Cluster error when trying to clone to new HDD Windows 8.1

[halfdeaded]

I'm trying to replace the original 500GB HDD with a 1TB Seagate HDD.

The original drive is listed as:

HDD     GPT Disk 1                        465.76GB Total

Partition #1   WINDOWS RE tools (NONE)

                      NTSF PRIMARY

                      426.6MB USED

                      1023MB TOTAL

Partition #2    SYSTEM (NONE)

                      FAT32(LBA) PRIMARY

                      49GB USED

                      360MB TOTAL

Partition #3   NONE

                     UNFORMATED PRIMARY

                     0MB USED

                     128MB TOTAL

Partition #4   OS (C)

                     NTFS PRIMARY

                     411.19GB USED

                     447.82GB TOTAL

Partition #5   (NONE)

                     NTFS PRIMARY

                     280.3MB USED

                     450MB TOTAL

Partition #6   (NONE)

                     NTFS PRIMARY

                     31MB USED

                     350MB TOTAL

Partition #7   RECOVERY IMAGE (D)

                     13.79GB USED

                     15.68GB TOTAL

When I start the cloning process Partition #1 gets transfered with no problem.

Partition #2 starts, and then I get a pop-up stating there is an unwritten cluster and CHKDSK/R command needs to be run.

When I enter the command, it states that I cannot run the command because that parttition is running at the time.

My question is; Can I clone everything but Partition #2, or will it compromise  the ability for the computer to retain all of the program files currently running?

Thank everyone in advance for taking the time to help in any way that you can...ed

[WAWood]

@halfdeaded

I have no idea what cloning software you are using, so I have no way of commenting on the error messages you are receiving.

However, I have cloned drives successfully many times -- and always done that using Macrium Reflect.

What I recommend is the following:
1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR)
2) Connect the new drive to the PC using a USB-to-Hard-Drive drive adapter (like the one illustrated below)
3) Follow the instructions in this link: http://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW/Cloning+a+disk
4) Shutdown the PC when done
5) Swap the drives and reboot the PC.

You should boot from the new drive without any problems.

Typical USB-to-Hard-Drive adapter:

 

Good Luck

[mdklassen]

> Partition #2 starts, and then I get a pop-up stating there is an unwritten cluster ...

The disk-cloning software was unable to WRITE to some sectors on the 1TB disk-drive.

Is that a brand-new disk-drive?  If so, you may want to return/exchange it, rather than continuing to use a "suspect" disk-drive.  Would you purchase a new microwave oven, at full price, if it was scratched-up?  Probably not.

If you want to continue to use 1TB drive, you can try:

With the 1TB disk-drive still connected as a "secondary" disk-drive, boot into Windows.

Use "Disk Manager" to delete all the partitions on that disk-drive (NOT DELETING ON YOUR "CURRENT" DISK-DRIVE).

Then, use "Disk Manager" to create a "primary" partition on the new drive.

Set the size of this partition to be about 4 times as large as the first two partitions on your current disk-drive:

Partition #1   WINDOWS RE tools (NONE)

                      1023MB TOTAL

Partition #2    SYSTEM (NONE)

                      360MB TOTAL

So, 6000 MB (or 6 GB) will be sufficent.

Assign a drive-letter to the partition, and "quick-format" the partition.

Open a command-line prompt.

If the drive-letter you assigned is 'F:', then enter:   CHKDSK   F:   /R      and press ENTER.

CHKDSK will read every sector of those 6 GB (no need to check all 1000 GB), and verify that each sector is "good".

Also, the built-in drive-electronics on the disk-drive may self-detect any "bad" sectors, and will, at a very "low-level", take one of the "spare" sectors that exist on the disk-drive, and "redirect" all future I/O requests to that "bad" sector to one of the "spare" sectors.

Once this "redirection" has done a "reassignment", all the sectors in that 6 GB are now "good-to-go".

Note: if you want to use CHKDSK on more than those 6GB, do the above on a 60 GB partition.

The "worry" here is that you have more "bad" sectors than the ones you have also discovered.

Finally, restart the disk-cloning process. 

Formatting the new disk-drive, andn/or deleting/creating new partitions, does not "override" that "redirection".

As the Other Person has suggested, other "disk-cloning" software may have options, e.g., "retry" or "skip" or "quit", whereas your current software will just "quit".

Still, if there are problems during the copy, because the "target" disk-drive is bad, using "other" software won't address the problem of the target being "bad".

Obviously, it is difficult (though not impossible) to determine if the disk-cloning is copying a sector with "data" on it, or it is copying a sector that is "free-space" on the "source" disk-drive.  If it is trying to copy "free-space", the failure to "write" does NOT lose any data.

[halfdeaded]

Sorry about not giving all of the information.

I am using Macrium Reflect Free v6.3.1745 64 bit.

I also tried Seagate Disk Wizard which came with the new HDD, with a unknown error about the same time that MR did.

I have the new drive in a USB to SATA adapter

I tried a second time using MR, and got the same error.

I will now try using their drag and drop method, leaving out Partition #2.

I will post the results when completed.

[halfdeaded]

mdklassen

I did not see your reply prior to posting.

I will try this 1st before leaving out Partition #2  as stated in my last post.

Thank You...ed

[halfdeaded · Accepted solution]

Never able to clone original HDD using Macrium Reflect Free v6.3.1745 64 bit, due to cluster errors on same.

Did a clean boot back to original factory settings(Windows 8), then updated to Windows 8.1.

mdklassen

I did as you instructed to test new HDD. It passed with no errors. The problem is with the original. Thank You for the advice, which ruled out that possible problem.

Thanks to everyone here for taking the time to help me out with these problems I posted concerning this computer.

You should all give yourselves a pat on the back, you're all great people.

Again, Thank You... ed