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To save time, rather than installing Windows and programs afresh, I fancy cloning my old C SSD, on to my new SSD in my new computer. But I am getting mixed messages on cloning! Who's correct? Wh...
Question
windows-11
#3: Question reopened
by
samcarter
·
2023-08-14T11:51:08Z (over 1 year ago)
#2: Question closed
by
samcarter
·
2023-08-11T15:42:23Z (over 1 year ago)
#1: Initial revision
by
TextKit
·
2023-08-07T20:13:31Z (over 1 year ago)
Ought I clone my C Windows drive, from my old SSD to new SSD in new computer?
To save time, rather than installing Windows and programs afresh, I fancy cloning my old C SSD, on to my new SSD in my new computer. But I am getting mixed messages on cloning! Who's correct? >[When you have got a new SSD, you might feel confused about the way to configure an operating system for the new disk. Usually, you have three options:](https://www.partitionwizard.com/clone-disk/clean-install-disk-clone-migrate-system.html) > >- Perform a clean install >- Copy system disk to the SSD >- Migrate operating system to the new disk ### Against Cloning On November 14 2013, Lincoln Spector of PCWorld ["strongly recommend[ed] _against_ cloning the drive on an old PC to a new one. You bring all of your old problems to a new machine. What’s more, you create more problems, because every Windows installation is adapted to the particular hardware it was installed on. Finally, you’ll have the same Windows license running on two computers (Microsoft doesn’t like that) while not using the license you paid for when you bought the new PC."](https://www.pcworld.com/article/448299/how-to-move-to-a-new-pc-spoiler-dont-clone.html) ### For Cloning >[But, we don’t need to do it manually; we can use Macrium Reflect to migrate the entire Microsoft operating system (MOS) from the old PC to the new PC.](https://blog.macrium.com/how-to-migrate-your-old-pc-to-a-new-one-67af145e5a23) >[You could reinstall Windows from scratch, and in some situations, that may be preferable—but with the right tools, you can get up and running much quicker by copying your entire drive over to the new SSD.](https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/copy-your-windows-installation-to-an-ssd) On April 30 2020, [gronostaj](https://superuser.com/users/194694/gronostaj) commented >[This information is outdated. Windows has been dealing with hardware changes pretty well since Windows 7 and improved with each release.](https://superuser.com/questions/1547140/can-i-clone-my-hard-drive-into-a-better-computer#comment2351674_1547173)