Recently, my laptop's primary drive, an M.2 NVMe SSD with 256GB capacity, either died or went into read-only mode. I've purchased a new 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD to replace it, but my laptop only has one NVMe slot, which currently houses the old SSD. It also has a SATA HDD for storage. Since the OS is on the faulty SSD, I can't boot into Windows, but I can access the BIOS. I'm looking for a way to clone the old SSD to the new one without a second SSD slot or another computer. I might be able to visit a library to download some tools onto a USB drive. Most articles mention using cloning software, but I'm clueless on how to proceed without booting into Windows. My laptop model is Acer Predator Helios 300 G3-571, and it used to run Windows 10.
3 Answers
Honestly, without a second M.2 slot, it might be tricky to pull this off cleanly. If you have a friend with an extra laptop or desktop, you could borrow it just for this cloning purpose. Most cloning software should work fine, but I recommend doing a RAW copy to ensure the original sizes stay intact. Alternatively, if you don't mind losing the old SSDs’ content, consider reinstalling Windows using the manufacturer’s recovery tools, but you'll need a working machine and a spare USB. Just be aware that if you manage to get a bootable USB with the cloning software, and buy an external enclosure for your old SSD, that could work to clone it too as long as you get one with the same capacity.
I had a similar situation with an SSD that failed into read-only mode, and I managed to clone it without losing any data. You can buy an external adapter that converts your SSD into a USB device for about $10, which would allow you to clone it. Just make sure to prepare a bootable USB with cloning software like Windows PE or a Linux distro. Also, ensure the cloning software you choose can resize partitions, otherwise your new drive might have partition sizes that are too small after cloning. You definitely don’t want to end up stranded because of partition issues!
Here’s a quick guide for you:
1. Use Rufus to create a bootable Windows USB stick.
2. Boot from that USB by selecting it in the BIOS.
3. Then, you can use MultiDrive to clone your old SSD to the new one.
If your old SSD is totally dead and undetectable, your last resort is to take it to a data recovery company to get back any important files.
The new SSD being 1TB instead of 256GB should still be fine for cloning. You just need to ensure that the cloning software can handle different sizes—some can adjust partitions accordingly!