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LukaBaylor's avatar
LukaBaylor
Bronze Contributor
Jan 21, 2025

Seagate Free Agent 2.0 USB drive doesn't boot after cloning Windows 11 pro.

I am on Windows 11 Pro on a Dell Optrex 3000 tower

On the previous computer I had two SATA HDD with Windows installed on each of them and I'd boot from either of them, if need be, in case of problems with the other HDD..
On the new Dell I'd like to do do pretty much the same, i.e. have a bootable 2nd drive on stand-by, in this case an older Seagate 235 GB 2.0 Free Agent.
I have cloned on the Seagate Free Agent my current fully loaded Windows 11 Pro with Macrium Reflect , with the expectation that I could boot from it, after setting it as a 1st priority on the BIOS ( UEFI). Unfortunately it doesn't show in the Boot configuration and it doesn't boot. Any suggestions?

THanks

2 Replies

  • AprilPatel's avatar
    AprilPatel
    Iron Contributor
    Jan 23, 2025

    I've successfully cloned my Windows 11 Pro installation from one drive to a Seagate Free Agent 2.0 USB drive using Macrium Reflect, but unfortunately, the cloned drive doesn't appear in the Boot Configuration and refuses to boot as a secondary drive on my Dell Optiplex 3000 tower running Windows 11 Pro. 

  • johnjacobb40's avatar
    johnjacobb40
    Brass Contributor
    Jan 21, 2025

    You can follow these steps:

    1. Check BIOS Settings: Make sure it’s set to UEFI or Legacy, matching your original drive.
    2. Repair Boot: Use Windows installation media and run: bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd
    3. Set Active Partition: Use Diskpart to set the Windows partition as active.
    4. Check Clone: Ensure all partitions were cloned properly.