Installation/Upgrade Question?

I've never had boot issues with cloning.

NavyLCDR said:

I've never had boot issues with cloning.

For the clone the OP needs MBR2GPT without data loss.
For the image restoration MBR2GPT is not required.

Some MBR2GPT display error codes that need troubleshooting.

zbook said:

For the clone the OP needs MBR2GPT without data loss.
For the image restoration MBR2GPT is not required.

Some MBR2GPT display error codes that need troubleshooting.

Why would MBR2GPT be required to replace a 120 GB SSD with a 1 TB SSD? And if conversion to GPT was required, how does restoring an image restore eliminate the need for conversion? The image will contain an NTFS formatted system partition marked as active. If restore the image to a GPT drive, you still have the NTFS system partition which most computers will not boot in UEFI mode from. So you are still left with needing to convert a system partition to one that will boot in UEFI mode in most computers.

If you are going to move from an MBR drive booting in legacy BIOS mode to a GPT drive booting in UEFI mode, the simple and reliable method is:
1. Initialize the new drive as GPT. This is accomplished by:

Code:

diskpart
list disk
select disk # <- replace # with the actual number of the new drive
clean <- this will erase the drive selected above make sure it is the new drive
convert gpt
select part 1
del part override <- this will erase the MSR partition created by the convert GPT command
create part EFI size 100 <-create a 100 MB EFI system partition
format fs=fat32 quick
assign letter=w
create part MSR size=16 <-create the MSR partition after the EFI system partition
exit

2. Now that the new disk is prepared, copy the "C: drive" partition to it. Either:
a. Clone the "C: drive" partition from the old drive to the new drive OR
b. Restore the "C: drive" partition from the image backup made from the old drive

Resize the "C: drive" partition as desired during either a. or b. above.

3. During step 2. above, assign a drive letter to the new "C: drive" partition. Let's say letter V:. Any unused drive letter will do, this drive letter is only temporary.

4. Put the boot files into the new EFI system partition:

Code:

bcdboot V:\Windows /s W: /f UEFI

The only difference in cloning v. imaging when moving from MBR legacy booting to a new GPT drive UEFI booting is the source of the C: drive partition in step 2.

NavyLCDR said:

Why would MBR2GPT be required to replace a 120 GB SSD with a 1 TB SSD?

The OP is changing the drive to NVMe which requires BIOS UEFI.


System Requirements for OS Installation on a PCIe* NVMe* SSD

Code:

System Requirements for OS Installation on a PCIe* NVMe* SSD
 
Documentation

Content Type
Install & Setup

Article ID
000026416

Last Reviewed
04/04/2020

PCIe* NVMe*-based SSDs require specific hardware, BIOS and driver support to be used as a boot device.  
See below for some requirements for a successful installation.

Basic requirements
To use as a bootable drive, you need:

PCIe NVMe storage-capable hardware motherboard support for the form factor of the SSD (i.e. PCIe, M.2, U.2). 
Consult your system or motherboard vendor for more information
There may be multiple connectors available, but that does not mean all of them support the NVMe standard.  
Consult your motherboard vendor and user manual for the right connections
M.2 form factors come in 3 different key types.  The key type (M, B, B+M) is related to the notches in the 
M.2 card and this must be compatible with the motherboard support.  Consult your motherboard vendor 
for more information
System BIOS that supports UEFI 2.3.1 or later with NVMe support
GPT drive format (See how to install OS to GPT)
Microsoft Windows 7* or Windows® 10 operating system (OS)
Note	Other OS supporting these requirements may function properly, but we have not validated them.
Compatible NVMe driver available during OS installation for the drive to be detected
For installation instructions, refer to the Intel® Solid State Drives with PCIe* NVMe* Boot Installation 
Guidefor more information.

To use as a secondary data drive, you need:

PCIe NVMe storage-capable hardware motherboard support for the form factor of the SSD (i.e. PCIe, M.2, U.2). 
Consult your system or motherboard vendor for more information
There may be multiple connectors available, but that does not mean all of them support the NVMe standard.  
Consult your motherboard vendor and user manual for the right connections
M.2 form factors come in 3 different key types.  The key type (M, B, B+M) is related to the notches in the M.2 
card and this must be compatible with the motherboard support.  Consult your motherboard vendor for more information
System BIOS that supports UEFI 2.3.1 or later with NVMe support
Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows 10 OS
Note	Other OS supporting these requirements may function properly, but we have not validated them yet.
Compatible NVMe driver installed within the OS for the drive to be detected

zbook said:

The OP is changing the drive to NVMe which requires BIOS UEFI.


System Requirements for OS Installation on a PCIe* NVMe* SSD

Code:

System Requirements for OS Installation on a PCIe* NVMe* SSD
 
Documentation

Content Type
Install & Setup

Article ID
000026416

Last Reviewed
04/04/2020

PCIe* NVMe*-based SSDs require specific hardware, BIOS and driver support to be used as a boot device.  
See below for some requirements for a successful installation.

Basic requirements
To use as a bootable drive, you need:

PCIe NVMe storage-capable hardware motherboard support for the form factor of the SSD (i.e. PCIe, M.2, U.2). 
Consult your system or motherboard vendor for more information
There may be multiple connectors available, but that does not mean all of them support the NVMe standard.  
Consult your motherboard vendor and user manual for the right connections
M.2 form factors come in 3 different key types.  The key type (M, B, B+M) is related to the notches in the 
M.2 card and this must be compatible with the motherboard support.  Consult your motherboard vendor 
for more information
System BIOS that supports UEFI 2.3.1 or later with NVMe support
GPT drive format (See how to install OS to GPT)
Microsoft Windows 7* or Windows® 10 operating system (OS)
Note	Other OS supporting these requirements may function properly, but we have not validated them.
Compatible NVMe driver available during OS installation for the drive to be detected
For installation instructions, refer to the Intel® Solid State Drives with PCIe* NVMe* Boot Installation 
Guidefor more information.

To use as a secondary data drive, you need:

PCIe NVMe storage-capable hardware motherboard support for the form factor of the SSD (i.e. PCIe, M.2, U.2). 
Consult your system or motherboard vendor for more information
There may be multiple connectors available, but that does not mean all of them support the NVMe standard.  
Consult your motherboard vendor and user manual for the right connections
M.2 form factors come in 3 different key types.  The key type (M, B, B+M) is related to the notches in the M.2 
card and this must be compatible with the motherboard support.  Consult your motherboard vendor for more information
System BIOS that supports UEFI 2.3.1 or later with NVMe support
Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows 10 OS
Note	Other OS supporting these requirements may function properly, but we have not validated them yet.
Compatible NVMe driver installed within the OS for the drive to be detected

So, see post #23. Why would a conversion NOT be required when restoring a disk image? If you restore a disk image from an MBR drive to a GPT drive you are going to also restore the NTFS system partition which most likely will not boot in UEFI mode.

Wouldn't this be easier than clone troubleshooting?
1) Change BIOS: Legacy > UEFI
2) Clean install Windows 20H2
3) Restore the image on a GPT drive
4) Use Macrium boot repair as needed (no MBR2GPT)

zbook said:

Wouldn't this be easier than clone troubleshooting?
1) Change BIOS: Legacy > UEFI
2) Clean install Windows 20H2
3) Restore the image on a GPT drive
4) Use Macrium boot repair as needed (no MBR2GPT)

Not to me. But I have done it many times before. I can prepare the new disk using diskpart commands in much less time than the clean install to prepare the new disk.

NavyLCDR said:

Not to me. But I have done it many times before. I can prepare the new disk using diskpart commands in much less time than the clean install to prepare the new disk.

If the OP is willing lets do it the method you prefer.

Thanks for all the help and advice offered. In the end I did all my homework and since it was a Samung to Samsung cloning I opted for the Samsung Data Migration tool. Followed the way I had written it down and it all went great. Took less than 5mins to clone and after replugging my two storage HHD's and taking the 120GB Samsung drive out everything works fine.