The Best Way to Clone C Drive in Server 2022

Something New About Windows Server 2022

Windows Server 2022, the latest version of Windows Server, has added many new features.

• Advanced multi-layered security: In this version, users can better protect their systems with multiple layers of security with Secured-core server and secured connectivity.
• Hybrid capabilities with Azure: Users can take advantage of local Windows Server 2022 cloud services by connecting to Azure Arc. Users can also utilize file server enhancements, such as SMB compression, for a better file transfer experience.
• Flexible application platform: Windows Server 2022 also offers a flexible application platform that allows users to utilize scalability to meet demanding applications, and this release also improves application compatibility with Windows containers.

Why Clone C Drive in Server 2022?

As to why you should clone C drive in Windows Server 2022, this article summarizes some common reasons below.

• Get better OS performance: A system that runs on a small and old hard drive for a long time can cause the OS to run slowly. You can clone the C drive to SSD, which can reduce the boot time and improve the system performance.
• Migrate system easily: If you need to migrate Windows Server operating system to a new computer, you can directly clone C drive to a disk and then boot the new computer with the cloned disk.
• Secure your system: It is inevitable that your computer will encounter some problems, you can clone C drive to HDD, SSD or USB. If your system suddenly has a problem, you can use the cloned system as a backup and after booting you can use it directly without restoring.

Best Server Cloning Software to Clone Server 2022

To clone C drive in Windows Server 2022, you need a Windows Server cloning software to help you. Unfortunately, Windows Server doesn't have its cloning software, you can only use a backup and restore software called Windows Server Backup to backup your system to disk first, then use this disk to restore your system. The operation will be much more complicated.

Therefore, the best way is to choose a professional system cloning software to help you clone C drive in Server 2022 directly. After cloning, you can directly boot from the cloned disk then use the system normally.  And I consider AOMEI Backupper Server will be your best choice and it has many advantages below.

✦ Secure boot: When the cloning process has been done, you can boot your system successfully from the cloned disk.
✦ Intelligent clone: By default, it will only clone the used sectors so you can easily clone the C drive from a larger drive to a smaller drive if you want.
✦ Live clone: When you clone the C drive in Server 2022, the software allows the cloning task to work in the background. Therefore, you can continue using the computer during the cloning process.
✦ SSD Alignment: If you want to transfer C drive to an SSD for improving the performance, this feature can help you to accelerate the reading and writing speed of SSD.
✦ Multiple cloning locations: You can clone C drive in Server 2022 to many destinations, such as local disk, external disk, HDD, SSD, USB drive, etc.
✦ Different systems: Except for cloning C drive in Windows Server 2022, AOMEI Backupper Server is also good at cloning Windows Server 2019, 2016, 2012, 2011, 2008, 2003 (including R2), SBS 2003, 2008, 2011 and Windows PC systems.

How to Clone C Drive in Server 2022 Step by Step

In this part, you can follow the graphic tutorial below to clone C drive in Server 2022 with the best Server cloning software AOMEI Backupper Server. Before you start the cloning process, you need to do some preparation work first.

• Connect the target disk to your computer and make sure it can be detected.
• Since the cloning process will wipe all data in the target disk, we recommend you do a disk backup to avoid data loss.
• Download the best Windows Server cloning software AOMEI Backupper Server and install it.

Step 1. Now, you can start cloning C drive in Server 2022. Please open the AOMEI Backupper Server, click Clone > System Clone.

Step 2. The system-related partitions are selected by default. You need to select the connected disk as the destination location to clone your C drive to.

Step 3. If your target disk is an SSD, you can tick SSD Alignment to make the reading and writing speed faster. Confirm your operations and click Start Clone.

Notes:

• Sector by sector clone: If your target drive is equal to or larger than the source drive, you can tick the Sector by sector clone option, which will clone all sectors on the source partition, whether they are used or not.
• Make full use of disk space: It can add unallocated space to system partition to maximize the use of space on the target partition.

How to Boot from the Cloned Disk

After cloning C drive in Server 2022 to the target disk, you need to set the target disk as the boot drive. You can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Restart the computer, press the function key (F2, F3, F8) to enter the BIOS settings when you see the first screen.

Tip:

Different computers have a different specific function key to enter BIOS.

Step 2. Find the Boot tab and change the boot order, please choose the cloned disk as the first boot option.

Step 3. Press F10 to save your changes and exit.

Summary

This article shows you how to clone C drive in Server 2022. You can use the best Server cloning software AOMEI Backupper Server to help you. It can easily help you clone your system, after cloning you can boot your system directly from the cloned disk and then use it normally. Its Disk Clone (clone larger drive to a smaller drive) and Partition Clone functions can also meet your various needs.

Besides, if you want to protect unlimited Servers within your company, AOMEI Backupper Technician Plus will be very helpful. You can download the software to explore more functions.