I'm looking to upgrade my storage by moving from a Transcend MTE110S 256 GB SSD to a CRUCIAL P3 Plus 1TB SSD. What are the best ways to transfer my data between these two drives? Any recommended software or tips would be greatly appreciated!
4 Answers
Are you only transferring data or do you need the operating system too? If your motherboard has two M.2 NVMe slots, just install the new SSD, do a fresh Windows install, then add the old drive in the second slot for copying files. It’s pretty straightforward that way!
You can clone your current SSD to the new one using cloning software. Alternatively, if you're okay with a clean install, swap the SSDs, install Windows on the new one, and then transfer your files manually from the old SSD. Just be mindful about moving your programs back, as that might require another tool—not sure what it’s called but it handles program transfers pretty well.
You'll definitely need some cloning software. Clonezilla is a good free option, and Macrium Reflect has an older free version that can work for this too. Just a heads up, cloning NVMe to NVMe is usually easy, but the software needs to handle changing the disk signature to make the new drive bootable.
If you're planning to clone your SSD, Macrium Reflect is a great tool that many have used for years. It's user-friendly and gets the job done really well. Just make sure to check out the free edition to see if it fits your needs!
Just be aware you might lose your Windows product key in the process, so keep that in mind when you clone!