Recently, I bought a new SSD and want to install my Windows on it. I need to replace the old HDD with the new SSD. But I worry I will lose everything on my old drive. Will I lose everything on my drive if I replace it, and how to do that?
Generally speaking, everything on your hard drive will remain intact if you perform the right operation. But you cannot access the data on that hard drive on your Windows PC, including the operating system, files, and installed programs if you change from HDD to SSD.
Fortunately, if you choose to clone your HDD to SSD, everything will remain intact on your HDD and can be transferred to the SSD.
If you just remove the old hard drive and replace it with a new one, you cannot access your data anymore. This is no longer the case if you clone it.
In addition, some SSDs come with cloning software, such as Samsung and Seagate SSDs. Therefore, you can use the built-in cloning tool to help you clone HDD to SSD. But most SSDs have no such option. So you have to use third-party cloning software, like Qiling Disk Copy.
Qiling Disk Copy is professional disk cloning software that can help clone HDD to SSD without reinstalling Windows. In addition, it can help you transfer the C drive to a new SSD and migrate OS from HDD to SSD.
The steps to clone your HDD to SSD are as follows:
Step 1. To start cloning a disk to another, select this drive as the source disk under "Disk Mode" and click "Next".
Step 2. Select another disk as the destination disk.
Step 3. Check the disk layout of the two disks. You should manage the disk layout of the destination drive by choosing "Autofit the disk", "Copy as the source", or "Edit disk layout".
Step 4. Click "Proceed" to carry out the task.
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