free hard drive cloning software windows 7

#Free hard drive cloning software windows 7 full#
#Free hard drive cloning software windows 7 plus#
#Free hard drive cloning software windows 7 mac#

Cloning can take quite a bit of time, especially if you have a lot of data, and you don’t want your battery to die before the process is complete.

Connect your power supply if cloning from a laptop. Otherwise, you’ll need an adapter or external dock so you can connect your new drive to your computer before cloning.Ī power supply. If you’re installing a second drive inside your PC, you don’t need to worry about this.

#Free hard drive cloning software windows 7 plus#

Be sure that your second drive has enough space to hold all the cloned data, plus some extra space for future files.Ī way to connect your drives. Cloning requires two drives: the original drive with your data and OS, and a second drive that will become the clone. You also may need to borrow or buy a few pieces of equipment if you don’t already have them.Ī second drive of sufficient size. Things to do before you can clone your driveīefore you clone your drive, there are a few preparations you’ll need to make. After you’re done, you can optimize configuration settings to get the most out of your new SSD. Many tools even have special features that optimize the cloning process for SSD drives.Īll you need to do is make sure your new SSD is large enough to hold everything that’s currently on your HDD and check that both drives are formatted in the same style. Your disk cloning software - Disk Utility on macOS, or a third-party option on Windows - will handle all the technical aspects. The process is basically the same, regardless of the type of drive you’re using. If you’re switching from an HDD to an SSD, cloning can help you move all your data over to the new drive.Ĭloning an HDD to an SSD is just as easy as migrating from one HDD to another. Upgrading your drive: There are plenty of reasons why moving from a hard disk drive (HDD) to an SSD is a good idea - especially considering how much it’ll speed up your computer. Be sure to properly dispose of your old device! After you’re done, you can remove your original drive and mount it in an external enclosure to keep as a backup. Migrating to a new drive: Getting a new computer? If you clone your old drive, you don’t have to reinstall everything on the new machine. But if you haven’t cloned your drive before you get malware on your system, it’s already too late - so clone your drive now to be prepared.

If you already have a cloned hard drive before you get infected, you can simply wipe your system clean and start from scratch with the clone. Ransomware encrypts your files and renders them useless, while demanding a ransom to decrypt them. Many types of malware can damage your files, data, or even the entire OS.

#Free hard drive cloning software windows 7 full#

In general, most people clone their drives for one of the following reasons:Ĭreating a full backup: A backup is invaluable in the event of a malware infection. It’s never a bad idea to protect yourself with an extra copy of your hard drive. Why you should consider cloning your hard drive If you put a cloned drive into a computer, you’ll be able to start it up and use it normally. A cloned drive is exactly the same as its original.

#Free hard drive cloning software windows 7 mac#

Mac users can perform backups with Time Machine, and Windows also offers its own built-in backup utilities.Ĭloning copies everything. When you back up to an external hard drive or to the cloud, you’re creating duplicates of your files, but that backup cannot function as an independent drive on its own.

Just remember that cloning a drive and backing up your files are different:īackups copy only your files. A cloned hard drive is an exact copy of the original, including the operating system and all the files it needs to boot up and run.