2022 Complete Guide: How to Boot from SSD After Cloning

Don't worry if your Samsung cloned SSD won't boot after migrating Windows OS to SSD using a reliable disk cloning software. On this page, we'll provide a complete guide to show you why is the cloned SSD unbootable and help you make SSD bootable after cloning.

Follow this complete guide to make your computer boot up from your new SSD now:

Detailed Guides	Step-by-step Troubleshooting
1. Why won't my computer boot	The OS cloning process failed, cloned SSD not showing...Full steps
2. How to boot from cloned SSD	Check SSD connection and if it has OS...Full steps
3. What to do with old drive	Clean the old drive or use it as a data disk...Full steps

Follow to see how to boot your computer from SSD after cloning now.

#Guide 1. Why Won't My Computer Boot From Cloned SSD

To figure out the problem, you should first answer this question: does cloning a drive make it bootable? The answer is NO.

Cloning Windows OS or a whole disk to a new HDD/SSD is only a copying process, and you'll need to execute more operations as listed below to make Windows boot from SSD after cloning:

1. Replace the old drive
2. Set new SSD as the boot drive in BIOS
3. Boot the computer from the new SSD

If your SSD is still unbootable after following the above tips, it could be the following reasons that prevent your computer from booting on SSD:

The OS cloning process failed
The cloned SSD not showing in BIOS
The cloned SSD not detected
You cloned a wrong disk (data drive not the OS) to SSD

So what should you do and how to make the SSD bootable? In the next guide, we'll show you the complete process.

#Guide 2: Full Guide on How to Boot from SSD

In this guide, we need you to follow the tips listed below one by one so that we can help you figure out the causes and resolve your issue, making SSD bootable again with the right method.

Here is what to do after cloning a hard drive to SSD or how to boot from cloned SSD on Windows 10/8/7:

#1. Check SSD Connection - Install SSD to Computer Correctly

Toolkits: A SATA cable, a screwdriver

Step 1. Check if you are connecting the cloned SSD as an external USB drive.

If yes, unplug it and move to step 2.

Step 2. Open the computer case, install the cloned SSD to your PC via a SATA cable and a power cable.

Step 3. Check if the SSD connection is tight. If not, replug and tight the SSD connection cables.

Tight SSD connection cables

If you don't know how to install a new disk, follow to learn: Install A New HDD/SSD.

#2. Check If Cloned SSD Contains OS - If Not, Reclone OS to SSD

After installing the SSD, restart your computer and you can check if the new SSD contains your cloned Windows OS. Here are the steps to check:

Step 1. Restart your computer from the original disk.

Step 2. Open Windows File Explorer and open the SSD drive.

Step 3. Look for the "Windows" folder on the SSD drive.

If you find it, it means that you have an operating system installed on the SSD and you can move to the next tip.
If not, you probably have cloned a data drive to the SSD. And you'll have to re-clone the OS to your SSD.

Guide to Reclone OS to SSD

Toolkits: 1. Windows Disk Management; 2. Reliable System Clone Software - Qiling Backup

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

1. Delete Everything on Your SSD

Open Disk Management > Locate and right-click on your SSD volume > Select "Delete Volume".
Repeat to delete all volumes on the SSD.

2. Initialize SSD to The Same Partition Style as Old Drive

Step 1. In Disk Management, right-click the old drive and select "Properties" > Check its partition style.

Step 2. Right-click the SSD and select "Initialize Disk" > Set the same partition style - MBR or GPT to SSD.

Initialize SSD

3. Reclone Windows OS to SSD

To reclone the OS to SSD, processional Windows backup software - Qiling Backup can fully execute the OS migration operation for you.

Step by Step Guide to Clone Windows OS to SSD

Qiling Backup is a perfect HDD to SSD cloning software that makes your system migration easy, fast and stable!

Step 1. On the main page, find and click "Tools and utilities" page, system clone and other utilities are here.

Step 2. Qiling Backup will automatically select the boot and system partition, choose the target disk and click "Next."

*System clone will wipe out all data and does not support cloning MBR disk to GPT or vice versa. Make sure that the partition style of the source disk and the target disk are the same.

Step 3. If the target disk is a SSD, choose optimize for SSD in the advanced options.

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to start cloning.

After cloning Windows OS to the new SSD, you can now move to the next tip to make SSD bootable on your computer.

#3. Boot from the Cloned SSD

A key step to making cloned SSD bootable on Windows PC is that you need to change the boot order in BIOS. With the following simple steps, your computer will boot Windows from SSD at once:

Step 1. Restart PC, press F2/F8/F11 or Del key to enter the BIOS environment.

Step 2. Go to the boot section, and set the cloned SSD as the boot drive in BIOS.

Set new SSD as boot drive and make PC boot from SSD

Step 3. Save the changes and restart the PC.

Now you should boot the computer from the SSD successfully.

#Guide 3. What to Do with My Old Drive after Cloning

If you are having the same question after booting from SSD, stay here. Here, we'll tell you what to do with the old drive after cloning.

#1. Think About How Will You Deal with the Old Disk

Basically, there are two options:

1. Clean the old drive and sell it online.
2. Clone the old OS drive and use it as a data disk.

Either way will need you to clean up the whole disk, wiping up all data from the old disk. And here, Qiling free partition manager software can simply clear your whole old drive with the help of this software.

#2. Wipe Data on Old Drive

Here are the simple steps to wipe everything from the old hard drive:

We've set two options for you to wipe data. Choose the one you need.

Option 1. Wipe Partition

Choose "Wipe Data" button in the Tools and utilities page.
In the new window, click the partition you want to erase data from, set the time for which you want to wipe your partition, then click "Proceed".
Check the message. Then click "OK".

Option 2. Wipe Disk

Choose "Wipe Data" button in the Tools and utilities page.
Select the HDD/SSD. Set the number of times to wipe data. (You can set to 10 at most.) Then Click "Proceed".
Check the message. Then click "OK".

#3. Make Use Of the Old Drive

To Sell the Drive: Take the old disk out of your PC > Take photos and add basic information of the drive online > Sell it online and send the drive to your buyer.

To Use the Drive as a Data Disk: Partition the Hard Drive > Save new files and data on it.

Sum Up: Clone and Set to Boot from SSD Correctly

On this page, we discussed normal reasons why your computer won't boot from a cloned SSD. Basically, they are because:

1. The source disk can't boot as it's a data drive.
2. Set the wrong drive to boot from.
3. You simply connect the SSD to a computer with a USB.
4. There are some errors during the cloning process.

To make the cloned SSD bootable, it's important to identify the reason in advance. After making it clear, you can try to fix the issue by trying the following solutions (as shown in Guide 2):

1. Install SSD correctly to PC
2. Initialize SSD to MBR or GPT - The same as source disk
3. Restart the cloning process
4. Set the correct drive (SSD) to boot in BIOS

Note that, to make sure the cloned SSD is bootable, you should turn to a reliable OS cloning software like Qiling Backup for help. Take your steps to make the computer boot from SSD after cloning now.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure