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I used EaseUs ToDo Backup Workstation to clone an HDD to an SSD.

At the same time as replacing the HDD with the SSD in a laptop, I replaced the RAM with a higher capacity module.

The laptop would not boot into Windows, reaching the Windows logo then rebooting.

Switching back to the HDD would not resolve the problem, but switching back to the old RAM would.

Replacing the HDD with the SSDD again, the laptop says there is no bootable device detected.

I looked at BIOS, and recall setting the HDD mode to IDE. I changed it back to AHCI mode, but the same error occurred: "no boot device detected".

If I connect the SSD into an external cradle, I can read its contents fine from a desktop.

Why won't the SSD be detected as a boot device by the laptop?

If I run a Windows 10 recovery media from USB thumb drive, and perform startup repair, the issue is not resolved.

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  • Did the higher capacity RAM ever get working? Or is it a red herring ;-)
    – Xen2050
    May 4, 2017 at 4:54
  • A possibility that the cloning did not successfully clone? Run a disk-test on the HDD first, and then clone?
    – Darius
    May 4, 2017 at 4:54

1 Answer 1

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EaseUs ToDo Backup is a good product and should have done the job correctly. As all SSDs that I know do not require a third-party disk-driver, most probably the problem results from an error when running EaseUs.

The EaseUs article Why Cloned SSD Won't Boot | How to Make SSD Bootable? quotes several reasons for such an error, where the most likely are

  • Miss cloning "system reserved" partition
  • Set the wrong drive to boot OS from

The article describes the correct cloning procedure, which I suggest that you follow closely.

As another remark, AHCI is the correct mode for running the SSD, but attention: Enabling AHCI mode after Windows 10 installation will result in an unbootable system. To avoid that problem, you should :

  1. Boot in IDE mode and run Command Prompt as Admin
  2. Invoke Safe Mode boot with the command: bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal
  3. Restart the PC and enter the BIOS
  4. Change from IDE to AHCI mode then Save & Exit.
  5. Windows 10 will launch in Safe Mode.
  6. Cancel Safe Mode booting with the command: bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot
  7. Restart your PC once more and this time it will boot up normally but with AHCI mode activated.

As another remark, when running Startup Repair, you should disconnect all other hard disks, leaving only the SSD. You should also do the same if you decide to reinstall Windows 10.

Last remark, if your computer has BIOS than the disk must be formatted as MBR. But if instead it has UEFI then GPT is required.

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