# Copying Windows 10 Partition to a new hard Drive



## melchizedek (Sep 13, 2002)

I currently have a 1TB hard drive with a factory install of Windows 10 on my machine. What I'd like to do is copy everything from that partition over to a 250GB partition on my 3TB drive, so I can dual boot with Arch Linux. 

My question is: how do I go about it? I've done a little research about cloning the partition, but a lot of the articles I've read seem to suggest that if you're cloning a 1TB source drive, then you need a 1TB destination drive, as it copies the full whack, not just the used space. So I had a look at just copying just the used space, and there was some stuff about hidden files, and having to copy the whole partition for Windows 10 to work.

My current Windows 10 install probably amounts to around 35GB, so I don't need a 1TB partition. I just want to copy the OS to a different drive and have it boot normally. Is there an easy way to do this? Any suggestions would be appreciated--suggested software (Linus or Windows), methods, etc.


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## merlin989901 (Oct 19, 2015)

When you buy a new hard drive (personally a SSD) it came with software and a cable that cloned just the used space onto my new drive, it copied my recovery partition and my windows installation, along with the hidden partitions required! My old drive was a 2TB Hybrid using 60GB (Windows Installation) and 20GB (Recovery Partition) this transferred onto my new 1TB SSD using the software and cable kit that came with it!

You could source this software and cables!

Ill dig out my software disk when I get home and post what it was called! as for the cable you can pick this up anywhere


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## melchizedek (Sep 13, 2002)

Thank you, Ryan. Any information you can provide will be much appreciated


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## merlin989901 (Oct 19, 2015)

I think it was some variation of Arconis? and when cloning you shrink your windows partition so it has no free space (Disk Management) this will then clone to new drive partition regardless of the size of new partition  there may be tutorials on youtube, I think I used one when I did it.


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## melchizedek (Sep 13, 2002)

I did think of shrinking the partition, but was worried it might destroy its functionality. (As sometimes happens, what with partition shrinking being potentially harmful.) Hence me wondering whether there was a safer alternative.


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## merlin989901 (Oct 19, 2015)

Worse case is you lose your Windows installation/Installed Programs and Data, but if you have a recovery system/partition that could be restored. However the shrinking worked for me, I got everything across (about 7 partitions) then swapped drives over and then flattened the old drive and stuck it in my NAS


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