How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?

SIW2 · 19 Aug 2022

It is hard to tell because you havent given much information. Most tools that clone will make the necessary adjustments if they are doing a "system clone" or "os migration"

If you did the partitions one at a time, the clone tool might just treat them as data partitions and not carry out the other steps.

there is no real problem, you can do the other steps yourself in a few seconds

bcdbootdisk-v9.zip

1.¸click add letters

2. click bcdbootgui

3. select the cloned os in the dropdown and click FIX

4. Select the letter of the cloned ESP partition and the cloned os partition then click start.

Bansaw · 19 Aug 2022

SIW2 said:

If you did the partitions one at a time, the clone tool might just treat them as data partitions and not carry out the other steps.

So the mere "existence" of a EFI partition is not enough to tell the pc, "this is bootable"?
Do I need to set something in the EFI or somewhere else in the disk header that will define the disk as bootable?

Samuria · 19 Aug 2022

We need to see a screnshot from disk manager showing the drive with all details at the top so we know what we are dealing with

Paul Black · 19 Aug 2022

Hello @Bansaw,

This should give you the information that you want. It is a snippet from one of my Scripts. Copy & Paste the following into a CMD Prompt and press Enter.

Code:


PowerShell Get-Partition ^| Sort-Object -Property DiskNumber, PartitionNumber ^| Format-Table -Autosize ^
     @{L='Disk Number'       ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.DiskNumber))        {'N/A'} else {$_.DiskNumber}};A='Left'}, ^
     @{L='Partition Number'  ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.PartitionNumber))   {'N/A'} else {$_.PartitionNumber}};A='Left'}, ^
     @{L='Drive Letter'      ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.DriveLetter))       {'N/A'} else {;if($_.DriveLetter -eq '') {'NO LABEL'} else {$_.DriveLetter}}};A='Left'}, ^
     @{L='System Type'       ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.Type))              {'N/A'} else {$_.Type}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='Operational Status';E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.OperationalStatus)) {'N/A'} else {$_.OperationalStatus}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='IsOffline'         ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.IsOffline))         {'N/A'} else {$_.IsOffline}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='IsActive'          ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.IsActive))          {'N/A'} else {$_.IsActive}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='IsSystem'          ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.IsSystem))          {'N/A'} else {$_.IsSystem}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='IsBoot'            ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.IsBoot))            {'N/A'} else {$_.IsBoot}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='IsRead-Only'       ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.IsReadOnly))        {'N/A'} else {$_.IsReadOnly}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='IsHidden'          ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.IsHidden))          {'N/A'} else {$_.IsHidden}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='IsShadowCopy'      ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.IsShadowCopy))      {'N/A'} else {$_.IsShadowCopy}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='MBR Type'          ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.mbrType))           {'N/A'} else {$_.mbrType}};A='Right'}, ^
     @{L='GPT Type'          ;E={;if([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_.gptType))           {'N/A'} else {$_.gptType}};A='Right'} ^| ^
     Out-String -Width 1000

I hope this helps.

spunk · 19 Aug 2022

You could just put the cloned drive in a computer and disconnect all other drives, and start the computer, if it boots, it works.

SIW2 · 19 Aug 2022

I havent got a cloned disk to hand. so I have just attached another disk which has an os to show you how it is done.

You can see I am currently booted into Disk 1.

So the other disk is Disk 0

How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?-add-letters3.jpg

Now click Add Letters and it has added letter K to the esp partition on Disk 0

How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?-add-letters4.jpg

click bcdboot gui and this pops up

select the other os - in this case it is G:\Windows

How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?-add-letters5.jpg

click FIX OS LETTER

How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?-add-letters6.jpg

takes about 2 seconds to say success

How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?-add-letters7.jpg

*****************************************************************************
*****************************************************************************

The second thing is to add the boot menu entry to the other disk

the esp partition on the other disk is K and the other os is G:\Windows

How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?-add-letters8.jpg

How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?-add-letters9.jpg

How can I tell if my SSD I just cloned to is "bootable" ?-add-letters10.jpg

That's All Folks.

idgat · 19 Aug 2022

Best way to tell if it's bootable? TRY IT.

Two options
- as suggested multiple times, replace the existing drive with the cloned drive and boot from that
or
- put the cloned drive in an externnal USB case, change the device boot order and boot from the external drive

Bansaw said:

Imaging would not make it bootable. In theory Cloning should clone everything including the boot sector. I am using Macrium Reflect.

Of course an image is bootable ... when you restore the image to the new drive.

Imaging is much more prefered option, given forums all across the internet are full of tears from failed cloning attempts. Comparatively very few similar posts about failed image > restore process.

SIW2 · 19 Aug 2022

full of tears from failed cloning attempts

Using what? Macrium is not all that great at it. It is a question of using the right tool for the job in question. The Samsung tool is good, and I haven't managed to wrong foot diskgenius.

However, if the op cloned one partition at a time, it is not likely the clone tool knew what he was trying to do. I which case it is almost certain the files were copied but the next two steps ( outlined in my previous post ) would not have been carried out.

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once:

Whether restoring from an image or cloning directly, there are 3 steps

1. Copy the files to the target ( either from a compressed image or directly from partition (s)
2. Fix the os letter so it knows where it is
3. Fix the bcd entry to point at the new os volume.

I shall say this only once - YouTube

Bansaw · 19 Aug 2022

SIW2 said:

Using what? Macrium is not all that great at it. It is a question of using the right tool for the job in question. The Samsung tool is good, and I haven't managed to wrong foot diskgenius.

However, if the op cloned one partition at a time, it is not likely the clone tool knew what he was trying to do. I which case it is almost certain the files were copied but the next two steps ( outlined in my previous post ) would not have been carried out.

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once:

Whether restoring from an image or cloning directly, there are 3 steps

1. Copy the files to the target ( either from a compressed image or directly from partition (s)
2. Fix the os letter so it knows where it is
3. Fix the bcd entry to point at the new os volume.

I shall say this only once - YouTube

Thanks ! Is the samsung tool this one?
Samsung Magician & SSD Tools & Software Update | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Diskgenius is $70

SIW2 · 19 Aug 2022

You would ned to tell them to do an os migration or system migration.

As far as I know, Samsung tool only works if you have Samsung disks attached.

Diskgenius isn't fussy. Use the Os Migration in the top panel. Use the free version.

When you download and install, it is the free version. If you want to change it into the pro version, enter the license key. Otherwise just keep using it as the free version forever.

I have posted screenshot how to more than once, it is pretty easy.

Cloned my 512GB SSD to a 1TB SSD and I have "Unallocated Space".