Forum Discussion
Best method to move windows 11 to another drive SSD?
I have an older PC running Windows 11, but the internal SSD (128 GB) is running out of space. I want to move the entire OS, along with all my files and applications, to a new, larger drive. I'm not s...
Using FTK Imager Lite to move Windows 11 to another drive is possible. FTK Imager Lite is primarily designed for creating forensic images and is excellent for imaging disks or partitions for analysis. However, it doesn't offer features like partition resizing, boot repair, or direct disk cloning in the way dedicated cloning tools do.
How you can use FTK Imager Lite for moving Windows 11 to Another Drive:
1. Create a Forensic Image of Your Current Drive:
- Use FTK Imager Lite to create a complete sector-by-sector image of your Windows 11 drive or partition.
- Save this image on an external drive or storage medium.
2. Prepare the New Drive:
- Connect the new drive to your PC.
- Make sure it’s initialized and formatted appropriately.
3. Write the Image to the New Drive:
- Use FTK Imager Lite to restore (write) the created image onto the new drive.
- This process copies all sectors, including boot records, system files, and partitions.
4. Adjust Boot Settings:
- After restoring, you may need to repair the Windows bootloader.
- Use Windows Recovery Media or a Windows installation USB to run Startup Repair.
- Ensure the BIOS/UEFI is configured to boot from the new drive.
5. Verify Windows Boot:
- Restart your PC and boot from the new drive.
- Check that Windows 11 loads properly.