Download SanDisk Cloning Software to Migrate Data/OS (2021 Update)

You are going to replace your HDD/SSD with a solid-state drive. This guide also applies to most solid-state drives. It provides simple instructions on how to upgrade your desktop or laptop HDD to a SanDisk SSD. Check the instructions included with your SSD for more details.

Preparations - What You Need Before Start SanDisk Cloning

To make sure that you can have a successful installation of your SSD, you need to get ready before you start. You'll need the following things:

Required Hardware

1. SATA data cable

2. 3.5-inch mounting adapter and screws

3. Phillips screwdriver

Required SanDisk Cloning Software

Qiling Backup, the renowned disk, and partition backup, and cloning software, is now chosen as the best SanDisk SSD cloning software as well as SanDisk SSD data migration software. It's recommended as the best by regular customers and expertized editors of reliable review websites, like CNET, PCWorld, TopTenReviews.

Free Download

The widely used SanDisk SSD products, mainly including SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD (240GB-960GB), SanDisk Extreme 900 Portable SSD (480GB-1.92TB), SanDisk Ultra II SSD (120GB-960GB), SanDisk Ultra II mSATA SSD (128GB-512GB), SanDisk Extreme 510 Portable SSD (480GB) and SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSD (120GB-480GB), can apply the software freely, as Qiling backup software supports hard drive capacity up to 16TB.

1 - Connect Your SanDisk SSD to Your Computer

The very first thing you need to do is connect your SanDisk SSD to your computer in order to clone your data.

Step 1. Use the screwdriver to remove the computer case.

Step 2. Connect the SanDisk SSD to your computer via the SATA cable.

Step 3. Restart your computer and open "Disk Management", right-click on the new disk and select "Initialize disk".

You need to initialize your SSD to the same partition style as your current system disk (MBR or GPT). If your SSD isn't a new one, you can convert it to GPT or MBR.

2 - How to Clone HDD/SSD to SanDisk SSD

Next, you need to clone the existing HDD (data, or OS) to your new SanDisk SSD. This process is the same for both desktop and notebook computers. It is typically completed in four steps:

Launch the cloning application
Follow the steps to begin the cloning process
Select the "source" drive/disk (your computer's internal drive)
Select your "destination" drive (Your SSD)

We are going to use Qiling backup and recovery software cloning HDD to SanDisk SSD. Follow the step-by-step guide.

Free Download

Step 1. Launch Qiling Backup and choose "Clone".

Step 2. Choose the source disk you're going to clone. Here, choose the HDD. Click "Next".

Step 3. Choose the destination disk. Here, choose the SSD. To largely improve the SSD performance after cloning, please do one more selection.

Step 4. Preview a disk layout and click "Proceed". It usually takes a while for the software to clone an HDD to an SSD depending on the size of the source disk.

You can tick the option for "Optimize for SSD".

3 - How to Uninstall and Replace the HDD with SanDisk SSD

After cloning HDD to SanDisk SSD, you need to replace your old drive with the SSD. To install your SSD on a desktop computer, follow these steps.

Tip

If your computer has a 2.5-inch drive bay, you will not need to install the 3.5-inch mounting adapter.

Step 1. Power off your computer and disconnect the power cable.

Step 2. Open your desktop computer case.

Step 3. Locate your existing HDD. Unplug the SATA data cable and SATA power cable from your existing HDD and remove the drive from the bay.

Step 4. In most desktop computers, before installing your SSD, first, you must install it into the 3.5-inch mounting adapter.

Step 5. Install your SanDisk SSD into your computer's drive bay and connect the SATA data cable and SATA power cable.

Then, you can start your computer. If you have migrated Windows 10 to SSD, boot from SSD when you start your computer.

How to Backup Files Before Formatting in Windows 10/8/7 PC, Laptop or External Hard Drive

Though as easy as 123 with characterized "backup" features that are exclusively designed for drive/partition, system, files, and emails, some of you may still wander a number of details. So, why not figure out the answers before initializing your first backup before formatting?

Backup computer before formatting FAQs:

1. Where can I save the large computer backups?

It depends on you because the software allows you to choose a backup location as you want, including a physical hard drive, a removable hard disk, Network drive, NAS, or Cloud.

2. Should I backup the AppData folder?

The AppData folder contains application settings, files, and data specific to the application on your Windows PC. Since formatting your PC usually solves the problem of the computer freezing, crashing, viral damage, or lagging behind and aims to make your computer faster, it's good to have your operating system, as well as this hidden but critical folder backed up together, and restore your operating system back without re-configuring settings.

Useful Tips About Using SanDisk Clone Software

To accomplish SanDisk SSD clone and Windows OS, data migration successfully, here are some tips that we hope you read carefully. Your SanDisk SSD can be either the source disk or destination disk.
If the original hard disk contains the system partition, please tick the "Shut down the computer when the operation completed" option. The software will shut down automatically the computer when the clone completed.
To remove either the source disk or destination disk from the computer to make the computer boot normally if the source disk contains a boot partition.
If you want to boot from the destination disk, we recommend you to replace the source disk with the destination disk.
If the computer fails to boot from the destination disk after the clone, we suggest you clone the source disk to another disk with the same HDD interface.
If you choose to clone a hidden partition, the cloned one will be unhidden.
A large hard drive can be cloned to the small hard drive so long as the capacity of the destination hard drive is equal to or larger than the used space of an original hard drive.

Conclusion

Qiling Disk Master backup software is a powerful cloning tool for SanDisk SSD, which supports all Windows editions including Windows 7/8/8.1/10. You can also use it to back up files or systems to wanted places.