Ssd Data Migration Question


Rich_Winsor
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I just picked up a Samsung 850 EVO SSD to

install in my back up rig. As a rule I prefer to

reinstall my software when I upgrade my hard

drive, but since its only a backup rig I thought

I might give Samsung's data migration utility a

try. My question revolves around the fact that

the drive I'm replacing is configured in a dual

boot setup so I can run both Windows XP Pro

and Windows 7 Ultimate. Does anybody have

any first hand experience with such a migration?

Will the utility handle such a situation?

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Samsung's Data migration is a bit limited in it's options especially if the drive size is not identical or you also want to clone the entire drive ,say on a laptop to preserve the manufacturers restore partition , the UEFI partition,system partion etc etc too.

 

I just used the free Macrium Reflect last weekend to put an Evo in a Friend's laptop ...worked great even though we went from a 500GB (5400) HD to a 120GB SSD.

 

Macrium_ReflectDownloader.zip

 

rename the file from .zip to .exe to run it , it will download Reflect for you, disable the PE option 1st ,that way the download is only about 50mb

,the PE option is so you can make a Rescue disk if you ant to as well but the DL is more like 400mb and isn't needed to Clone Disks.

 

 

like Avast Free they make the free version a bit harder to find :) but the webpage is here too if you want the downloader direct

 

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

 

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Yeah, migrating the data isn't really a problem.

I've got old hard drives scattered around going

back for years and I have every combination of

patch cables necessary to hook any one of them

up to a USB port so I can just copy my data to

an external drive and then copy it back to my

new drive. It's the operating systems that I am

worried about. I'm pretty sure the dual boot

setup messes with the Master Boot Record

and I was wondering if the data migration utility

has the capability to transfer the MBR to the

new drive? As I initially said, I was just hoping

that maybe someone had been down this road

already and could vouch for the process. Guess

I will have to cogitate on this one a while longer.

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if you clone the complete drive and don't mess with the partitions it should be fine ,otherwise you could likely screwup the MBR pointers, but if you are transferring 500GB drive to a 256GB SSD , you may have no choice, how ever you should be able to use your XP setup CD to run a repair/fix   ie /fixmbr command if not autofix, once you have XP running again , do the same with your Win7DVD and do a repair install/fix too and it will setup the dualboot menu again ,fix the mbr etc.

 

of course Reflect maybe okay at this as it should recognise "system" partitions , you might want to check out their Forums , their FAQs were pretty good too IIRC.

 

I would recommend making the Rescue CD as it can also fix Boot issues too apparently

http://www.macrium.com/help/v5/Rescue_CDs/Fix_Boot_Problems.htm

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Yeah, migrating the data isn't really a problem.

I've got old hard drives scattered around going

back for years and I have every combination of

patch cables necessary to hook any one of them

up to a USB port so I can just copy my data to

an external drive and then copy it back to my

new drive. It's the operating systems that I am

worried about. I'm pretty sure the dual boot

setup messes with the Master Boot Record

and I was wondering if the data migration utility

has the capability to transfer the MBR to the

new drive? As I initially said, I was just hoping

that maybe someone had been down this road

already and could vouch for the process. Guess

I will have to cogitate on this one a while longer.

I cloned my boot drive with the Win 7 OS no problem. Cloning the MBR is part of the process if you select that to be cloned. If all the info for both OS's is in the MBR then it should work.

 

Also there shouldn't be much risk in trying as I assume you have a functioning hard drive with an intact MBR. Just clone everything to your new SSD and try booting from the SSD. If it doesn't work for some reason just boot back the to the functioning hard drive and try plan B.

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Agreed of course that the as-built should be complete and accurate, but do you have "SITE PLAN,  ROOF PLAN,  ELEVATIONS,  FLOOR PLANS,  ROOF FRAMING,  FLOOR FRAMING,  FOUNDATION AND 6 SECTIONS" done as part of your as-built? Genuinely curious and would like to learn others' approaches..

Yes its already done, and I show it on the existing pages in the layout. A lot of times some of the existing doesn't change at all and I'm trying to match existing conditions. All this is already on the layout, including sections and elevations. When I'm done with the existing, then I save as existing plan so I don't have re-link the layout. I also create a mask from the original plan on all jobs for those wall removals.

 

I find that all I usually need for my as-builts are the floor plan, elevations, and foundation plan, all accurate and complete of course, before I 'save as' for the new addition. Every plan varies and I'm currently doing an interior loft addition that shouldn't even need elevations for the as-builts.

 

I also use exterior elevations for interior jobs b/c there could be window changes and it lets the contractor understand it better, why not ,its done already.

 

Plan check and complete plans is another question and that's completed and presented in probably a similar method between all us Southern California gentlemen.

 

We are gentlemen, aren't we. Don't tell anyone

Sorry wrong thread, Larry did see it though. Stupid is as stupid does , I guess

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I cloned my boot drive with the Win 7 OS no problem. Cloning the MBR is part of the process if you select that to be cloned. If all the info for both OS's is in the MBR then it should work.

 

Also there shouldn't be much risk in trying as I assume you have a functioning hard drive with an intact MBR. Just clone everything to your new SSD and try booting from the SSD. If it doesn't work for some reason just boot back the to the functioning hard drive and try plan B.

 

good advice , if you have to mess with Partitions I have been using AOMEI Partition Editor lately , also the free version here

 

http://www.disk-partition.com/free-partition-manager.html

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Rich,

 

I have been meaning to ask.

Why are your text blocks so narrow.

Do you use a carriage return (Enter) where you want the end of the line, or to coincide with the window width you are typing into?

I think just about everyone else just lets the auto text wrap do it's thing.

 

No big deal, I am just curious.

 

Yeah, migrating the data isn't really a problem.

I've got old hard drives scattered around going

back for years and I have every combination of

patch cables necessary to hook any one of them

up to a USB port so I can just copy my data to

an external drive and then copy it back to my

new drive. It's the operating systems that I am

worried about. I'm pretty sure the dual boot

setup messes with the Master Boot Record

 

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Rich,

 

I have been meaning to ask.

Why are your text blocks so narrow.

Do you use a carriage return (Enter) where you want the end of the line, or to coincide with the window width you are typing into?

I think just about everyone else just lets the auto text wrap do it's thing.

 

No big deal, I am just curious.

 

Just a little idiosyncrasy of mine going back many

moons to when I used to post on an AOL message

board. Back then it was an active window size thing.

Nowadays with the ever increasing size of the screen

real estate I simply find it easier on my beady little

eyes to read short lines of text as opposed to long

strings which sprawl all the way across the monitor. 

 

And yes, I just hit enter to end the line at a length

that is comfortable for me.

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