Can I Clone Windows 10 from My Old HDD to An m.2 for My New Build?
I am going to change to a new build, but I would like to keep my prebuilt Windows 10 and some game data. My new build is going to use an M.2 SSD as my primary boot drive. Can I just put the HDD and boot it on my first build, delete everything except OS and game data, clone it to the SSD, and then use the M.2 SSD as the boot drive? Is this illegal? Will I require an activation key upon booting to the M.2 SSD for the first time?
Best Answered by
Larissa· Answered on Mar 20, 2023
The answer is YES, you can.
Cloning Windows 10 from an old HDD to an M.2 SSD is the same as cloning any hard drive. It isn't an illegal operation; you don't need an activation key after cloning. Just use it normally as your old hard drive. It mainly includes the following procedures:
- Clean the old build except for the data you need.
- Connect the new M.2 SSD to the old build.
- Use disk cloning software to clone HDD to M.2 SSD.
- Install the M.2 SSD to the new build.
- Boot new build from the cloned M.2 SSD.
While doing this, you need to make sure a successful HDD to M.2 SSD cloning and everything functions properly. A reliable disk cloning tool is the key to successful hard drive cloning, which ensures everything is copied to the new M.2 SSD without any data loss. EaseUS Disk Copy is exactly the tool you can make full use of. With an intuitive and straightforward interface, you can finish the process with only three clicks, even if you are a novice. Download it, and use it to clone you HDD.
But according to some users' feedback, their system crashes down after an update and shows a blue screen all the time. To avoid this situation, you may try another safer way:
- Back up your game data to an external hard drive.
- Have a fresh install of your Windows 10 system on the new build.
- Then restore the game data and other files you want to keep to the new build.
Related Article: How to Clone Windows OS from HDD/SSD to M.2 SSD
Download the smartest and easiest Disk Cloning Software
Use EaseUS Disk Copy to upgrade small HDD, replace old/failed hard drive, migrate OS, clone HDD to SSD without reinstalling data.
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