Forum Discussion
How to clone Windows 10 HDD to SSD free without software?
I was in the same boat with my painfully slow PC, and while there's no truly "software-free" way, I used the DiskCopy and it cloned everything perfectly—this is the tutorial that saved me.
Make sure your SSD is initialized and formatted. Most cloning software handles this, but if you encounter issues, you might need to format the SSD to NTFS or GPT beforehand using Disk Management. Check the health and lifespan of your SSD; sometimes, older SSDs can have wear issues. You can use tools like CrytsalDiskInfo for this.
After cloning Windows 10 SSD to HDD on your pc, boot from your SSD and double-check that all your files and settings transferred correctly. I've seen cases where some hidden system files didn't clone properly, so it's always good to double-check. Make sure your SSD supports TRIM. This feature helps the SSD manage space efficiently and maintain performance over time. Windows 10 typically has this enabled, but it's still nice to verify.