Best Way to Replace HDD With SSD on Laptop With BitLocker Active
Lenovo x201 With Windows 7 Ultimate x64 with an x200 Ultrabase docking station
465 GB HDD: 100 MB System, 50 GB C: (20 GB Free), Remainder single data partition V: drive (50 GB Free)
BitLocker is active and protecting C: & V:
I intend to replace the 465 GB HDD with a 440 GB SSD.
Absence BitLocker the process would be:
1. Download and install Macrium Reflect v5.0 Free Edition.
2. Shut-down Windows
3. Unplug docking station
5. Install SSD in docking station
6. Plug in docking station
7. Put laptop into docking station
8. Insert laptop into docking station
9. Start Windows
10. Launch Macrium Reflect v5.0 Free Edition
11. Clone partitions from hard disk to the SSD (this works even if the SSD is smaller than the original hard disk). Note: Cloning the hard disk to the SSD with Macrium is simply dragging the Windows partitions to the SSD. Partitions are automatically resized
if necessary.
10. Shut-down Windows
11. Remove laptop from docking station
12. Unplug docking station
13. Remove SSD from docking station
12. Remove battery from laptop
13. Remove hard disk from laptop.
13. Put SSD into laptop
14. Plug battery in
15. Turn laptop on
16. Laptop will restart to complete software installation.
The question is what to do about BitLocker. Obvious I can disable BitLocker protection completely before I start the swap and enable it after the swap is complete but that would require unencrypting the entire 465 GB HD and then encrypting
the entire 440GB SSD after swapping the drives.
Is there anyway of suspending BitLocker that will work. Could I suspend it. Create the partitions on the SSD. Enable BitLocker again and set it to protect the new drives defined on the SSD and then do the file transfers so the data is encrypted.
Suspend BitLocker long enough to swap the drivers and then enable it?
http://www.saberman.com
June 10th, 2012 6:11pm
I was afraid of that because that means I have to unencrypt both the C; and V: drives, transfer and reencrypt.
By the way I think that article needs a little revising. For example:
>The system drive should be at least 1.5 gigabytes (GBs).
My system drive is 100 MB.http://www.saberman.com
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June 12th, 2012 10:38pm