Clone Windows Hard Drive To External

Having a hard drive clone of your Windows system is the best way to ensure your data is safe and secure. It can also be used to quickly restore a system if something goes wrong. Cloning a hard drive is an easy process that can be done with a few simple steps. In this article, we’ll look at how to clone your Windows hard drive to an external drive.

What You Need To Clone Windows Hard Drive

Before you begin the cloning process, you’ll need a few items. First, you’ll need an external hard drive that is large enough to hold the contents of the internal drive you’re cloning. You’ll also need a USB cable that is long enough to reach from your computer to the external drive. Finally, you’ll need a cloning software program. There are many free options available, such as Clonezilla, EaseUS Todo Backup, and Macrium Reflect.

Cloning Your Windows Hard Drive

Once you have all of the necessary items, you’re ready to begin. Connect the external drive to your computer with the USB cable. Then, launch the cloning software and follow the instructions. The software will walk you through the entire process, from selecting the source drive (the internal drive you’re cloning) to the destination drive (the external drive). Depending on the size of the drives, the cloning process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

Making Sure The Cloned Drive Is Bootable

Once the cloning process is complete, you’ll want to make sure the cloned drive is bootable. To do this, restart your computer and press the key to enter the BIOS settings. Once you’re in the BIOS settings, you’ll need to change the boot order so that the external drive is the first device in the list. This will ensure that the external drive is the one that starts when you reboot your computer.

Verifying The Cloned Drive

Once the external drive is set as the boot drive, restart your computer and make sure it boots from the external drive. Once it does, you can verify the cloned drive by opening a few files and checking the contents inside. This will let you know that the cloning process was successful.

Backing Up The Cloned Drive

Once you’ve verified that the cloned drive is functioning correctly, you’ll want to make sure you have a backup of it. You can do this by using a cloud storage service, such as Dropbox or Google Drive, or by using an external hard drive. This way, you’ll have a secure backup of your cloned drive in case something happens to the original.

Conclusion

Cloning a Windows hard drive to an external drive is a great way to keep your data safe and secure. It’s also a great way to quickly restore a system if something goes wrong. The process is easy and only takes a few simple steps. Just make sure you have all the necessary items, follow the instructions in the cloning software, and make sure the cloned drive is bootable. Finally, don’t forget to back up the cloned drive so you have a secure copy in case anything happens to the original.