But that only meant that I back up more than necessary, something that is fine for me.

The only downside was that files that I removed on my computer were not removed from the external disk. In the old version, the backup simply mirrored all the files to the external HDD and I enjoyed that. Now, things changed a bit and I am a bit confused. They offer a free license for Acronis True Image and it seems to be quite well integrated with WD Discovery (especially it works with the encrypted drives). I was very satisfied with it, but it seems that I need to move on. These tools offer more advanced features and can be more user-friendly than the built-in Windows tool.I use Western Digital Discovery and it seems they deprecated their own backup tools. If you prefer a third-party cloning tool, there are many options available such as Acronis True Image, EaseUS Todo Backup, and Macrium Reflect. This can be done using tools like Windows Deployment Services or System Center Configuration Manager. You can also use a hardware fingerprint to ensure that the backup image can only be restored on the same machine. If the machine does not boot up successfully, you may need to adjust the boot order in the BIOS settings.Īs for saving a backup clone in case of the drive's failure, you can use the same 'Windows Server Backup' tool to create periodic backups and store them in a safe location. Once the backup is complete, you can swap out the HDD with the SSD and boot up the machine.

Review the settings and start the backup job.

Specify the destination for the backup, which could be a network location or an external hard drive.

Choose the 'Custom' option and then select the 'Bare Metal Recovery' option to include all partitions in the backup.

Select 'Local Backup' and then 'Backup Once' to create a one-time backup job.

Launch 'Windows Server Backup' from the Administrative Tools menu.

Connect the SSD to the machine and make sure it is recognized by the operating system.

Here are the general steps to use this tool: Microsoft Server 2016 has a built-in tool called 'Windows Server Backup' that can be used to clone the HDD to an SSD, including replicating the drive partitions.

Acronis backup