October 11, 2022 November 10, 2022

Reasons and solutions for cloning failure after SSD replacement, and explanation of when it does not start

The following are the reasons why cloning may fail when replacing an SSD.

There is a problem with the HDD
You are trying to clone to a disk with a smaller capacity than the source.
If you are using a duplicator that does not have an error skip function, etc.

The above failures often occur because you have not chosen the appropriate cloning method.

For example, if there is a problem with the HDD, you should not use the application.

This time, we will explain the causes and solutions for the cloning failures mentioned above.

Clickable table of contents

1 Causes and solutions for clone failure when replacing from HDD or SSD
2 Causes and solutions when the BIOS (UEFI) recognizes the SSD but does not boot after cloning the SSD
3 What to do if your Crucial SSD fails to clone or is not recognized?
4 Reasons and solutions for cloning failure after SSD replacement, and explanation of when it does not start

Causes and solutions for clone failure when replacing from HDD or SSD

Causes of cloning failure when replacing from HDD or SSD include the following.

Capacity is smaller than original HDD/SSD
The original HDD/SSD is faulty
Encryption is set

The details will be explained in the section below, but if cloning fails due to the reasons mentioned above, you may not have selected the appropriate tool or the appropriate capacity of the destination SSD.

In this article, we will explain the causes and solutions for the above failures.

In addition, the following article explains how to create a clone and how to resolve it if it fails.
→How to resolve when cloning a hard disk or SSD fails

Capacity is smaller than original HDD/SSD

If the capacity of the destination SSD is smaller than the original HDD/SSD, the clone may fail.

There are two reasons why the clone fails in this case:

Using a duplicator (special device for data copying)
Application does not support large to small clones

For example, a duplicator cannot clone a 1TB HDD to a 500GB SSD.
Conversely, you can clone a 500GB HDD to a 1TB SSD.
It is also possible to clone files of the same size.

In this way, cloning to an SSD smaller than the HDD/SSD you are currently using is not possible with a duplicator, so be careful.
If you want to clone a large-capacity HDD to a small-capacity SSD, use a compatible application.

The original HDD/SSD is faulty

If the source HDD is faulty, the clone may fail when replacing the HDD or SSD.

There are two reasons why the clone fails in this case:

using the application
You are using a duplicator (dedicated device for data copying) that does not have an error skip function.

Basically, when you try to clone a faulty HDD using an application, it often fails.
Also, some duplicators have an error skip function and some do not.

If cloning using a duplicator instead of an app fails, please check if the duplicator you are using has an error skip function.

In this way, if the source disk is faulty, the clone may fail if you use the wrong tool.

Encryption such as Bitlocker is set

If encryption settings such as Bitlocker are configured, cloning the HDD or SSD may fail.

The reason is that encryption restricts access to data.

To remove the encryption, please follow the steps below:

[How to disable Bitlocker]

Sign in to your administrator account.
Select "Start (Windows mark)".
Select "Windows System Tools".
Select "Control Panel".
Select "System and Security".
Select “Bitlocker Drive Encryption”.
Select "Disable Bitlocker" under "Operating System Drive".
Wait until Bitlocker decryption completes.

In this way, if cloning fails due to encryption settings such as Bitlocker, please remove the encryption using the steps above and then try running it.

Causes and solutions when the BIOS (UEFI) recognizes the SSD but does not boot after cloning the SSD

If Windows does not start after cloning the SSD, or if it is recognized by the BIOS (UEFI) but does not start, the following may be the cause:

BIOS (UEFI) boot order is different
Partition format and boot mode do not match
System partition is not active

Even if the clone itself is successful, the new SSD may not boot due to settings such as boot priority.

In such cases, it is necessary to review various settings such as the BIOS.

In this article, we will explain the problem of not being able to start after cloning due to the reasons mentioned above.

BIOS (UEFI) boot order is different

If the BIOS (UEFI) boot order is not set properly, the cloned SSD may not boot properly.

The reason is that the relevant disk is not at the top of the boot order.

When you turn on your PC, the first thing that runs is a program called BIOS.
The booted BIOS will boot the devices based on the configured order.
At this time, if you do not set the SSD's order after cloning to the top, it may not boot properly.
If you want to set the boot order in BIOS, please follow the steps below:

[How to change the boot order in BIOS]

Turn on your PC.
When the manufacturer logo appears, press the BIOS boot key (e.g. "F2" key, depending on the manufacturer).
Change the boot order from the menu.

As you can see, changing the boot order in the BIOS (UEFI) may solve the problem.
If the boot order settings are not appropriate, the cloned SSD may not boot, so it is a good idea to check it once.

Partition format and boot mode do not match

If the partition format and boot mode do not match, the cloned SSD may not boot properly.

This is because there are two types of partition formats, and each corresponds to a different boot mode.

Partition formats include MBR and GPT.
The boot mode that supports MBR is Legacy, and the boot mode that supports GPT is UEFI.
For example, if you select UEFI even though the partition format is MBR, the problem will occur that the mode will not match and the computer will not boot.

The method to change the boot mode is as follows.

[How to change boot mode settings]

Turn on your PC.
When the manufacturer logo appears, press the BIOS boot key (e.g. "F2" key, depending on the manufacturer).
Change the mode from the "Boot" tab etc.

In this way, changing the boot mode in the BIOS (UEFI) may solve the problem.

System partition is not active

If the system partition is not set as active, the cloned SSD may not boot properly.

The reason is that the OS boot disk must be set to active.

Usually, the partition where Windows is installed is automatically set as active.

If you have not done so, you will need to activate the system partition using the following method.

[How to set system partition as active]

Boot your PC from the original HDD/SSD.
Connect the clone destination SSD externally.
After booting, press the "Windows" key and the "R" key.
Type “diskpart” in the box provided.
Type "list disk" in the window that appears and press the "Enter" key.
Type "select disk ○ (○ is the disk number of the SSD)" and press the "Enter" key.
Type "list partition" and press "Enter".
Type "select partition □ (□ is the system partition number of the SSD)" and press the "Enter" key.
Type "active" and press the "Enter" key.
After completion, restart your PC.

Thus, if your system partition is not set as active, changing the above settings may resolve the issue.

What to do if your Crucial SSD fails to clone or is not recognized?

If your Crucial SSD fails to clone or is not recognized, here are some possible solutions.

Create bootable media and clone
Try reconnecting to another cable
Try connecting the SSD to another PC

Crucia SSDs can be cloned using free dedicated software, but there are cases where it fails.

If cloning fails due to the reasons listed above, please refer to this article.

Create bootable media and clone

If your Crucial SSD fails to clone, you may be able to resolve the issue by creating a bootable media using Crucial's dedicated software and cloning from there.

[How to create and clone bootable media with Crucial software]

Prepare a CD or DVD that does not contain data.
Launch the Crucial software.
Select "Rescue Media Builder".
Select "ACRONIS Bootable Rescue Media".
Select your CD/DVD drive.
Select Run.
Connect the created media and start the PC.
Select "1 (cloning software)".
When "Please wait" is displayed, wait until the screen changes.
Make sure your SSD is connected to USB and select "Tools & Utilities".
Select "Clone Disk".
Select "Auto".
Select the source disk and target hard disk.
Select OK when prompted to confirm.
Select Run.

Thus, if your Crucial SSD fails to clone, the above steps may resolve the issue.

Try reconnecting to another cable

If your Crucial SSD isn't recognized by your PC after cloning, you may be able to find the cause by reconnecting the SSD to a different cable.

The reason is that the cable connected may be incorrect or may be malfunctioning.

For example, if you have an external SSD connected and it is not recognized by your PC, it may be a good idea to reconnect it to the SATA cable.
Also, if you have several SATA cables, you may be able to get them recognized by connecting them to another SATA cable, so try that.

In this way, if your Crucial SSD is not recognized by your PC after cloning, changing the cable connection may reveal the cause or resolve the issue.

Try connecting the SSD to another PC

If your Crucial SSD isn't recognized by your PC after cloning, you might find out why by connecting the SSD to another PC.

If the SSD is recognized when connected to another PC, please update the SSD to the latest firmware and then try connecting it to the original PC.

In this way, if your Crucial SSD is not recognized by your PC after cloning, connecting it to another PC may help.