how to clone hdd to usb flash drive

A disk image is a copy of the entire contents of a storage device you can use the disk image to recover entire contents of a storage device.

An "image" is a file.

It isn't of much use in that form.

To be useful, it must be formally "restored" to a hard drive. At that point, the drive becomes bootable and is a replica of whatever partitions were included in the image file.

FreeBooter said:

https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Enclosu...node=160354011

I was looking at the docking station would that clone my new hard drive bearing in mind that my harddrive is inside my all in one pc??

Thx Len

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FreeBooter said:

@ltj22 do you want to clone to external hard drive that is connected with USB port?

Hi, I have a new internal drive that I wish to install in my All in one PC as the current one is too small.. I think the only way to do this is by the USB port, I have the Anker kit, but that does not work, its not seeing the new drive..You docking station from Amazon looks good, But seeing the other posts I may have put my question wrong in saying cloning to usb flash drive..An image in the usb flash drive would be much better for me, especially if it copies the whole drive, if I can do that how do I make an exact image of my hard drive and copy to the flash drive??

Thx again if I am confusing everyone Len

ltj22 said:

I may have put my question wrong in saying cloning to usb flash drive..An image in the usb flash drive would be much better for me, especially if it copies the whole drive, if I can do that how do I make an exact image of my hard drive and copy to the flash drive??

Cloning and imaging are different processes.

They have similar final results if they work. They usually work. Imaging is probably more reliable.

Macrium Reflect Free Edition can do either.

Imaging basic steps:

Install Macrium on your hard drive.
Make a single image file containing all partitions on the current hard drive via Macrium menus.
Save that image file on some other drive.
Make "recovery media" from within Macrium, using a USB flash drive.
Confirm that the recovery media will boot your PC.
Install the new hard drive.
Boot from your recovery media, which leads you to the Macrium interface.
Direct Macrium to restore that image file to the new hard drive.

Something like that.

I have no experience in saving the image file onto a USB stick. That might be a problem. Use an ordinary external hard drive if at all possible.

Get a usb 3 to sata3 2.5" cable. Plug the new ssd drive into the cable. Use macrium reflect to clone internal hhd/ssd to the external ssd/hdd...remove internal hdd/sdd abd plug in newly cloned hdd/sdd
Boot into bios and select the new drive as your boot drive...it should boot right up into windows