Move HDD to SSD

[JDZ710A]

My HP Pavilion p6750f desktop came with a WD 1.0TB hard drive with Windows 7 Home. Few years ago I upgraded to Windows 10 Home. BIG Deal at the time.
Now, I want to move the HHD to a SSD.
Here are the spec. on the 1.0TB. Used space: 41,560,571,904 bytes.....38.7 GB.
Free space: 943,123,832, 832 bytes....878 GB.

The WD Blue SATA SSD is a 500GB 3D NAND.
When I "clone" the HHD to the SSD... will it transfer without any problems due to the fact I'm going from a 1.0TB to a 500GB.

 

[Bighorn]

The very definition of "clone" means an exact copy of the original, I haven't had any luck doing as you describe using a smaller drive for the copy. It has worked the other way with smaller to larger but creates an exact same size partition and leaving the remaining space for creating another partition for data storage. Part of the problem is that the OS/Operating System tends to put files or markers [could be hidden] anywhere on a partition that can't be moved.

 

[BigFeet]

I've used EaseUS and the AOMEI Backupper Pro (Used to be able to unlock the feature on the free version by sending a tweet and copying the link. Not sure if you still can) to clone to a smaller drive without issue in the past.

 

[JDZ710A]

Thanks for the comments.
I've located a view that here is what can be done. "How to clone a 1TB HDD to a 500GB SSD with Reinstalling"
Cloning large drive to a smaller drive includes many situations, like clone 1TB HDD to 500GB SSD. It's gratifying that AOMEI Backupper Standard will help to clone HDD to SSD without any issues. It supports MBR/GPT disk, NTFS?FAT?EXT file system. Must use a SATA to USB cable. The instructions seem very easy to clone old HHD to new SSD.

 

[davehc]

Are you able to partition the large hd, keeping the os intact, to 500gbs or less? Then you can make an image, with either of the suggested free programs, and it should not be a problem cloning it over

 

[JDZ710A]

Haven't done anything yet regarding the cloning. I've read that if my HHD has less "used" space than 500GB's, I don't need to make any partition on the drive. I think I read that correctly. I only have 38.7 GB used space on the HHD.

 

[davehc]

Possibly. But, I use Macrium, for example. There, I am given the option of making an image from the used portion, or the whole disk. In the latter, I feel you could have the problem of space requirement, or maybe the cloning program knows how to handle it
never tried it myself, I refer to reinstall on the new disk, and cope over some of my personal data, then reinstate third party software.

 

[Trouble]

Agreed.... Never been a big fan of "cloning".
IF I were attempting the task, I would simply create a disk image that included all partitions
AND
Physically remove the existing drive from the computer for safe keeping
AND
Restore the image to the new SSD.
Then boot the system with the new drive and examine the disk management console to confirm that any partition resizing was handled properly by the software.

 

[Tim Locke]

I have twice cloned a 500GB HDD to a 256GB SSD. Both times the HDD used space including those small recovery partitions was well less than 256 GB. Once with Samsung's own software and once with the free version of Paragon.

Both of these were on machines with good old fashioned Bios. Never tried it with a UEFI system. But I would expect an uptodate clone software to be able to do that.