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Kudos0

How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 24-Dec-2021 | 9:49PM · Edited: 24-Dec-2021 | 9:58PM · 12 Replies ·

My Windows 10 HP Laptop (upgraded from Windows 7) has a working 576GB HDD (490 GB Free). I want to replace it with a faster 500GB SSD. I have a recent SSR 2013 cold Image of my HDD that I would like to restore or copy to the SSD, whichever is easier using SSR 2013. The following closed Discussion Thread on this same topic has restore and copy options from Permalink using SSR's Recovery Disk.

https://community.norton.com/en/forums/can-i-restore-ghost-image-new-hard-drive

The SSR 2013 User Guide presents a copy hard drive to a blank drive procedure using the Copy My Hard Drive feature in Section 16 which can: (1) Upgrade to a larger hard disk or (2) Add a second hard disk and keep the original. Can I copy from my larger HDD to the smaller SSD?

The "Image Restore" option in the above link is similar to what I have used many times to restore my HDD from recent recovery points by booting into the Recovery Environment with my SSR disc. Most of my PCs have Ghost 15 Backup Images, but I use SSR to restore. The only difference would be I should restore the System Reserved Partition first as required in the SSR User Guide's Copy My Hard Drive method since it is the Primary and Boot Partition with Win10, correct? That would mean steps 14-17 in the "Image Restore" option only apply to the System Reserved Partition, correct? What about step 16 for all four partitions? Set other three as Logical Partitions? I have four partitions to restore and would likely restore the C: drive second. The other two partitions are HP's Recovery D: and HP_TOOLS F: - both from the original HP Windows 7.

Are the new partitions automatically downsized by SSR? Should I select Restore Anywhere?

Which method would you recommend? Clone? Any other suggestions? Thanks, OUgrad

Labels: Norton Ghost, Windows 10

Replies

Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 24-Dec-2021 | 11:01PM · Permalink

EDIT - Set SRP as Active Partition for boot, C: as Primary, others Logical? OUgrad

Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 25-Dec-2021 | 6:37AM · Edited: 25-Dec-2021 | 6:42AM · Permalink

EDIT - Disk Management in Windows 10 shows all four of my partitions as Primary. It also shows the C: drive as Boot (Permalink step 15). SRP is the only Active partition listed. I just discovered the following at the bottom of Permalink's info after the final step 18.

"make sure also that you have backed up the hidden drive containing the boot info and run that one first [per SSR User Guide] or it won't boot up. You must transfer the SRP (100 MB ) file first and don't tick any boxes." My SRP is 200 MB with Windows 10.

Should step 15 only be selected for the SRP and C: partitions? OUgrad

Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 25-Dec-2021 | 7:12AM · Permalink

Some SSD manufacturers offer a disc clone product to transfer your drive contents to the new drive. For example, Crucial SSD's offer a Crucial specific version of Acronis TrueImage that will clone your old HDD.  See here...  https://www.crucial.com/support/articles-faq-ssd/acronis-for-crucial-faq

Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 26-Dec-2021 | 5:25PM · Edited: 26-Dec-2021 | 5:28PM · Permalink

All: A bit of information regarding SSR 2013 is at this link.

Edited: Step #15 should be the drive the recovery is being written/restored TO.

SA

MS Certified Professional / Windows 11 Home 22H2 x 64 build 22621.1265 - Windows 10 Pro x 64 version 22H2 / build 19045.2788 / Norton Security Ultra - Norton 360 Deluxe ver. 22.23.1.21 / Opera GX LVL4 (core: 96.0.4693.104) 64 bit-Early Access w/Norton Chrome Extensions
Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 27-Dec-2021 | 2:32AM · Edited: 27-Dec-2021 | 2:39AM · Permalink

Thanks SA.

You wrote "Edited: Step #15 should be the drive the recovery is being written/restored TO."

That drive would be my blank SSD, but which partition of the four being written there? - The SRP, C:, both or all four? Since the SRP tells C: to boot, I would guess #15 only applies to the SRP?

Regarding all 18 steps, Deric wrote "If you have more than one partition or drive repeat above and then reboot."

I don't understand how Step #17 (Restore MBR) could apply to all four partitions. The MBR is only in the SRP, correct?

I can always use trial and error until I find the combination that works, but would rather not.

OUgrad

Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 27-Dec-2021 | 11:46AM · Permalink

Step #17 applies to the MBR, and. IF, there are OTHER partitions listed perform the same restore scenario on them one at a time , reboot when that has been accomplished.

SA

MS Certified Professional / Windows 11 Home 22H2 x 64 build 22621.1265 - Windows 10 Pro x 64 version 22H2 / build 19045.2788 / Norton Security Ultra - Norton 360 Deluxe ver. 22.23.1.21 / Opera GX LVL4 (core: 96.0.4693.104) 64 bit-Early Access w/Norton Chrome Extensions
Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 05-Jan-2022 | 4:22PM · Permalink

@OUgrad Following up to see what the status is with your issue. Can we assist further?

SA

MS Certified Professional / Windows 11 Home 22H2 x 64 build 22621.1265 - Windows 10 Pro x 64 version 22H2 / build 19045.2788 / Norton Security Ultra - Norton 360 Deluxe ver. 22.23.1.21 / Opera GX LVL4 (core: 96.0.4693.104) 64 bit-Early Access w/Norton Chrome Extensions
Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 06-Jan-2022 | 12:15AM · Edited: 06-Jan-2022 | 12:16AM · Permalink

I found some cloning software recommended by PC Magazine called Macrium Reflect 8. The free version is all I need and their YouTube cloning Tutorial makes it look easy. It will automatically downsize my C: drive and clone all four partitions. My SSD is a bit smaller than my HDD, so C: must shrink after defrag. It may be a month before I can retrieve my SATA drive to USB cable from friends out of state. I'll report back with results. SSR2013 recovery disc added a small partition at the beginning of the SSD without my permission or command that it can't delete in recovery disc mode, it's not in Analyze or elsewhere, so SRP can't be first in line and won't boot. I need my external drive cable to get rid of it with Disk Management. SSR2013 had no option to shrink C: that I can find either. OUgrad

Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 06-Jan-2022 | 8:12AM · Permalink

The small partition is likely a Windows System partition. Totally normal on a Windows system. See this example image.  

There are many of us here that have tried and recommend the free version of Macrium reflect. I have used it for a bare metal restore after I had an issue with my Windows install.

Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 06-Jan-2022 | 11:49AM · Permalink

Thanks for the feedback. OUgrad
Kudos1 Stats

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 06-Feb-2022 | 4:40AM · Edited: 06-Feb-2022 | 4:50AM · Permalink

I finally completed the Macrium Reflect 8 Free Version Clone to SSDs on my Win7 and Win10 Laptops. The process took about 2 hours once started. The auto resize feature does not work on the free version, but it was easy to reduce the size of my C: drives manually. Here is their official 4 minute video how the paid version works with reference to manual resizing of partitions near the end. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lSdSNAjmdDg In both cases, my System Protection Restore Points were deleted, so a new one should be created manually after Clone. Here are before/after Clone speed comparisons with the Win7 PC. Win7 HDD boot time with all hidden icons, 1:50. Without hidden 60 seconds. Event Viewer with 34,364 Windows Application logs loaded, 45 seconds. System File Checker, 13:20. SSD times respectively are 40, 30, 10 and 5:13. No drive errors found by sfc. OUgrad

EDIT: After selecting the Clone target disk per the video above, I clicked and dragged the SRP and C: drives from above down to the SSD, then manually resized the C: drive with some trial and error so my last two partitions were a close fit with just a few MB of unallocated space left over. I now have Ghost 15 and SSR2013 backups of my SSDs.
Kudos0

Re: How to Restore Ghost or SSR Image to a Blank SSD

Posted: 06-Feb-2022 | 7:37AM · Permalink

Thanks for the post back and status.

SA

MS Certified Professional / Windows 11 Home 22H2 x 64 build 22621.1265 - Windows 10 Pro x 64 version 22H2 / build 19045.2788 / Norton Security Ultra - Norton 360 Deluxe ver. 22.23.1.21 / Opera GX LVL4 (core: 96.0.4693.104) 64 bit-Early Access w/Norton Chrome Extensions

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