Free Download HDD Raw Copy Tool (With Clear Guidance)

What is HDD raw copy?

HDD raw copy creates an unaltered clone of a hard disk drive (HDD), copying all sectors, whether used or unused. When you encounter scenarios like data recovery, forensic analysis, backup of specialized systems, or cloning for system migration, hard disk raw copy can be very useful for data integrity.

In contrast, intelligent disk cloning only copies used sectors, resulting in a smaller image file. To perform a raw disk clone, the target HDD must match or exceed the original drive's capacity, although it takes more time due to copying all data.

What are the criteria for a reliable hard disk raw copy tool?

Generally, a reliable HDD raw copy tool should be handy and safe enough for data reservation, minimizing the risk of data corruption or loss during the cloning process. Besides, these factors should be taken into consideration as well:

• Compatibility: It should be compatible with the operating system you are using and the hardware configuration of your computer.
• Speed: While raw copying can be time-consuming, a good tool should aim to complete the process as efficiently as possible.
• Versatility: It should be versatile enough to work with various hard drive types, sizes, and file systems, supporting a wide range of storage devices.
• Verification: After copying, the tool should offer a verification process to confirm that the copied data matches the original.

Free Download the best HDD raw copy tool

According to the standards of a practical HDD raw copy clone tool, AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is the qualified tool. It can duplicate everything on your disk, including programs, files, folders, and even the operating system, while keeping your data safe and intact. If you need to clone system disk, please choose its Professional Edition.

In this part, we will show you how to use an HDD raw copy tool on Windows 10 computer. But first, let's get everything ready to avoid any problems during the copying process.

Before you do:
✎ Connect the HDD to your PC and make sure it can be detected.  If your device is a laptop and has no second disk bay, a SATA-to-USB cable is necessary for connection.
✎ It is better to do a clean for your hard drive to shorten copying time and improve efficiency.
✎ Kindly please go to Disk Management and make sure to set up the new disk with the same type as the one you're cloning.

Step 1.Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, click the "Clone" main tab and select "Clone Disk". (You can also right-click the Disk you want to clone and select the "Clone Disk" tool to run disk clone.)

Step 2. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk and click "Next".

Step 3. Select the destination disk to put the data of the source disk on, and then click "Next".

Step 4. Then, you will enter the Confirm interface where you can check the source and destination disk. After all is set, you can click the "Confirm" button to continue.

In lower left corner of the window, you can click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk. There are three options for you:

• Clone without resizing partitions: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk as the original partition size. It is available when the target disk is larger than the source disk. If it is smaller, this option will be grayed out.
• Fit partitions to entire disk: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk and take up its full capacity according to the original partition size proportion.
• Edit partitions on this disk: you can change every partition size on the target disk as you need.

After finishing the adjustment, please click "Save".

Notes:

• You can tick "4k alignment" to improve the reading and writing speed of SSD if the selected destination disk is an SSD storage.
• All data on this selected destination disk will be wiped out after you save the operation to physical disk. If there is important data on the destination drive, please make a backup in advance.
• If you clone to a smaller SSD, the first option is grayed out. If you select Sector-by-Sector Clone, it is unable to adjust the size on the destination disk.

Step 5. You can preview the disk cloning operating by viewing the "Pending Operations". To commit the "Pending Operations", please click "Apply" and "Proceed".

Step 6. The cloning process will start and you can check the cloning process.

Tip for data safe: How to use AOMEI Partition Assistant to recover lost data

Data loss can be a frustrating setback for data integrity. Even if you've already selected a suitable HDD raw copy tool, unexpected accidents can still lead to data loss. However, if you have already upgraded to AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, you can rest assured that your important files are protected from unexpected accidents.

Its "Recover Data" feature can quickly and reliably get back your files from computer or external storage like HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, memory cards, and so on. Moreover, it can bring back over 200 types of files, including text, pictures, videos, music, emails, compressed files, and more.

In the main interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, you just need to click “Recover” on the top pane and choose “Recover Data”.

Then, following the instructions and guidance, you can easily retrieve your lost data back.

Bottom line

With the comprehensive introduction of HDD raw copy tool, you can effectively protect the data integrity. AOMEI Partition Assistant can both ensure your data integrity and data safety.

This software can also be helpful in computer problems solving. You can use it to free up space, rebuild MBR or convert system disk between MBR/GPT. For Windows Server 2003, 2008 (R2), 2012 (R2), 2016, 2019, 2022 and SBS 2003, 2008, 2011 users, please turn to the Server Edition to enjoy convenience and efficiency.