Why Replace Your Laptop HDD with SSD?
If
your laptop is still using an old HDD, you may be experiencing frequent system
crashes, slow startup times, and lagging applications. Replacing your laptop's
hard drive with an SSD is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to improve its performance. It helps make your entire system snappier in the
following ways:
- Faster boot times - SSDs are much faster
than HDDs, allowing your laptop to boot in seconds instead of minutes.
- Quicker app startups - Programs will open
immediately without lag and multitasking becomes smoother.
- Speedier file transfers - SSD makes it faster and
easier to transfer files between local drives, migrate data from local to
external disks, and so on.
- Lighter and more portable - SSDs are lighter and
more compact than traditional HDDs, reducing the overall weight of your laptop,
perfect for portability.
- Less noise and heat - Because SSDs don't spin
disks, they run silently and generate less heat, reducing the risk of
overheating and making laptops more comfortable to use.
However,
reinstalling Windows and applications from scratch after replacing the laptop’s
hard drive can be annoying and time-consuming. Cloning laptop HDD to SSD is a
great way to migrate all data from one drive to another, with no need to
reinstall Windows. In this case, the best disk clone software
- AOMEI Backupper comes in handy.
Best Disk Clone
Software Free Download for Windows 11/10/8/7
Among
various options, AOMEI Backupper stands out as one of the best disk cloning
software due to its user-friendly interface and powerful and feature-rich
cloning capabilities, focusing on system backup and cloning. It is simple to
use for both novice and experienced users. There are a number of compelling
reasons why you should use AOMEI Backupper for cloning
HDD to SSD:
✅Different Cloning Options: Offers Disk Clone to copy
an entire disk; System Clone to copy only the system partition(s); Partition
Clone to copy a specific partition.
✅Intelligent Clone: Copies only used sectors
from HDD to SSD, which is of great use when cloning to a smaller SSD.
✅Sector-by-Sector Clone: Duplicates all sectors
from HDD to SSD, ensuring a 1:1 copy of the disk.
✅SSD Alignment: Optimizes SSD alignment
automatically to improve read/write speeds and extend SSD lifespan.
✅Wide Compatibility: Works perfectly with HDD,
SSD, USB drive, and SD cards from most well-known brands, supported with SATA,
PCle, and NVMe interfaces.
How to Replace
HDD with SSD on Laptop
Let's
take a look at the steps below to upgrade from HDD to SSD on your laptop
without having to reinstall the operating system.
💡Tips:
- Check and ensure that your
SSD is installed inside your laptop or is connected to it via an external USB
adapter in the right way.
- Verify if your SSD has
enough storage space to accommodate the data on your HDD.
- Back up important files on
the target SSD because the cloning process will wipe out all of its data.
Step
1. Open AOMEI Backupper on your laptop after downloading it. To clone the
entire HDD, including the OS, select Clone from the left menu and then
click Disk Clone.
💡Tip: Select the System Clone option to
copy only the system partition(s) and boot-related partitions if you only need
to move Windows OS to SSD.

Step
2. For the source disk, select the HDD in your current laptop.
Step
3. After that, continue by making the new SSD the destination disk.
Step
4. In order to maximize its performance and extend its lifespan, check the SSD
Alignment feature. Finally, tap on Start Cone to carry out the HDD
to SSD clone.

Step
5. After cloning is done, follow these steps to properly boot your laptop from
the SSD:
- Shut down your laptop and
install the SSD to the HDD location.
- After restarting your
laptop, enter the BIOS using the F2, F12, Del, or Esc keys.
- Change the BIOS/UEFI
settings to make the SSD the primary boot device.
- Save the changes and
restart your laptop to see if the cloned SSD boots successfully.
Summary
Upgrading
from an HDD to an SSD is one of the best ways to boost your laptop's
performance. The process of cloning a disk is simple and painless when using
the right tool. AOMEI Backupper emerges as the best disk cloning software
because it makes cloning your HDD to an SSD without losing data or having to
reinstall Windows OS simple and dependable. This software ensures a smooth
transition on Windows 11, 10, 8, or 7.