Author Archives: zxl123

Copy disk and make bootable

Question: the current hard disk is too small to save new files, so I bought a larger one and plan to copy the old disk to new disk. Please show me detailed steps to copy old disk and make new disk bootable.

Answer: to clone old disk to new disk, users need the help of professional drive copy software. For freeware, try using MiniTool Drive Copy. Some users may worry about security or competence of this free program. Don’t worry for we have tested it for lots of times. After clone, restart computer and make the new disk as the default boot disk in BIOS if users want to go on using the old disk. If not, just take out the old one. Next, let’s see detailed steps.

How to Copy Old Disk with MiniTool Drive Copy

1. Launch the free drive copy software to get the main interface below:
minitool-drive-copy-main-interface
2. Choose the module “Disk to Disk” to clone the entire disk since “Partition to Partition” is specially designed to copy a single partition.
copy-disk-and-make-bootable-select-old-disk
3. Select the old disk and click “Next>”. Then choose the new disk and click “Next>”.
copy-disk-and-make-bootable-choose-copying-method
4. Choose a copying method from 3, which determines the layout of partitions, and then click “Next>”.
copy-disk-and-make-bootable-read-note
5. Read the popup note which tells how to boot from the new disk and click “Finish”.
copy-disk-and-make-bootable-start-copying
6. Click “Yes” button to start copying old disk. Since the old disk saves Windows which is running, users will be asked to restart computer. Just reboot computer, and the free drive copy software will perform all operations in boot mode.

How to Make New Disk Bootable

Reboot computer and set the new disk as the default boot disk in BIOS:
set-new-disk-bootable-in-bios
After these operations, we copy old disk to new disk and make the new disk bootable successfully.

How to copy local disk to external

Question: my local disk is nearly full but I have a new 1TB external hard disk. Therefore, I want to transfer everything to external disk so as to free up the local disk space. Someone on the internet suggested copying the entire disk to new disk rather than copying files one by one, but I really have no idea of how to copy local disk to external hard drive. Is there a good solution?

Answer: third party drive copy software can help complete this operation, but users should download a safe enough one to ensure data security.

What Is Drive Copy Software

This kind of software helps create a backup for a partition or the entire disk, including all files, partition information, and so on. Moreover, all files saved on the copy can be used normally. And the copy can be used for data recovery, disk upgrade, OS transferring, etc. Therefore, drive copy software is a piece of quite necessary computer software. And MiniTool Drive Copy is highly recommended since it is easy to use, safe enough, and mighty.

How to Copy Local Disk to External with MiniTool Drive Copy

Firstly, connect the external hard disk with computer and run this drive copy software to get its main interface:
minitool-drive-copy-main-interface
Then, choose the module “Disk to Disk” to copy the entire disk.
how-to-copy-local-disk-to-external-select-source-disk
Next, select the disk which needs copying and click “Next>”.

Then, select the external disk and click “Next>”.

Next, choose a copying method from three and click “Next>” to get a note.

Then, read the popup note carefully and click “Finish”.

At last, click “Yes” to starting copying.
After these steps, the problem how to copy local disk to external disk will be solved. If you are troubled by the same problem, try using the drive copy software MiniTool Drive Copy to solve it now.

How to copy partition with files

Question: one of my partitions saves important files. For sake of data security, I want to create an image for this drive. Well then, how to copy partition which is with files? I need an easy and safe way.

Answer: resorting to third party drive clone software is the best solution, for both disk management tool and diskpart do not provide such a function. Most users would like to choose a free disk clone tool, so here we recommend MiniTool Drive Copy. Though it is a piece of freeware, drive clone competence is quite powerful.

MiniTool Drive Copy helps clone a basic disk (both GPT disk and MBR disk are available) to another in quite easy operations, and all files can be well protected. In addition, detailed prompts will clearly show users how to copy the partition with files. For specific information, please look at the following example.

How to Copy Partition with Files by Using MiniTool Drive Copy

Firstly, launch the drive clone software to get the interface below:
minitool-drive-copy-starting-interface
This interface is with 2 functional modules, namely “Disk to Disk” and “Partition to Partition”. Please choose “Partition to Partition” to clone a single partition. After that, the following interface will appear:
how-to-copy-partition-with-files-select-source-partition
Then, select the partition which needs copying (namely the source partition) and click “Next>”.

Next, choose an existing partition or unallocated space where the copy of the source partition will be created and click “Next>”. Note: all files saved on the existing partition will be overwritten, so users had better choose an unallocated space to save the copy. If there is no such space, backup needed files saved on the existing partition in advance.
how-to-copy-partition-with-files-change-partition-size-and-location
Then, change the size and location for the new partition and click “Finish”.

At last, click “Yes” to start copying. After that, the problem how to copy partition which is with files will be solved.

Note: MiniTool Drive Copy can only be compatible with non-sever Windows operating systems. For server support, please choose MiniTool Partition Wizard Server Edition.

Clone disk with hidden partitions

Problem: I wan to create an image for the disk which is with 3 hidden partitions, namely system reserved partition, recovery partition, and OEM partition. Is it possible to clone disk with hidden partitions?

Solution: this kind of clone can be completed very easily as long as users turn to an excellent drive clone program. Now, we strongly suggest using MiniTool Drive Copy. It is free but powerful.

Cloning a disk helps backup all data on one disk, upgrade or replace old disk, and transfer Windows OS to new disk like SSD, so this kind of operation is quite necessary. And the recommended free drive clone program can help clone the disk which is with hidden partitions in easy operations. More importantly, data and programs saved on the copy can be used normally, and Windows OS contained on the copy will run fluently.

Note: users should prepare a target disk that is large enough to save all content on the source disk, and finally all files stored on target disk will be overwritten.

Clone Disk with Hidden Partitions by Using MiniTool Drive Copy

First of all, users need to launch the free drive clone program to get the main interface:
minitool-drive-copy-main-interface
Then, choose “Disk to Disk” module since it is specially used to clone a disk while “Partition to Partition” is just for copying a single partition. After that, all disks will be listed.
clone-disk-with-hidden-partitions-select-source-disk
In the interface above, all disks are displayed. Please select the source disk and click “Next>”. Then, choose the target disk and click “Next>”.

Next, choose a copying method according to actual demands and click “Next>”. After this operation users will get the following note:
clone-disk-with-hidden-partitions-note
It shows where and how to set the new disk as the default boot disk. Please read it carefully and click “Finish”.

At last, click “Yes” to perform all changes. If MiniTool Drive Copy asks to restart computer, please do as it tells, and then the free drive clone program will clone disk which is with hidden partitions in boot mode. After all operations are completed, the computer will reboot normally.

Copy one partition to another

Question: I want to copy all files (about 20GB) saved on partition D to partition E which just stores several MB files, and someone suggests me copying the entire partition rather than copying files one by one. Nevertheless, I have no idea of partition copy. Who can tell me how to copy one partition to another?

Answer: drive copy software is needed, for this kind of software can help image all data information contained on one partition to another in very simple operations. And some software even supports cloning the entire hard disk. Here, we highly recommend MiniTool Drive Copy since it is a piece of freeware with powerful drive clone capabilities. It is able to copy one FAT partition to another FAT partition or NTFS partition as well as clone NTFS partition to NTFS partition or FAT partition. Let’s see detailed operations in the following content. Moreover, it even supports copying a large partition to a small partition as long as the small one can hold all data on source partition.

How to Copy One Partition to Another with MiniTool Drive Copy

When this free drive copy software has been installed on our computer, we can launch it to get the starting interface:
minitool-drive-copy-starting-interface
Here, we can see 2 functional modules, namely “Disk to Disk” for disk clone and “Partition to Partition” for partition copy. Choose “Partition to Partition” module and we can see the following interface:
copy-one-partition-to-another-select-source-partition
In the interface above, select the partition which needs cloning as the source partition and click “Next>”. Then, choose the partition that will save content on the source partition as the target partition and click “Next>”. Note: if the target partition has saved files, please backup all needed ones, because these existing files will be overwritten.

After that, specify the size and location for the target partition and click “Finish”.

At last, click “Yes” to start copying one partition to another.

After these operations, all work has been done. When users also need to clone partition or image disk, turn to the free drive copy software MiniTool Drive Copy.

Copy large drive to smaller

Question: I’m planning to clone the old 500GB system disk to the newly bought 250GB solid state disk (SSD) since the latter reads and writes data faster. Is it possible to copy large drive to smaller? If it is, what tool should I use?

Answer: cloning drive is more related to data capacity rather than disk capacity. As long as the target disk has enough space to save all content on the source disk, it is possible to clone large drive to smaller one.

Nowadays, a lot of drive clone software has been developed and released, which can help image both disk and partition. And MiniTool Drive Copy is an outstanding performer. Firstly, no professional knowledge is required since detailed prompts will be provided. Secondly, drive clone can be realized in a quite short time. Thirdly, all data information will be protected. Fourthly, it is a piece of freeware. More importantly, all partitions will be aligned automatically once users choose 1M alignment in the process of copying large drive to smaller, which is quite useful for solid state disk. For detailed operating steps, please look at the following example.

How to Copy Large Drive to Smaller with MiniTool Drive Copy

When recommended drive clone software has been installed, please run it to get its main interface shown below:
minitool-drive-copy-main-interface
In this interface please choose “Disk to Disk” module since it is used to clone disk. After that, all disks will be listed out:
copy-large-disk-to-smaller-select-source-disk
Please select the disk which needs copying and click “Next>”. Then, choose the smaller disk to save the copy of the source disk and click “Next>”.

Next, choose a copying method from three and click “Next>”, and then a note will pop up:
copy-large-disk-to-smaller-read-note
Please read the note carefully for it tells where and how to set the new disk as the default boot disk, and then click “Finish”.

At last, click “Yes” to execute all changes. And after that we are successful to copy large drive to smaller.

Do you need to clone disk or partition? Hurry to use MiniTool Drive Copy. It is free for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 Technical Preview users.

Copy disk and resize partition

Question: I’ve just bought a 1TB hard disk and want to replace the old 250GB disk with it. I know I can image old disk to the new with much copy software, but the question is how to resize partitions on the new disk so as to enlarge them during the process of copying disk. After all, all partitions on the old disk are just 250GB. Is there drive copy software available to copy disk and resize partition in one go?

Answer: the free drive clone software MiniTool Drive Copy can be chosen. It provides 3 schemes to resize partition when we are copying disk:

copying-methods-in-minitool-drive-copy
1. Fit partitions to entire disk: all partitions will be enlarged or decreased in proportion to take up all space on the new disk.
2. Copy partitions without resize: all partitions will be cloned to new disk without changing their size.
3. Copy partitions with minimum size: all partitions will be shrunk to the largest extent so as to release all free space.

Users just need to choose the most suitable one according to actual demands.

How to Copy Disk and Resize Partition with MiniTool Drive Copy

First of all, download and install the free drive clone software to computer. Then, run it to open the starting interface:
minitool-drive-copy-starting-interface
In the interface above please choose the module “Disk to Disk” since it is specially designed for cloning disk.

copy-disk-select-disk-to-copy

Next, select the disk which needs copying and click “Next>”. Then, choose the disk that will save the copy of the selected disk and click “Next>”.

Then, choose one of copying methods from three and click “Next>”. After this operation, users will get the following note:
copy-disk-note-how-to-boot-from-new-disk
The very note just tells users how to boot computer from the new disk (do as it told when necessary). Then, click “Finish” button.

At last, click “Yes” to start copying disk and resizing partitions. Once all operations are completed, our work is done.

Therefore, it is worth using the free drive clone software to image disk.

Clone partition on VHD

Question: I’m running Windows 7 ultimate in virtual machine. For sake of data security, I’m planning to clone the partition which is saving significant files. Is it possible for me to clone partition on VHD? If I can, what should I do?

Answer: professional drive clone freeware can help complete partition clone or even disk clone, and MiniTool Drive Copy is available. It is free for Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 users to use. Both physical machine and virtual machine are feasible, and operations are same. With a backup, users can complete data recovery or even system recovery in a short time. Well then, what are detailed steps to clone partition on VHD? In the following content, we will give a specific demonstration.

How to Clone Partition on VHD with MiniTool Drive Copy

Firstly, start Windows in virtual machine. Then, download and install the drive clone freeware on virtual hard disk or copy the program from physical machine to virtual machine. Note: users had better not install it to the partition which needs copying, for it will cause computer to reboot. After successful installation, launch it to get the starting interface:
minitool-drive-copy-starting-interface
Here, please choose the module “Partition to Partition” for copying a single partition to get the following interface:
clone-partition-on-vhd-select-source-partition
In the interface above, please select the partition which needs cloning and click “Next>”. Then, choose an unallocated space or existing partition to save the content on the source partition and click “Next>”. Note: backup all important data on the existing partition if users plan to clone the source partition to an existing partition, for the latter operation will overwrite data. After these operations, users will see the following interface:
clone-partition-on-vhd-specify-new-size-and-location
Now users are able to specify new size and location for the selected partition, and then click “Finish” button to get the interface below:
clone-partition-on-vhd-start-cloning
At this time, users only need to click “Yes” to start cloning the partition on VHD, and then all operations will be performed automatically.

Turn to the drive clone freeware when users need to clone a partition or disk in both virtual machine and physical machine.

Copy hard drive with multiple partitions

When there are bad sectors on a hard drive or there is something wrong with the hard disk, users would like to replace the old or damaged one. However, how to deal with data information and partitions on the original disk? To clone hard drive is undoubtedly a good choice, but many users do not know how to copy a hard drive with multiple partitions and they are just familiar with copying files. In this article, we will introduce the best method for hard drive clone.

Professional drive clone software can help copy the entire hard disk, including all its partitions and files, but it is a little bit difficult for common users to download such a piece of software. Moreover, most is expensive. Actually, there is excellent drive clone freeware to copy a hard drive which is with multiple partitions, and here we recommend MiniTool Drive Copy. Let’s see detailed steps.

How to Copy Hard Drive with Multiple Partitions via MiniTool Drive Copy

First of all, launch the drive clone freeware to get its starting interface shown below:
minitool-drive-copy-starting-interface
Please choose “Disk to Disk” module to clone the entire disk, and then the following interface will appear:
copy-hard-drive-with-multiple-partitions-select-source-disk
This interface shows all disks and partitions. Please select the disk which needs copying. Here, we take imaging Disk 1 which is with 2 partitions for example. Please select Disk 1 and click “Next>”. Then, select Disk 2 to save the copy of Disk 1 and click “Next>”. Note: this operation will destroy all existing data saved on Disk 2, so users need to backup important data in advance. After this operation, users need to choose a copying method:
copy-hard-drive-with-multiple-partitions-choose-copying-method
3 copying methods are listed, so please choose the most suitable one according to actual demands, and then click “Next>” to get the note below:

From the note users will know how to set the new disk as the default boot disk. After getting a basic idea, please click “Finish” button.

At last, click “Yes” to perform all changes. If users are copying system disk, the drive clone freeware will ask users to restart computer. Do as the note told, and then MiniTool Drive Copy will copy the hard drive which is with multiple partitions in boot mode. After successful copy, the computer will reboot, and then users can check the effect in disk management.

Best free disk image backup software

Question: I’m a newbie at disk clone, but I really want to know which the best free disk image backup software is since one of my friends suggests using this kind of software to transfer the intact OS to new disk, which can avoid reinstalling Windows. I’ve tried googling but did not find satisfying results. Who can give me a suggestion? Thanks in advance.

Answer: searching disk clone software in google users indeed can find lots of results, but most are useless. Therefore, we suggest using MiniTool Drive Copy in this article. Though it is a piece of freeware, drive clone competence including disk clone and partition clone is quite powerful. Moreover, no professional knowledge is required, and specific prompts are given in every step. Therefore, it is suitable for all Windows users. Next, let’s see how to clone disk by using this best free disk image backup software.

How to Copy Disk with MiniTool Drive Copy

1. Run recommended disk clone software to get its main interface:
minitool-drive-copy-main-interface
2. Choose the functional module “Disk to Disk” for disk clone.
copy-disk-select-source-disk
3. Select the source disk (the disk which needs cloning) and click “Next>”. Then, choose the target disk (the disk that will save all content on source disk) and click “Next>”.

4. Choose a copying method from 4 and click “Next>”. After this operation, a note which shows how to boot from target disk will appear:
copy-disk-note
5. Please set the new disk as the default boot disk in BIOS setting as the note told after successful clone, and here users just need to click “Finish” to confirm operation.

6. Click “Yes” to start copying disk. If we are copying system disk, just restart computer as the best free disk image backup software requires.

These are all steps to clone a disk. Try this disk clone software when you need to upgrade disk or backup information.