I'm curious about the process of transferring my existing Linux filesystem to a new physical drive. Currently, my laptop is dual-booting Windows 11 and Ubuntu. My setup consists of an SSD for Windows 11, an HDD for Ubuntu, and a second HDD in a hot swap bay. I'm planning to replace the second HDD with a SATA SSD and want to move Ubuntu to this new SSD without needing to wipe or reinstall it. Any insights or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
5 Answers
Moving your Linux filesystem isn't too hard! You might want to try using `dd`, which is a command-line tool to copy files from one drive to another. Just keep in mind that you'll need to specify the right input and output files. If you haven't done this before, look up some tutorials to make sure you get it right.
Also, don't forget about adjusting the UUID in the fstab file afterward, just in case the new drive has a different identifier!
If you're cloning to an SSD, consider tools like Clonezilla or Rescuezilla. These are better for imaging drives and can handle file systems more intelligently. They make the process straightforward and will only copy the used blocks, which saves you time.
If you want to keep things easy and avoid potential hiccups, using a dedicated imaging tool on Windows can also do the trick! Just remember that the new SSD needs to have equal or larger capacity than your HDD. Good luck with your move!
I just did a similar transition last week, and it worked fine for me! I used a simple command like `sudo cp -a ` with the help of Ventoy and PuppyLinux. Just ensure that your setup can support BTRFS and GRUB-efi if you're using those filesystems.
You might hit a snag with `dd`, `cp`, or `gparted` since they copy the empty space too. Instead, try using `rsync` to transfer only the used files, which will be faster. Just keep in mind you'll still need to deal with bootloader issues and update your fstab after the transfer.
Exactly! Just make sure to use the command like this: `# dd if="/dev/sdX" of="/dev/sdY" status=progress bs=4M`. It could take a while depending on the sizes, so be patient!