Making Cloned Windows Drive Bootable in a New Location (E:)
If you have recently installed a larger HDD on your PC and have created a new partition (E:), you might want to clone your existing Windows installation from the C: drive to the new partition. This article will guide you through the process of making the cloned Windows drive bootable in the new location.
Cloning the Windows Drive
Before you can make the cloned Windows drive bootable, you need to clone the existing Windows installation from the C: drive to the new partition (E:). There are several third-party tools available that can help you with this task, such as Acronis True Image, Macrium Reflect Free, or Clonezilla.
Once you have chosen a cloning tool, follow the instructions provided by the software to clone the Windows drive from the C: drive to the new partition (E:).
Making the Cloned Drive Bootable
After you have cloned the Windows drive to the new partition (E:), you need to make it bootable. This process involves updating the boot sector and the boot configuration data (BCD) on the new partition.
To make the cloned Windows drive bootable, follow these steps:
- Boot your PC from a Windows installation media, such as a USB drive or DVD.
- Select your language and other preferences, and then click Next.
- Click on Repair your computer.
- Select Troubleshoot, then Command Prompt.
- In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands and press Enter after each one:
diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
list partition
select partition 2
active
exit
bcdboot E:\windows /s E: /f ALL
These commands will update the boot sector and the BCD on the new partition (E:) and make it bootable. Here's what each command does:
diskpart: Starts the Disk Partition tool.list disk: Lists all the disks on your PC.select disk 0: Selects the first disk, which should be your new HDD.list partition: Lists all the partitions on the selected disk.select partition 2: Selects the second partition, which should be the new partition (E:).active: Sets the selected partition as active, which means it will be used as the boot partition.exit: Exits the Disk Partition tool.bcdboot E:\windows /s E: /f ALL: Updates the BCD on the new partition (E:) and makes it bootable.
Testing the New Bootable Drive
After you have made the cloned Windows drive bootable, restart your PC and select the new partition (E:) as the boot drive. If everything went well, you should be able to boot into Windows from the new partition.
References
- Acronis True Image
- Macrium Reflect Free
- Clonezilla
- Boot to UEFI mode or legacy BIOS mode
- How to use Bootrec.exe command in Windows Repair your PC
This article covers the key concepts of making a cloned Windows drive bootable in a new location. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to clone your existing Windows installation and make it bootable in the new partition (E:).