Cloning smaller to larger SSD

My HW PCs have a 1TB HDD (for RAR files and other programs) and a 500GB SSD for Windows OS, HW itself and sample-set caches. So Windows currently boots from the small SSD.
Now I need space for more cache files, so I got a 1TB SSD.
Using Macrium Reflect I cloned the smaller SSD to the larger one.
BUT: If the old SSD is disconnected, Windows won't boot from the newly-cloned larger SSD (but should do so, if I have understood correctly).
And if both SSDs are connected, in order to boot, I can't change the larger SSD's drive letter to (C:).
What am I missing?

Disconnect the old SSD.
Start the PC (with only the new SSD connected) and directly after power on go to the bootdevice menu of the PC; mostly F10 or F12 and select the new SSD.

Disconnect the old SSD.
Start the PC (with only the new SSD connected) and directly after power on go to the bootdevice menu of the PC; mostly F10 or F12 and select the new SSD.

I already did that. It's F12. Error message "An operating system wasn't found".
But if the large SSD is an exact close of the small one, the OS should be there.

Oké, then the image is not complete (boot partition missing).

Better is to use the free program MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition.
Download: https://www.minitool.com/partition-mana ... -home.html
This is the download of the off-line installer: https://www.partitionwizard.com/offline-download.html
This program copies the existing disk/SSD directly to a new disk en directly expand (or shrink) these to the max. disk size of the new disk. No need for making a backup first and restore on the new disk.

Install the program and also connect the new SSD to the PC (internal or external using a special cable or unit).
Start the program.
Choose the option "Copy Disk Wizard" (in the left part of the screen). See https://www.minitool.com/help-pw/copy-disk-wizard.html for a HowToDo the next steps, incl. a video and screenshots.
For the SSD, don't forget to mark the box "Align partitions to 1MB" for the best performance.
If all selections are made, click apply.

When it is finished, power off the PC and remove the SATA cable of the old SSD.
Start the PC, go to the bootdevice menu and select the new SSD.

Interesting. Malwarebytes blocks the https://www.minitool.com/partition-mana ... -home.html download indicating there is a Trojan contained in the software. In fact M/B won't even let me hypass the warning and continue as it normally foes when there is a security question. Appears there might be some known issues.

Hackers and other bad-sters have been known to attach bad stuff to an otherwise legit download.

The offline version seems ok.

Rgds,
Ed

False positive, see
https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/642 ... /detection

UPDATES:
Some success, but not yet total.
I decided to stick with Macrium Reflect rather than switching to MiniTool Partition Wizard (partly because of the security issues mentioned by Ed, and partly because it wasn't clear from the original description that it would do what I wanted - apologies if I misunderstood that bit).

I have now successfully cloned the smaller SSD to the larger one and - even better - finally managed to remove the extra partitions created (which I didn't want) and I can now access all the available space on the new SSD.

BUT... Either I'm still misunderstanding something, or Macrium is NOT doing what it says it should do.
"Cloning with Macrium Reflect creates an exact copy of partitions to a different drive. For example, Upgrading to a
larger hard drive or moving ... to a smaller and faster SSD. When you Clone a hard drive, you can boot from the target disk on the same system after cloning."

I cannot boot from the new SSD - If I disconnect the old one I get "No operating system found" - even though the new SSD is an exact copy of the old one, including a folder named "boot".
Might this be because it isn't called Drive C:?
Either way, I can't change the drive names. If I try to rename the new SSD to be Drive C:, that isn't shown as an option. And if I try to rename Drive C: I get "Parameter is incorrect". Catch-22!!

NEXT PROBLEM: I'm re-installing HW (v.5.0.1) so that caches now go to the new larger SSD.
BUT: 1: The custom install option doesn't allow me to move the HW program files from the old SSD (Drive C) to the new one. AND 2: "Installing... Moving Folder: C:\Users\Hauptwerk\Hauptwerk" has been stuck at 4% for over half an hour. This has happened every time I have tried to do this. Is this normal? Martin?
EDIT: After about an hour, it suddenly went from 4% to “Hauptwerk is installed”.

[micdev]

Good morning Douglas,

I think you're trying to complicate things. My understanding is that you have:

1- C: (500Gb) - Windows, HW and sample set caches
2- D: (1TB) - Hw rar files??? you mean the Hauptwerk folders where the sample set data are stored?
3- New 1TB drive (E:)

So what you want is simply in the end is to have maximum space for the Cache folder. So this cache folder should be installed on your new SSD (E:). Personally I would keep the C: and D: drive as is, format the new drive and re-run Hauptwerk installer (custom mode)

The custom mode will ask you to select 4 folders
- Choose VST Plug-ins folder (leave as is)
- Choose User Data Folder (leave as is)
- Choose Folder for Sample Sets and Components (leave as it)
- Choose Folder for internal Working Data, select the new SSD, drive E: and a folder (if the folder doesn't exist, Hauptwerk installer will create it). For example it could be as simple as E:\HWC (Hwc= Hauptwerk cache )

The installer will move your cache file from C: to E: and voilà! The cache file can be very large and take a lot of time to move, be patient. (Using Windows Explorer you can check once in a while the size of your E:. It should shrink slowly indicating that files are copied from C: to E:)

Good morning Douglas,

I think you're trying to complicate things. My understanding is that you have:

1- C: (500Gb) - Windows, HW and sample set caches
2- D: (1TB) - Hw rar files??? you mean the Hauptwerk folders where the sample set data are stored?
3- New 1TB drive (E:)

Correct.

So what you want is simply in the end is to have maximum space for the Cache folder.
So this cache folder should be installed on your new SSD (E:).

Yes. But I want to *replace* the old small SSD and re-use it elsewhere. I don't need 3 drives.

Personally I would keep the C: and D: drive as is, format the new drive and re-run Hauptwerk installer (custom mode)

Yes - I did format the new SSD and re-run the installer in custom mode.

The custom mode will ask you to select 4 folders
- Choose VST Plug-ins folder (leave as is)
- Choose User Data Folder (leave as is)
- Choose Folder for Sample Sets and Components (leave as it)
- Choose Folder for internal Working Data, select the new SSD, drive E: and a folder (if the folder doesn't exist, Hauptwerk installer will create it). For example it could be as simple as E:\HWC (Hwc= Hauptwerk cache )

That is exactly what I did - except that it would not allow me to move the HW program from C: to E.
There was no option to move it (as I wrote before).

The installer will move your cache file from C: to E: and voilà!

But it didn't. The cache files are on both C: and E: (because I cloned C:).

The cache file can be very large and take a lot of time to move, be patient. (Using Windows Explorer you can check once in a while the size of your E:. It should shrink slowly indicating that files are copied from C: to E:)

C: has not shrunk. But that doesn't matter, because I want to remove it, re-format it, and use it again.
But I need a bootable drive, so I will have to re-install Windows on E: - which means it will wipe that drive.....

Surely there must be an easier way, that doesn't require me to have 3 drives?

[micdev]

Ok....

1- C: (500Gb) - Windows, HW and sample set caches
2- D: (1TB) - Hw rar files??? you mean the Hauptwerk folders where the sample set data are stored?
3- New 1TB drive (clone of Drive C:)

- Now disconnect drive C: (500Gb)
- Connect new 1TB (clone of C: drive) and enter your BIOS to set this disk as bootable

Boot your computer... your C: (whol is your new 1TB) is a perfect copy of your old one, but with more space available. At this point you have

- C: 1TB New SSD with OS and cache folder (copy of your old disk with more free space)
- D: 1TB where you Hauptwerk sample set data are stored
- NO E:

You exactly has you were before, only C: is your new SSD.... so nothing else to do, you're all set. (No need to reinstall Hauptwerk etc.

Your old 500Gb C: can not be re-used in another computer.

Hope this helps

Thanks, François - That looks like the perfect solution (except for your last sentence).
But why can the old SSD not be re-used in another PC, if it is wiped and re-formatted?

[micdev]

Your old 500Gb C: can not be re-used in another computer.

Oups... one wrong letter .... can noW be re-used...

Your old 500Gb C: can not be re-used in another computer.

Oops... one wrong letter .... can noW be re-used...

And here I thought I was the only one doing typo's.

Rgds,
Ed

Your old 500Gb C: can not be re-used in another computer.

Oups... one wrong letter .... can noW be re-used...

Ah... That is much better news.
Thanks again for all your help.