Hard drive/OS/Cloning Issue


  1. jcb
    Posts : 3
    widows 10 home
       New #1

    Hard drive/OS/Cloning Issue


    So I have a laptop with two 500 GB hard drives in it.

    I was going to clone these two drives using a Wavlink USB 3.0 dual bay docking station , and clone them onto a pair of 2 TB drives.

    Some how my two source drives have become not boot able.

    I have connected these two source drive to a different, working laptop and they are readable.

    I ave swapped out the positions of the two source drives to no avail. I previously had made a windows 10 media flash drive, but when I boot from it, it is looking from some driver which I have zero clue about.

    Any suggestions are very much appreciated.
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  3. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,432
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #2

    Make sure you switch which drive the bios is trying to boot from - not just the position of the drives. Your boot files are likely on only one of the drives and it's possible that bios is trying to boot from the other one.
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  4. jcb
    Posts : 3
    widows 10 home
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    NavyLCDR said:
    Make sure you switch which drive the bios is trying to boot from - not just the position of the drives. Your boot files are likely on only one of the drives and it's possible that bios is trying to boot from the other one.
    I've tried this also, on both drives it wakes up with "Checking Media" 3 times (each one failed) then it says "No bootable device -- Please restart system".
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  6. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,432
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #4

    On an operating computer install Macrium Reflect Free. Make a rescue USB/DVD/CD. Boot the problem laptop with the rescue disc and under restore menu is a utility to fix windows startup problems. That program works when others fail.

    Macrium Reflect Free
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  7. jcb
    Posts : 3
    widows 10 home
    Thread Starter
       New #5

    NavyLCDR said:
    On an operating computer install Macrium Reflect Free. Make a rescue USB/DVD/CD. Boot the problem laptop with the rescue disc and under restore menu is a utility to fix windows startup problems. That program works when others fail.

    Macrium Reflect Free
    I sorry, but at this point I really can't lose the data that is on these HD's.

    Is there a way that you could explain to me how and what to put on this flash drive.

    On the affected laptop, I don't even have a dos prompt.
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  8. cereberus
    Posts : 15,480
    Windows10
       New #6

    jcb said:
    I sorry, but at this point I really can't lose the data that is on these HD's.

    Is there a way that you could explain to me how and what to put on this flash drive.

    On the affected laptop, I don't even have a dos prompt.
    As NavyLCDR says, on another pc, install Macrium Reflect Free and run it.

    It will ask you to create a Rescue Drive. Put usb stick in pc (1GB min), and it will create a rescue drive.
    If you do not get a prompt, you can do it from other tasks menu.

    Then you boot from the rescue drive (may nerd to set boot order in bios).

    Then when Macrium loads up, select restore tab, and click 'fix windows boot problems'

    It should then list all OS installations, click on one you want to boot from, and set it as default.

    The clck next, finish, and it will rebuild boot sectors. This does not lose any data, and in fact you can use it as it is designed for ie to backup everything.
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  9. NavyLCDR
    Posts : 18,432
    Windows 11 Pro
       New #7

    Thanks cereberus for explaining further! Just one clarification - after you make the rescue USB/DVD/CD on the operating computer you then move the USB/DVD/CD to the non-booting laptop and boot the laptop from the rescue USB/DVD/CD.
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  10. cereberus
    Posts : 15,480
    Windows10
       New #8

    yeah - the other day one guy on another forum wrote a long post saying MRF had screwed up his pc always booting into MRF.

    I replied 'you have removed the usb stick?' and pricelessly he replied 'you never told me to do that!'

    As an aside, people sometimes say I am OTT using MRF to fix boot problems, but I found, as you said, it often works when bcdedit etc fails.

    Main reason I tell lesser experienced users to use it is it is easy to do and requires little expertise.

    Maybe we should write a tutoria
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