From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Tue, 1/6/2026 10:30 PM, Brian Gregory wrote:   
   > On 07/01/2026 01:23, Steve wrote:   
   >> On 1/4/2026 4:47 PM, Steve wrote:   
   >>> The holidays are over and I should have time to continue the project I was   
   working on 2 weeks ago.   
   >>>   
   >>> I'm trying to switch to my new Samsung 870 EVO SATA 2.5 inch drive. The   
   paper in the box said to use Samsung Magician to clone the data. I'm starting   
   to believe that it doesn't work with a SATA drive!   
   >>>   
   >>> People suggested I use a different cloning tool. I dismissed that idea   
   because, certainly, Samsung Magician would work after I got my computer to   
   recognize the new drive. Well I did that. It's now showing on File Explorer as   
   drive (J:) and I have    
   formatted it. I tested it by copying a file with several pictures inside to   
   (J:). It went right in and the pictures opened just fine. I formatted again to   
   empty it.   
   >>>   
   >>> I looked at you tube videos about using Samsung Magician. They all showed   
   a ssd that did not look like my SATA drive.  Samsung Magician seems to have 2   
   ways to get to "Data Migration". One way pops up a message that the drive   
   isn't compatible. I    
   originally feared that it was warning me that the new drive wasn't compatible   
   with my computer. Going in the other way, it shows my C: drive as the source   
   drive but it prompts me to connect the Samsung SSD. It doesn't see it even   
   though it IS there and    
   it works.   
   >>>   
   >>> What cloning software is going to work with my SATA SSD?   
   >>   
   >> OK, here's my update:   
   >> I downloaded Macrium Reflect and used that, because several people   
   recommended Macrium. I have now cloned all of my Drive C: onto the Samsung SSD.   
   >> Back when I was still trying to get Samsung Magician to work, something I   
   read said just shut down and swap drives and Windows should boot right up from   
   the new drive.   
   >> Both drives are already in the computer so, while it was shut down, I   
   unhooked the old hard drive and started it up. I didn't really expect it to be   
   that easy and of course it wasn't. As it tried to start up, it listed my DVD   
   drive (E:), followed by    
   the SSD (J:). Then it moved on to a screen that was blank except for a dash   
   line in the upper left corner.   
   >> I plugged the old drive back in and waited for it to slowly start up so I   
   could get back here again.   
   >> I notice in File Explorer the drives listed are...   
   >> (C:)   
   >> Factory image (D:) (Which is probably a copy of Windows 7) (I did not clone   
   (D:) onto the new SSD.) It's on the old drive as a partition.   
   >> DVD RW E:   
   >> System (J:)  (J:) I had labeled as SSD (J:) before something changed it.   
   "This folder is empty" comes up when I click it.   
   >> (K:) It shows the same list of files as when I click (C:). Why is that?   
   > How did it get the J: letter?   
   >   
   > It should not have any partitions on it before cloning therefore it should   
   not have had any drive letters.   
   >   
      
   You can do drag and drop cloning if you want.   
      
   You pretend to be doing a "destructive" clone,   
   then instead of clicking Next, you take the mouse   
   and lower a partition onto the destination   
   (next to a partition you want to keep).   
      
             P   Q   R   S     <=== Source   
      
             E                 <=== Destination   
      
   becomes (via drag and drop clone)   
      
             P   Q   R   S     <=== Source   
      
             E   P   Q   R   S   <=== what Dest looks like after D&D Clone   
      
   If you Drag and Drop clone, no BCD modifications   
   are done, and you need the Macrium Rescue CD Boot Repair option   
   (assuming the disk has something that will be booting.   
      
   When you Drag and Drop clone, you can change the size   
   of each partition. The whole process becomes a lot   
   closer to being "Partition Management".   
      
   Any time you do something to change the Partition Number,   
   that breaks all sorts of stuff with regard to the   
   system partitions (if present). If the clone in this case   
   involved just Data partitions, then it's quite safe to   
   toss them like that.   
      
      Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)