk cloning process, guaranteeing you the cloned hard disk bootable after the HDD to SSD clone.

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Support smart file backup, system backup, disk, and partition backup.
Support clone USB, external hard drive, HDD, and SSD.
Clone OS from a larger HDD to a smaller SSD without re-installing.
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Step 1: Download, install and run Qiling Backup on your PC, click "Disk/Partition clone" to start cloning.

Step 2. Select the source disk( the SSD) you want to clone and click "Next".

Step 3. Choose the destination disk( the larger solid state drive).

Note: The destination disk should be at least the same big or even larger than the source disk if you want to copy or clone the source hard disk.

Step 4. Preview the disk layout to confirm the settings of the source and destination disk. Click Proceed to execute disk clone your SSD.

Tick Optimize for SSD, it will optimize the new SSD performance.

A message now appears, warning you that data will be lost. Please confirm this message by clicking "OK".

Note: If you decide to change the system disk to a larger SSD or HDD, do remember to change the boot order from the old system disk to new SSD or HDD in BIOS settings. Or you may encounter system boot failure error.

After this, you may repeat Method 1 and Method 2 to install the cloned SSD correctly into your computer and set it as the boot drive.

Then, reboot the PC and the SSD will boot up successfully.

Method 5. Customize 1-to-1 Service to Make Cloned SSD Bootable

If you've tried all the above four methods, but the SSD is still not booting or the cloned SSD won't boot with a black screen, you are now with really a tricky problem.

You can contact Qiling's technical support team and let them help you via 1-to-1 remote assistance as soon as possible.

Stay Calm If Cloned SSD Won't Boot, Follow Fixes to Make SSD Bootable

On this page, we collected 5 reliable methods that work to help you fix the cloned SSD won't boot error. To make the cloned SSD bootable again, which method is the best?

Here is Editor's Pick:

1. Follow Method 1 and Method 2 to correctly install SSD and set it as a boot drive.

2. If the OS disk was MBR, follow Method 3 to set the SSD OS drive as active.

After this, your computer should be able to boot up from the new SSD now.

3. If it's still not working, re-do the clone with Qiling Backup.

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