Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery User’s Guide

Clone a hard drive disk

1. On the SupportAssist OS Recovery home page, click Start on the Back Up Files / Disk Cloning tile.
2. Select Disk Cloning and click Next.
   The What are you cloning to? page is displayed.
3. Select one of the following options:
   • Hard drive that is already installed—SupportAssist automatically selects the hard drive that is running the operating system as the cloning source and displays a list of hard drives available in your computer that can be used as the target hard drive.
   • Hard drive in a USB housing—SupportAssist automatically detects the hard drive that is running the operating system as the cloning source and displays a list of USB devices connected to your computer that can be used as the target hard drive.

     A USB housing is a device where a hard drive is connected to your computer using an external device, for example, USB drive enclosures, USB hard drive adapter cable, hard drive docking stations, and so on. You can connect these devices to your computer using the USB ports.

   • USB Storage device—SupportAssist automatically detects the hard drive that is running the operating system as the cloning source and displays a list of USB devices connected to your computer that can be used as the target hard drive.

     A USB storage device is a commercially available external disk with a hard drive integrated into an enclosure. These devices are commonly known as external USB hard drive and can be connected to your computer using the USB ports.

4. Select the target hard drive or a connected USB device and click Next.
5. Verify the cloning source and the target device, and then click Next.
   The disk cloning is in progress. After the cloning is complete, you must power off your computer to install the newly cloned disk in the primary hard drive slot.

   NOTE:If your computer shuts down when the disk cloning is in progress, you must restart the process.
6. Click Continue to power off your computer and perform the installation.
7. Install the new hard drive in the primary hard drive slot of your computer and boot your computer.
   NOTE:You must boot to the computer after the installation. If you do not boot to your computer, the computer boots to the current disk and the cloned disk becomes out of sync.
   Your computer is booted, and the Continue cloning process page is displayed.
8. Click Continue to complete the cloning process and restart your computer.
   If you are using a USB device as a target device, you must unplug the USB device before initiating the completion of the cloning process.