How to Clone Hard Drive with Bootable USB | Step-by-Step Guide

"My system hard drive has malfunctioned, and currently, my computer is unable to start properly. I prepared a bootable USB before. Can I clone hard drive with bootable USB, and restore my PC to normal? Can Rufus help me? What is the best bootable USB clone tool?"

Yes, you can clone a hard drive with a bootable USB. In this post, we will offer all the answers you asked for and give you a full and detailed guide on how to clone a hard drive with a bootable USB via the professional bootable clone software - EaseUS Disk Copy.

When You Need to Clone Hard Drive with Bootable USB

Disk cloning creates an identical 1-to-1 copy of the source disk in the target storage device, which is why computer users often use it to upgrade hard drives, backup files, and transfer data.

However, since disk cloning can also create bootable clones of Windows disks, many people choose to use disk cloning to restore their computer to normal when it fails and cannot boot. Once you encounter the following situation, cloning a hard drive with a bootable USB will be a good idea.

➡️The system file was corrupted, and the computer was unable to start or boot successfully.

• In this case, cloning a hard drive with a bootable USB will take your PC back to normal.

➡️Clone a hard drive without Windows.

• If you need to clone a hard drive on a PC without an OS installed, you can create a bootable USB containing the cloning software to clone the disk.

➡️Cloning cannot be performed.

• In some special cases, the disk cloning process may not run properly because of the obstruction of some programs in the PC. At this point, cloning hard drives with a bootable USB will ensure the cloning process continues with security.

If you are in such a hard situation, do not harry. Before cloning your hard drive with a bootable USB drive, here are some steps to take.

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Free Download Bootable Hard Drive Cloning Software

To clone a hard drive using a bootable USB, you need a bootable USB drive containing cloning software. Boot the computer from the USB drive, then use the software to select the original hard drive as the source and the new hard drive as the destination, starting the cloning process to create an identical, bootable copy of the original drive.

You will need to use a bootable disk cloning software to help you create a bootable drive containing the cloning software to clone a drive to another. EaseUS Disk Copy is a cloning tool that meets the needs of both novices and professionals. It can help you create bootable USB for disk cloning so that you can clone an HDD to an SSD via USB or clone disk to USB drive.

Compared with other bootable USB clone tools or bootable clone software, like Clonezilla or Rescuezilla, EaseUS stands out for its simple UI design and powerful cloning options.

EaseUS Disk Copy is one of the best bootable disk clone software and can help you a lot in cloning a hard drive with a bootable USB or cloning a boot drive SSD onto a new NVMe SSD. Just free download it on your PC and use it to clone your hard drive.

Steps to Clone Hard Drive with Bootable USB

Now, let's follow the detailed tutorial we offer below to learn how to clone a hard drive with a bootable USB via EaseUS Disk Copy.

Step 1. Create bootable USB

Connect the USB (at least 8GB) to your PC. Launch EaseUS Disk Copy, click Emergency disk, select USB flash drive, and click Create to create a bootable disk containing the cloning software. Wait for the process to complete, and you'll get a bootable disk.

Step 2. Boot from the USB

Restart your computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings to set the bootable USB drive as the primary boot device. Connect the new SSD/HDD to the computer via a USB to SATA cable or external disk enclosure.

Step 3. Select source and destination disks

• Launch the EaseUS cloning software and select Disk Mode.
• Identify your original hard drive (the one with the operating system) and select it as the source disk.
• Choose the new drive as the destination disk.

Step 4. Start the cloning process

Initiate the cloning process within the software. The software will copy all the data from your hard drive, including the operating system and bootable files, onto the new drive

The time to clone depends on how much data is on the source drive and the connection method. If the cloned hard drive won't boot, you can check this post and fix the problem with great ease.

Pro Tip: Can Rufus Clone USB

Rufus is probably not new to users who use computers frequently or are familiar with system operations. It is an application for Windows systems that has two main functions to offer: format a USB flash drive or memory stick, and create the USB installation media from a bootable ISO.

Can Rufus clone USB drive?
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So, can Rufus clone a USB stick? The answer is no. It has not any clone functions, but you can create Windows bootable USB with Rufus.

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Conclusion

How to clone hard drive with bootable USB? What is the best bootable USB clone tool? Have you got all tips after reading our detailed guide?

To clone a hard drive using a bootable USB, you need to create a bootable USB drive with specialized cloning software, such as Clonezilla or EaseUS Disk Copy, and then boot your computer from that USB. Once booted, you select your original hard drive as the source and the destination drive (which can be another USB or an internal drive) within the cloning software, and then start the cloning process to create an identical, potentially bootable, copy of your system.

EaseUS Disk Copy has a simple UI design and lets you clone a hard drive to another with several simple clicks. Free download the professional EaseUS bootable clone tool to finish all clone tasks easily.

FAQs on Clone Hard Drive from Bootable USB

1. Can I clone my hard drive to a USB?

Yes, you can clone your hard drive to a USB. These steps are provided for you to follow.

• Step 1. Prepare the USB. Back up the data stored in it and make sure it has enough space.
• Step 2. Download a reliable clone software like EaseUS Disk Copy.
• Step 3. Run the clone software, and plug the USB into your PC.
• Step 4. Start the cloning process according to the software prompts.

2. How to clone SSD to USB flash drive?

Please follow the simple steps below.

• Step 1. Prepare the USB flash drive and plug it into your computer.
• Step 2. Download a reliable clone software like EaseUS Disk Copy.
• Step 3. Run the clone software, and choose the SSD as the source disk.
• Step 4. Select the USB flash drive as the destination disk and start the cloning process.

3. How can I clone my entire OS to a bootable USB stick?

To clone your OS to a bootable USB, you need cloning software like EaseUS Disk Copy and a USB drive with sufficient capacity. After connecting your USB drive to your PC, launch the software, select your OS drive as the source, and the USB drive as the destination. Initiate the clone, and once complete, adjust your computer's BIOS/UEFI settings to boot from the USB drive to use your portable OS.

4. Does cloning a hard drive make it bootable?

Yes, cloning a drive can make the new, cloned drive bootable. The cloned drive will be bootable if the cloning process is done correctly with dedicated disk cloning software, as it creates an exact copy of the original drive's operating system, boot partitions, and bootloader. After cloning, you must ensure the computer's BIOS/UEFI is set to boot from the new drive, which may involve changing the boot order, to start the system from the newly cloned drive.