Over time, it is unavoidable to have failing hard drives. In such instances, the best option would be to replace the failing hard drive with a new one. Now what about your data? Well, it won’t be a problem if you’ve managed to keep a backup. Your data can be transferred to the new hard drive so you won’t have to start from scratch.

Now, what about your computer’s OS? Is it also possible to transfer it without losing its current data? Normally, it is difficult to do. The process itself takes a lot of time. In order to achieve such state, one would need to completely re-install the OS as well as the applications. Fortunately, there is a workaround and if your computer is running on Windows 10, you can complete such task by cloning the system drive using an all-in-one disk partition management tool like the EaseUS Partition Master.

Cloning the system drive

If you want to transfer Windows 10 to new hard drive and avoid further hassles, such as re-installing the OS and applications, you can actually choose to upgrade to an SSD (Solid State Drive). This option is much preferred because not only does it improve your PC performance, it is also more reliable and has a longer lifespan compared to HDDs.

To make this happen, you must back up everything from your original hard drive first and then delete your personal files (ex. photos, videos, music, documents, etc.). The goal here is to make your current Windows OS small enough to fit into the SSD. You can move any large file to an external drive. Make sure to delete unnecessary files and unused applications.

After which, refer to the following steps:

• Connect the SSD to your computer.
• Download, install and run the EaseUS Partition Master tool on your computer. It is recommended that you get the Professional version as the free version has its limitations.
• On the software’s main menu, select “Wizard” then choose “Migrate OS to SSD/HDD”.
• Next, select your SSD as the destination disk.
• Keep in mind that you cannot clone your current Windows OS if the destination disk (your SSD) contains some partitions. So you need to delete the partitions on the destination disk first. Choose “Delete partitions on the destination hard disk” on the window prompt.
• Next, resize the partitions on the destination disk. The key here is to make sure that it matches your current drive’s partition size. Don’t forget to check the “Optimize for SSD” option.
• On the next window prompt, you’ll be able to see the destination disk information. Make sure to follow the directions stated there in the dialog. Recheck the information and partition sizes and then click “Finish”.
• After which, click “Apply” to start the Windows 10 OS migration from your old hard drive to the SSD.

The migration may take a while and varies per system. Once done, shut down your computer and unload the source drive. You’ll know if you’ve successfully transferred Windows 10 to the SSD if your computer boots like usual but much faster compared to before.