And it is that making a copy of a bootable USB drive its not that easy like copying and pasting your files to a new flash drive, because even if your files are copied, Windows will not recognize it as a bootable drive at boot time. When we create a Windows 10 boot drive, an entry point is created that is available within the MBR or GPT. If we only copy the files, these entry points will not be created, so Windows will not recognize that it is a boot drive.
Clone a bootable USB stick and a normal one
And it is that at this point there is something that we must keep in mind, it is not the same to copy the contents of a normal USB memory or flash drive, than a bootable one. The first of the types that we are talking about are those USB drives that we use to save files that we drag, for example, from the File Browser Windows. This is where we usually store documents word from work, vacation photos, or videos with the movies we are going to see. This is something that we can copy or move to another disk location, directly from the aforementioned Windows Explorer or another similar tool.
However, on the other hand, if what we want to duplicate a bootable flash drive, what we should do is clone the device. This is not something that we can do from that Windows function that we use so much to work with files and folders. The reason for this is that, to carry out this task in the most correct way, we will have to clone it with a special program. We must know that the bootable flash drive will contain all the files necessary for this, including those that are protected or hidden. Thus, and in order for us to obtain an exact copy of the original, we cannot do it in a conventional way. For this reason, today we are going to see how we can clone our bootable flash drive with other programs.
Windows does not directly offer the possibility of cloning, so we must use some of the third-party applications that we will see below
How to clone drives in Windows using programs
Next, we are going to see which are the main programs to carry out this task, and how to do it, in a few steps, with each one of them.
EaseUS Todo Backup Free
The first possibility that we can use to clone a bootable Windows USB drive is the EaseUS Todo Backup Free application. It is a tool that has a free version with which we can create an image of USB drives, as well as hard drive partitions, and that we can .
To clone a bootable USB drive, the first thing we have to do is connect it to our computer along with another flash drive where we want to clone. Next, we launch EaseUS Todo Backup and click on the function of “Clone”. A window will open that will tell us to select the bootable USB memory that we are going to clone, and we will click on “Next” to continue.
Now we will go on to choose the destination unit and within the “Advanced Options” we must check the box “Sector by sector clone”. This will help to clone all sectors from the source drive to the destination drive. Later we click on “Proceed” to clone our boot drive.
The best
Here we find a free program that offers us functions to clone this type of storage device easily and quickly. One of its main advantages is the function of copying sector by sector in order to avoid errors in the future.
Worst
The user interface isn’t as intuitive as those less experienced with this type of software would like, but there’s nothing that a little experimentation with the program won’t fix.
MiniTool Partition Free
Another tool that we can use to clone our bootable USB drive is Minitool Partition Free, which, as its name suggests, is free and we can This app has a feature called “Copy Disc” thanks to which it will allow us to clone USB drives.
To start the process we must select the bootable USB drive and click on the “Disk Copy Wizard” that will guide us through the whole process. Later we will choose the destination unit and indicate that it will become a copy of the source. Finally, we will select to copy the partitions without changing the size, and we will click on “Apply” and the cloning process will begin.
Pros
Here we find an application that allows us to carry out different functions related to the partitions on our disk drives. It also includes a feature to clone this type of USB memory with total precision.
cons
The configuration options of the function that interests us in these lines are much more limited than those found in other competing programs more focused on this type of task.
AOMEI Backupper
To clone our bootable USB drive, we can also choose a program like . The first thing we must do is have both devices connected to our computer. Later we run AOMEI Backupper and we must select the option to “Clone” on the left side of the menu and then select the option “Clone disk” and then “Next.
Next, we will select the bootable USB drive and the destination drive where we are going to clone. It is important that we have the “Clone sector by sector” box checked and finally click on “Start Clone”. Now the cloning process will start and once finished we will get a new bootable drive.
Well
All we have to do when cloning two external storage devices through this application, eject a single button. This means that we are facing an application that is characterized by its ease of use for these tasks.
Bad
What some more advanced users may miss are a series of options and settings to be able to customize the process and control the cloning of both elements.
PassMark Software ImageUSB
The last option that we present to you to clone a bootable USB drive is PassMark Software ImageUSB, which we can from its website. Once we execute it, the main menu will appear, which, although it is in English, is very easy to use and we will only need a couple of steps to obtain the clone.
The first thing we must do is connect both the USB drive with the boot and the other USB drive where we are going to clone. Once connected, the information from both devices will appear in the information box, so we must select them by clicking on both or using the “Select All” option. Next, where it says “Step 2” we must select the first option “Write image to USB drive”. To finish, all we have to do is click on the “Write” button and the program will start cloning. Once finished, a dialog box will appear informing us and we will have obtained a new bootable flash drive.
Top
If something characterizes this specific software that allows us to clone external storage devices, it is the ease of use that its user interface offers us. With just a couple of mouse clicks we will achieve the objective we are looking for here, without further complications.
minus top
There are users who prefer to have more control over the cloning process by using various configuration and customization functions, something that they will not find in this particular software.
What is the best way to do this?
As we can see, none of the four programs that we have seen in the previous point is complicated to do. It’s true that PassMark has an interface that’s a bit more neglected, but the other three programs have very clear and intuitive interfaces with which to carry out this task in a matter of seconds.
If we had to choose one of the programs, our favorite would be AOMEI Backupper Not for anything in particular, just because its interface is much clearer and simpler than the MiniTool and EaseUS alternatives, and users who want to save themselves trouble and focus on the task of cloning the drive will find it much easier.
In any case, let us remind you once again that, leaving aside the additional functions offered by each of these programs (some are partition managers, other backup programs, etc.), none of them stands out from the others, neither in reliability nor in speed or anything. The choice, in this sense, is the one we like best.