How to Copy C Drive to New Drive Without Reinstalling Windows

What to do if your C drive is full? Replacing your C drive with a larger disk is a good idea. This article will describe how to copy C drive to new drive using EaseUS Disk Copy.

The C drive is the main hard disk partition containing the Windows operating system and related system files. When the C drive runs out of storage space, your computer will become slower and slower, significantly reducing your working efficiency and user experience. In this case, replacing your C drive with a new and larger disk can help. We will tell how to copy C drive to new drive, be it an HDD or an SSD.

What You'll Need to Move C Drive to New Drive

How can I safely move entire C drive to a new SSD?
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You cannot directly move the entire C: drive, but you can migrate your operating system to a new drive by cloning the old drive, which copies the OS, applications, and files, and then replacing the old drive with the new one. Before cloning your C drive to another disk, you must prepare something to make it smooth and successful:

• Prepare a new disk. Obviously, you need to buy a new hard drive with enough capacity, such as 500GB. As for hard drive type, if you want better computer performance, an SSD is a better choice. SSD brands, like Samsung, Intel, Micron, WD, Seagate, and Crucial, are popular among computer users.
• Prepare a connection cable. If your PC has only one slot, you will need a USB-to-SATA cable or a hard drive enclosure to connect the new drive. If your PC has 2 slots, install it internally.
• Prepare a screwdriver. You must use the screwdriver to open your computer's back case or host cover to install the new disk.
• Download hard disk cloning software. Cloning is the best way to copy C drive to another disk without losing data or reinstalling Windows. Unfortunately, Windows does not have built-in cloning features, so you must use professional cloning software such as EaseUS Disk Copy or Clonezilla.

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How to Clone C Drive to New Drive Without Losing Data

As mentioned above, cloning is the best and easiest way to move C drive to another drive. To this end, you can use third-party cloning programs like Clonezilla or Samsung Data Migration (Samsung Magician), but a better cloning tool will be presented here. It is called EaseUS Disk Copy, a reliable and efficient disk cloning software that lets you clone hard drives from various manufacturers.

It lets you clone C drive to an external drive, transfer data from HDD to SSD easily and quickly, and clone a hard drive sector by sector. In addition, it enables you to move Windows OS to another disk without reinstalling and transfer data from an old disk to a new PC if you swap a computer.

If you want to duplicate C drive to a new disk, EaseUS cloning software can suit you well. Moreover, its simple UI design makes it rather easy to use. Just download it on your PC to transfer C drive to new SSD.

Here is how to move C drive to another drive using EaseUS Disk Copy:

Step 1. Connect the New Drive

• Install the new, larger disk internally in an available disk slot or connect it via a USB-to-SATA adapter externally by plugging the adapter into a USB port on your computer.

Step 2. Run the Cloning Software

• Launch the cloning software - EaseUS Disk Copy.
• Select the Disk Mode.
• Choose the old disk as the source disk.
• Select the new drive as the destination disk.

Enable the bos next to "Enable advanced mode" to access options like "4K SSD Alignment", Secotor-by-sector clone", and Adjust disk layout". Choose the "Auto-fit the disk" option to ensure the operating system partition makes full use of the new drive's larger capacity.

Step 3. Start the Cloning Process

• Start the clone process and wait for it to be done.

The time it takes to clone the disk will depend on the amount of data on the drive and the speed of your drives.

This video shows how to copy C drive to SSD using EaseUS Disk Copy:

Pro Tip: How to Boot from Cloned Hard Drive

After cloning the C drive to a new disk, you need to replace the old hard drive with the new drive and enter the BIOS to set the new drive as your first boot device. After that, you can boot from the new disk. Let's see how to go for it:

Part 1. Replace the Old Hard Drive with the Cloned One

To replace your old disk with a new one on your desktop PC or laptop, you can refer to the following article:

Part 2. Enter BIOS to Set the New Drive as Boot Drive

Follow the steps below to set the new hard drive as the boot drive:

• Step 1. Restart your laptop or desktop PC and press one specific key to enter the BIOS screen. The BIOS key depends on the PC's manufacturer (generally F12, F2, Delete, or Esc).
• Step 2. Use the arrow key on your keyboard to go to the Boot section. Look for the Boot Priority or Boot Order section and choose it.
• Step 3. Top your cloned hard disk using the arrow key.
• Step 4. Save all the changes before quitting the BIOS setup window. Then, reboot your desktop PC or laptop, and it will boot from the new cloned drive.

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To Wrap Things Up

This article elaborates on how to copy C drive to new drive. Generally speaking, performing disk cloning is the best and most effective way to transfer a Windows C drive to another drive, as cloning can help you copy everything from one hard drive to another. To clone the C drive to another drive, you have to utilize professional disk cloning software like EaseUS Disk Copy. It can help you migrate C drive to new drive in just several simple clicks. Just download and try it!

FAQs on How to Move C Drive to Another Drive

1. Is cloning C drive safe?

Yes, cloning a hard drive is perfectly safe, whether you want to clone an entire disk or a partition. You must utilize professional cloning software like EaseUS Disk Copy and Clonezilla.

2. How to replace a C drive without losing data?

Disk cloning is the best way to replace your C drive without losing data. This is because cloning can help you upgrade to a larger disk and transfer everything to another.

3. Does anyone know of a good way to clone a hard drive for free?

To clone a hard drive for free, you can use free disk cloning software like Clonezilla. However, Clonezilla is a command-line-based disk cloning tool, making it hard for beginners to operate. To this end, you can try an easy-to-use cloning program - EaseUS Disk Copy.

4. Does the C drive contain everything?

Your Windows computer's primary partition is located on the C disk. This usually indicates that the C drive is also the primary hard drive or SSD; however, if your drive has several partitions, it will only reflect the specific section of the hard drive or SSD partitioned for that purpose.

5. Is it possible to move my entire C drive to D drive?

No, you cannot move the entire C drive to the D drive because the C drive contains essential system files for Windows to run. However, you can move personal data files (like documents and photos) and reinstall programs to the D drive to free up space on your C drive. Moover, if your C drive and D drive are 2 seperate drives, and your D drive ia larger than your C drive, you can clone C drive to D drive for moving the entire OS. After cloning, you can format your C drive and use it as extra storage drive.