Got a new 480 gig SSD on Prime day, want to copy/clone my old 250 gig SSD to it.

Cheap/free, easy software to accomplish this?

Thanks!!

Here's a recent article comparing free and pay-for versions of cloning software. Looks like the free ones will work for you because you are moving up in GB.

Often, the SSD manufacturer has cloning and management software for their SSD free on their site.

Been so long since I've cloned that I don't have a first-hand opinion about which might be best.

Now, I use a new system drive as an excuse to do a clean install.

If its a new gaming SSD, I use Steam to move my Steam games. Essentially just copy them over manually, then point Steam to them using Steam interface. Steam does the rest. It may not be as clean with other non-steam games. So, then, clone or reinstall games.

https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/feature/software/best-drive-cloning-software-3675401/

Thanks!


Oh one thing I forgot to mention, the PC involved OS is Windows 7. It was upgraded to Windows 10 during the free period and is (in theory) capable of being rolled back up to Win10. I'm afraid of loosing that ability.


I wonder if I should "roll up" to Win10 with the current SSD then clone that to the new, I was considering going back to Win10 anyway. But that would be a separate thread

If you plan to do it anyway, it sounds safer to do it now.

I've tried a lot of OS switching on a couple PCs during the last few months (Linux, W Vista, W7, W8, W10 -- back and forth). W10 is the best, no question -- unless you have a specific application that does not run on it (I do which is why all the experiments).

A nice thing about W10 is that once its installed the first time and activated the first time, you can do a clean install on the same machine anytime -- even after installing all the other OS. W10 automatically recognizes your motherboard and authorizes on a reinstall or clean install (at least it worked like that for me).