[Get the Answer!] Can I Safely Clone an HDD to an SSHD?
Why Do You Clone HDD to SSHD
As technology develops fast, storage devices, including HDD, SSD, and SSHD, are booming. But what are the differences? Generally speaking, a hard disk drive (HDD) offers the highest capacity with a low cost per gigabyte. In contrast, a solid-state drive (SSD) tends to have a smaller capacity but far better performance and a higher cost per gigabyte. SSHD, also known as a hybrid hard drive, is short for a solid-state hybrid drive. SSHD is a blend of both SSD and HDD. An SSHD is a storage device that combines flash memory and HDD storage into a single device.
If you want to use an SSHD on a laptop or desktop computer, you do not need to decide where to store files or programs because it has a controller chip that can help determine the location to store files or programs. It has a good storage capacity and response time. It is better at processing and faster than a hard disk and costs less than an SSD. Besides, it can offer better performance and reduce the read and write times of hard disk, thus reducing the power consumption and increasing the battery life of laptops.
Best Disk Cloning Software Free Download
Now, we know the advantages of SSHD. You may wonder how to clone an HDD to an SSHD? If you want to clone SSHD from HDD, using proper disk cloning software is of pivotal importance. But which one should you use among the available cloning software? Here, I will introduce a disk cloning utility called Qiling Disk Copy. It can help you can easily and quickly help you clone HDD to SSHD.
Qiling Disk Copy is a multi-purpose utility for a system, disk, and partition cloning. It can run smoothly on different versions of Windows, such as Windows 11/10/8/7. It is an excellent cloning tool to clone the C drive to an external hard drive and upgrade to a larger disk without reinstalling Windows. Besides, it enables you to clone an HDD to SSD for improved performance and clone 2.5 SSD to M.2 SSD. It can also let you migrate Windows 10 to NVME without Windows reinstallation. And it can help you not to reinstall Windows after installing a new M.2 SSD. The following are some other valuable features of this disk cloning utility.
- Time-saving. It has a fast cloning speed, thus helping to clone a hard drive takes less time.
- Various cloning sources. It can clone disks, systems, partitions, etc.
- Migrate Windows system. It can clone Windows 10 from HDD to SSD.
- Safety. Your computer can be successfully booted from the cloned disk.
- Flexibility. It can clone only OS or only used sectors of the target disk to a smaller SSD.
Step-by-step Guide to Clone SSHD from HDD
Why do we recommend you use Qiling Disk Copy? Except for the above features, it is also very easy to use because you can finish the cloning process in a few simple clicks. The following are the detailed steps to use Qiling Disk Copy. You can follow these steps to clone an HDD to an SSHD.
Prior Notice:
- The "Sector by sector copy" asks the size of your destination disk to be at least equal to or larger than that of the source disk. Leave this feature unchecked if you wish to clone a larger hard disk to a smaller hard disk.
- All data on the destination disk will be completely erased, so take care.
Step 1. To start copying/cloning an entire disk to another, click "Disk clone" button in the tools page, and choose this disk as the source disk and click "Next".
Step 2. Choose the other disk as the destination disk.
Step 3. Check the disk layout of the two disks. You can manage the disk layout of the destination disk by selecting "Autofit the disk", "Copy as the source" or "Edit disk layout".
- "Autofit the disk" makes some changes by default on the destination disk layout so that it can work at its best status.
- "Copy as the source"does not change anything on destination disk and the layout is the same as source disk.
- "Edit disk layout" allows you to manually resize/move partition layout on this destination disk.
Tick the "Check the option if the target is SSD" option to put your SSD in its best performance.
Step 4. Click "Proceed" to officially execute the task.
A message now appears, warning you that data will be lost. Please confirm this message by clicking "OK".
The Bottom Line
Can I safely clone an HDD to SSHD? Do you get your answer now? With the help of Qiling Disk Copy, you can easily clone an SSHD from an HDD. For most available disk cloning software, the cloning procedure may be interrupted immediately once your old hard drive comes with bad sectors. But Qiling Disk Copy is an exception. It can also clone a drive with bad sectors. Qiling Disk Copy is an excellent cloning tool for cloning different kinds of disks. Do not hesitate to try it!
FAQs
1. Is SSHD reliable?
Failure rates on SSD, HDD, and SSHD technologies have similar ratings. SSHDs use both flash and HDD portions more efficiently than if separate, so they are considered highly reliable.
2. What are the advantages of SSHD?
An SSHD can offer an easy and affordable way to improve performance without sacrificing storage capacity. SSHDs would be the best for people eager to upgrade an existing laptop or desktop computer system or want a compromise between the two extremes in a new system.
3. Is a SSHD better than a SSD?
An SSHD is slower than a SATA SSD but much faster than a plain old hard drive. In general, if you want much storage space at an affordable price, an SSHD is a good choice, and if your priority is speed and your Windows to be more responsive, choose an SSD.
4. Should I clone SSD or fresh install?
Cloning will be a much better choice if you do not have any problems with your current OS and other software. After all, when you make a clean installation, you have to re-install all drivers, software, etc., re-configure every software, record passwords, etc. Cloning will save a tremendous amount of time.
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