Clone or Image New SSD


  1. Posts : 201
    Windows 10 21H2 19044.2728
       #1

    Clone or Image New SSD


    Hello Everyone.
    I have a couple of questions about a new ssd i will be installing next week in a Dell Inpiron 15 3501 (specs in profile)
    1. Should I bother cloning this new drive prior to installation or just restore an image post installation? (use macrium reflect)
    2. This 4lb weakling currently has a 256GB Optain drive. I will be replacing it with a 1TB Kingston NV2 NVMe PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD. (non optain). Dell specs say the (non optain) drive is compatable but I believe it will have to be disabled in the bios. Is that correct?
    Only been in there once when I did a memory upgrade but I seem to recall seeing something about Intel speed technology or some such thing. Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.
    Thanks
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 15,881
    Windows10
       #2

    The tricky part is booting if new nvme drive needs IRST drivers.

    If you have the paid version of Reflect, you can use its Redeploy feature when you have restored an image backup. You will need to add IRST driver to Reflect USB if it is needed.

    If you do not have it, there is a way to do it using dism commands.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 281
    Windows 10 Pro
       #3

    If his current non NVMe drive already has Windows10 installed (which it says in his PC profile), then cloning to the NVMe should be no problem once so ever as Windows 10 will load NVMe drivers by default.


    Fishingfool, often times an SSD or NVMe disk manufacturer gives out free cloning software available at their website. Check into that at Kingston's website. They do this because they know their customer will be put off without it. But, the manufacturer's cloning software will only work with their product. The software probably reads the serial number or something on the chip.

    Once the drive is installed and booted, go into Disk Management and set aside 10% (100 GB) of unallocated space in the drive. This helps with garbage collection and wear leveling due to the nature of current flash-based hard drive media.


    If 100 GB sounds massive, it really is and can understand. Because I had to set aside 200 GB on my 2 TB NVMe!

    Oh, the math.

    Take 1024 (bits in a kilobyte) and multiply that by 100,000 for a grand spanking total of 102,400,000 bytes or 102,400 MBs. Which is what you should enter in Disk Management to be all precise. But you could just round to 100,000 MB I guess.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 201
    Windows 10 21H2 19044.2728
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Thank you both.
    This laptop only has 1 PCIe NVME M2 drive in it. It is the sole C: drive and is not expandable to add a 2nd internal drive of any kind that i'm aware of. (1 of 6) configurations offered for this model
    I'm sort of stuck with it though. Should I disable the optain function in the bios? Dell states this system only supports optain drives up to 512GB. I need a bit more on board room then that. I have plenty of external storage but i'm getting tired of unplugging this and plugging in that. I will visit kingston's site and have a look. Unfortunetly I'm using macrium 8 free as well. Back in the 9x\IDE days I could do this blindfolded. I'm a "bit" out of the loop these days
    Last edited by fishingfool; 13 Apr 2023 at 09:05.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 5,030
    several
       #5

    If it is like this one, there is space for a sata ssd as well. Maybe yours didnt have the little 2.5 inch cage included

    Dell Inspiron 15 3501 - M.2 SSD Upgrade, 2.5" HDD Fitting and RAM Upgrade Guide - YouTube
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 201
    Windows 10 21H2 19044.2728
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Thanks SIW2.
    When i upgraded the memory i was in a hurry but I didn't see the cage or hardware that is supposed to come with it. Perhaps I should take a second look when the new drive I ordered arrives. Laptops are alien to me.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Okay, been to kingstons site and no copy\clone utility offered. Just an SSD manager (useful for firmware updates) and a benchmark tool too see wich driver the drive is using, intel or ms. So macrium free it is. I'll start with a pre-install clone, check bios to make sure drive is identified and in the correct boot order. If it doesn't boot, i'll boot from the macrium rescue tool and just use an image instead. Guess I'll just disable optain support in the bios and go from there as well. Thank's, You guys are great

    - - - Updated - - -

    Sorry, didn't know "quick Reply" Just updated last post. thanks again
    Last edited by fishingfool; 13 Apr 2023 at 10:51.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 5,030
    several
       #7

    kingston have an acronis thing, seems to want some kind of activation
    acronis-download - Kingston Technology

    I always use diskgenius for these jobs , free version is fine and not dependent on manufacturer.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 201
    Windows 10 21H2 19044.2728
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Just an update.
    My new drive arrived today and it couldn't have went smoother.
    I cloned the new drive with macrium 8.0 free, installed it and set bios boot defaults.
    Went right to windows. Just used disk management for partioning. Start to finish took under an hour.
    Thanks again you guys!
    EDIT: BTW, there was no cage for the optional sata drive inside the case. Get what you pay for from Dell i guess.
      My Computer


 

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