Easiest way to clone a hard drive

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relztrah

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I recently installed a M.2 SSD in my HP laptop. The exisiting SDD has Windows 11 so I want to clone all data from the existing SSD to the M.2 drive. I've never done this before, so I'm looking for the easiest, step-by-step method for a total newbie to cloning. If there is a cost involved for software, I'm willing to pay to make sure it's done correctly.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
Thank you. I was able to use DiskGenius. Question: How do I know it's booting from the M.2 drive? I don't think it is.

Do I need to make changes in either of these two setup screens?
 

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Corday said:
In Bios set SSD as primary booting drive.

EDIT: You did use M.2 slot, correct?
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Yes, I put the M.2 in the slot. Both are technically SSDs. But the orginal one is the standard SSD that fits in the hard drive bay and the other is the M.2.
 
If you actually cloned, the boot sector transferred. So, are you actually getting to Windows? Others have ended up booting to bios after cloning which is a different problem. What happens when all other discs are removed?
 
Corday said:
If you actually cloned, the boot sector transferred. So, are you actually getting to Windows? Others have ended up booting to bios after cloning which is a different problem. What happens when all other discs are removed?
Click to expand...
Yes, it boots to Windows. I have not powered up the machine without the original HP SDD. I simply installed the M.2 drive and closed the machine back up. This HP is a pain to open and it involves taking off the back. It's double difficult because one of the hinges is broken and I have to reattach the back with the laptop open. I loved the old Toshibas that had a panel on the bottom that you can remove and access the hard drive bay.

Anyway, looking at the boot options, is it as simple as changing to the Kingston (M.2) drive in this menu?
 

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Thank you again. I made a donation in appreciation of your help. I have a follow-up question about this laptop which I'll post separately.
 
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