Western Digital WD Black² 2.5-inch Dual Drive (SSD + HDD)

A fresh Install is the simplest option and most beneficial. Using the USB Key you can set up the SSD drivers, partitions and unlock the HDD. Install the OS the SSD and any applications, games or folders you want high performance from. Direct your data folders and files to the HDD and your all set.

Let’s first understand the term “CLONE”. It means an exact copy. Your operating system, registry pointers, applications, parameters and settings are copied and not changed. Meaning if you wanted say MS-Office copied to the HDD instead of cloned to the SSD you will have problems.

A Backup is highly recommended before ever starting a clone, copy or migration to new hard drives. Then you’ll have to determine if your going to and can fit a full clone of the original HDD to the 120GB SSD. Start button>Computer>right click the C>Properties and look at “used space”. If your comfortable with what your using and it fits well within the 120GB SSD limits your job is easy. If your over the 120GB like our situation here you can do what I’m planning. Evaluate your space usage. If needed you can uninstall large applications before cloning, copy all the Libraries (Docs, Pics, Music…) to the HDD and remove (be sure to have a backup) from old HDD to free up just what you like to have “cloned” with the OS then your good to go. I plan on copying/migrating libraries over to the HDD and follow the video setting up guide for telling windows about my new locations for Library folders such as Documents, Pictures and Music on the HDD then re-install any of the large application to the HDD I uninstalled prior to the clone. Some applications cloned to the SSD you’ll want to go to the AP’s properties and direct the data file pointers to the HDD libraries.

The WEB LINK USB Key will take you to download a few utilities like Acronis True Image for cloning but the software driver is required to unlock the HDD, without it only the 120GB SSD of the WD Black2 will be accessible to Windows. The driver is compatible with Windows XP up to Windows 8.1. Mac-compatibility isn’t yet available. There’s a warning that the driver isn’t compatible with Nvidia or ASmedia storage controllers or with storage controllers set to RAID mode instead of EIDE or AHCI, but this shouldn’t be a problem for most modern laptops.

WD has worked hard to support the customer with this product. Software Application “de-authorization” and other helpful topics like how to migrate, set-up and remove old and newly located folders such as Documents, Pictures and Music. I noticed they didn’t rename the new folders identical to the original. I would highly recommend exact naming and upper/lower case match of the root folder. Actually I would save the library step till after the copy and copy the full root folder minus the deselected folders until they are put back on the HDD portion later.

I recommended watching this YouTube guide for cloning: WD Black2 2.5″ Dual Drive (SSD + HDD) Installation (Cloning)

In our situation we have 142GB used on the WD Scorpio Blue drive. 100GB is Documents, Pictures and Music thus we can “copy” those. First we will backup then move this 100GB to the HDD once it’s made accessible using the WEB LINK USB key for the driver to unlock the HDD before the clone operation, delete/remove those libraries from the old HDD then proceed with the 42GB clone of the OS and applications in use to the SSD. There will be a few programs where the registries point to the original Library folder locations, try to update the application properties as soon as possible to re-direct them to the new libraries. If your handy and know what your doing with REGEDIT or a registry tool that can search out these pointers you can change that way too.

INSTALLATION:

Installing the WD Black2 unit only requires your laptop, small Phillips screw driver, WD adapter cable supplied, WD Start USB Key and the User Manual.

First thing is to download the software using the USB key. Instantly upon insertion it takes you online to the WD download site for the Acronis True Image WD Edition utility software. Download and install it.

Connect your WD Black2 unit and plug in both USB connections. Wait for the hardware to be recognized.

Start ACRONIS True Image WD Edition clone utility.

What I found was that the ACRONIS disk wizard utility allows 2 modes, Automatic and Manual. If you have plenty of room between the original HDD and the new SSD then I suggest using Automatic to clone/duplicate as needed. In this situation with more HDD (source) space used than what the SSD (destination) will allow I chose Manual which allows a pick and choose of what NOT to clone so I could bypass “My Music” which I’ll copy to the 1tb WD Black 2 HDD after.

If you choose to go manual and have multiple partitions doing a pick and choose of folders and/or partitions, please go thru the WD Customer Help guides as there are quite a few options.

Here is the CLONE result. The Source 298.2GB (300gb) drive HDD had C:OS, D:Dell Backup and M:Media drives, primary and logical. The Drive ID’s will change once I install the unit.

Now I’m ready to remove the old HDD and install the new WD BLACK 2 drive. Power down, disconnect the power cable and remove the battery and wait 60 seconds for the motherboard to discharge. Two screws hold the drive bay in and once removed it simply slides out. Some Laptops will have a access panel through the bottom usually tagged with a hard drive icon and worst case you may have to dig into the laptop case. Two more screws hold my HDD to the drive bay drawer. Remove and replace the HDD with the HD BLACK 2 and slide back in. Re-insert the battery and power cable and power up.

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