Easy Way to make a Bootable Clone of your macOS System Drive

[trs96]

Update for Monterey in 2022​

Due to changes Apple has made in Monterey I'd recommend that you now use CaseySJ's guide involving CCC and a script that will also copy the EFI partition for you. I've not tried Acronis with Monterey as I've not upgraded that far yet. So if you are on macOS Monterey and want to make a bootable clone, see step #11 in the Z690 Golden Build guide by Casey.

Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi (Thunderbolt 4) + i7-12700K + AMD RX 6800 XT

CaseySJ's Intel Alder Lake i7-12700K: Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi + Intel i7-12700K + AMD RX 6800 XT Please do not quote this guide in its entirety. Post a link instead. This build guide applies to Asus Z790 ProArt Creator as well, but BIOS parameters may need to be adjusted All P-cores...

www.tonymacx86.com

If you are still on Catalina, then follow this guide instead: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...9700k-amd-rx-580.316533/page-879#post-2018772

ORIGINAL POST 6/21/2018

Easy Way to make a Bootable Clone of your macOS System Drive​

There are many options you have for cloning and backing up your Hackintosh. The most popular choices are Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) and Super Duper. Those two apps do not clone the EFI partition. It's not that these apps can't do this, it's simply because they choose not to. Here's CCC's definition of EFI from their glossary:

EFI Partition

The EFI partition is an Apple-proprietary partition. That partition is created automatically when a disk is partitioned with the GUID partition scheme, and its contents are managed internally by OS X. Third-party applications shouldn't attempt to modify, nor copy that volume.

So that is why CCC software will not copy the EFI partition for you. We hackintosh owners must have the EFI folder copied over to the cloned drive's EFI partition or it simply won't boot. Acronis True Image will do all this for you. That's one of the main reasons I'm using Acronis instead of other options. Makes the whole process, quick and seamless.

Advantages of using Acronis True Image instead of Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) or Terminal

1. You won't have to manually copy the contents of your EFI partition or even run a script to do that.
2. Use of the Terminal is not required either. Just a simple GUI interface in A.T.I. that is easy to navigate.
3. Since you'll be booting from an external USB or DVD your macOS system drive will be in a static state.

This method, using Acronis True Image 2017 on a Windows 10 PE drive works with Mojave and the APFS file system. I've tested this with a 10.14.6 APFS SSD and there are no problems I've encountered.

OS and File System Compatibility

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Overview of the Process

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1. Download a Win10PE SE ISO and copy the contents of the ISO to a clean MBR/FAT32 formatted USB flash drive.
The ISO of choice for this guide is by Kyhi: https://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/27180-windows-10-recovery-tools-bootable-rescue-disk.html

a. You'll need a 4GB or larger USB flash drive. Either a USB 2 or a USB 3 drive should work.​

b. Open the Win10 PE ISO image in Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 then copy the contents to your flash drive. Here's what you'll see after you've mounted and opened the ISO file.​

If you only have access to Windows 7 then use http://wincdemu.sysprogs.org​

Three ways to Mount an ISO in Windows​

1. Double-click an ISO file to mount it.
2. Select the file in File Explorer and and click the “Mount” button under the “Disk Image Tools” tab on the ribbon.
3. Right-click an ISO file and select the “Mount” option

c. Secure Boot should already be disabled in your UEFI. If not, do that now before attempting to boot this drive.​

d. I'd suggest you dis-connect the sata data cable to all other drives installed in your build before you make the clone, to avoid any mistakes on your part.​

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2. Boot UEFI from the USB drive on your CustoMac to load up Win10PE SE. (It runs in ram, so be patient as it loads)

a. If you have a 5 or 6 series motherboard and are unable to boot UEFI then you'll need to burn the ISO.​

b. Use a flash drive or DVD and burn it in Windows or in an older version of macOS that allows disk burning.​

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3. Open up Acronis True Image 2017 on the desktop and clone your macOS system drive to the destination/clone drive. If you are cloning from one SSD to another it should take less than 15 minutes. If it's a clean install of macOS it could take even less than 9 minutes to complete. Really fast !

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4. Disconnect all drives, except the clone. Test out the Clone drive by attempting to boot from it and run macOS.

5. Keep your backup clone drive in a safe place if anything (like an update) should mess up your macOS boot drive.

Believe me, at some point it will, and you'll be glad you made a bootable clone first.​

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Comments
Your Bootable Win10PE SE rescue drive can also be used on your Windows drives to recover data and fix problems among many other things. Obviously, this is a great tool to use for cloning Windows too. It is the easiest to use all in one backup and recovery solution if you dual boot macOS and Windows. See the following article for a discussion of the differences between cloning a drive and imaging a drive. Disk Imaging vs. Disk Cloning

Where to get the pre-built Win10PE SE ISO**​

https://www.tenforums.com/software-apps/27180-windows-10-recovery-tools-bootable-rescue-disk.html

This was created by Kyhi and is based on the Win10PE SE project at TheOven.org

There are 32 bit and 64 bit versions. Its best to use the 64 bit (x64) version via the download section on tenforums.com if you have a UEFI capable system. If you have an older legacy only system and < 5GB of ram try the 32 bit (x86) version of the ISO image. It includes a lot of Windows only software. All we are interested in is the cloning function of Acronis True Image 2017.

I prefer to clone my macOS system drive when booted from a USB instead of when I am booted into my macOS system drive. Acronis is an all in one solution for Windows and Mac dual boot systems and is incredibly easy to use.

If you do want to use the paid version, do not download the .DMG Mac version. It won't allow you to make a USB recovery drive that works on your hackintosh. Download the Windows .exe version, create a bootable USB drive and you can do the same as has been shown above with they Kyhi WinPE drive that has Acronis on it.

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The paid Windows version is $49 for a lifetime license. You can find the 2017-2019 versions discounted on Amazon.com make sure to buy from a reputable seller. Sellers on Ebay selling Acronis for less than about 20 dollars are selling cracked software. Stay away from it. Don't feed the pirates.

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Learn more about WinPE here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/winpe-intro

If you'd like to build your own WindowsPE SE drive and add all the Windows apps that are useful to you then go to:
http://win10se.cwcodes.net/

Click on the Packages tab in the dropdown menu.

Then you will see the following page:

 

[trs96]

Easy Way to make a Bootable Clone

UPDATE 7-5-18
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A new version of Hiren's BootCD PE has just been released about two weeks ago. One day after I had written post #1 of this thread. You can use it exactly the same way as the above Win10PE SE ISO. If you want to use this it will only work for cloning Windows drives. The 2018 Trial version of ATI doesn't let you clone your macOS drive.

Link to Hiren's Boot CD : https://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/

You can also burn this to a DVD or make a USB from the directions on the Hiren's BootCD website.

ISO2USB Portable Tool: https://www.hirensbootcd.org/usb-booting/

It's a version of Windows 10 Enterprise with all the stuff you don't like about Windows removed (Win10 Start Screen Tiles) and it has just what you want. Includes the updated version of Acronis True Image, the 2018 version.

Highly recommended !

Here's the path to get to Acronis 2018 when you're booted into Hiren's :

Hiren's has a large number of very useful free tools for Windows that can help you find product keys, scan for malware and manage and repair your hard drive partitions. If you use Windows at all you should have this on a USB or DVD.

If you want the very simplest clone method of all, buy Acronis 2020 and you can make your clone from right within macOS.
Click here to see the video and learn more about features of ATI 2020. It costs less than the paid version of CCC.

Here's the USB adapter cable I used to connect the PNY "clone" drive to the CustoMac. Good idea to buy one of these. Very handy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJZJI84/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[trs96]

How to get Acronis True Image 2018 at a discounted price. Sign up for the free trial with your email address. Wait about two weeks and they'll offer you a lower price. I'll see how low it goes to a few weeks from today. Amazon.com usually sells it for 36USD plus tax. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074WL2PLP/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Some sellers are selling it for 30 dollars and free shipping. A very good deal. The paid version of CCC is $39.99 on the Bombich software site.

 

[Bob_the_Tomato]

I've owned Acronis True Image for a while as it came with an external HD I purchased.
I've never considered using it this way, I'll give it a try!

 

[trs96]

Here's a current deal from Newegg on Acronis T.I. Backup 2018
​

If you are signed up for Newegg email deals you can use the promo code and get a real low price on Acronis.

 

[trs96]

I have Acronis 2017 already. I just didn't realize it could work with Mac partitions and files system.

Me too. Until I saw that a system drive clone of macOS will work when you boot from a Win10 PE USB with Acronis on it I had no idea you could use it. Have you tried using it to back up or clone your macOS drive yet ?

Remember that Acronis 2017-2020 backup .exe file only runs on Windows and not on macOS. That's why it's required to make the WinPE drive to boot from. Acronis has done this because many businesses and homes have Macs and Windows PCs on the same network.

 

[lxhxxnxxx]

Hi @trs96, just to make sure I understand everything.

I need a USB thumb drive with WindowsPE on it, to make the clone.

But the clone will be in another external hard drive. And this one needs to be as big as my boot drive (of MacOS), can I choose boot drive only to clone, if I have other storage (say, a 2nd SSD)?

And what can you do with the clone:
- Install, try out the new updates of MacOS on the bootable clone?
- Restore back to the original boot drive? I would think this is not ideal, unless you make the clone right before you mess up your boot drive a.k.a update MacOS.

 

[trs96]

If you download Kyhi's Win10 PE SE and make your bootable USB drive with it, everything will become clear to you. Here's where you select the drive you want to copy to in Acronis True Image. I used a 240GB SSD connected to a USB 3.0 port. Disk 1 is the boot drive. (HP M700) The GUI in Acronis makes it literally fool proof. It's clear you would never clone your system drive to itself. If your boot drive would fail that's of no use. It would also affect the booting process in a negative way. I'd suggest you dis-connect the sata cable to all other drives installed in your build before you make the clone, to avoid any mistakes on your part.

Here's the USB adapter cable I used to connect the PNY "clone" drive to the CustoMac. Good idea to buy one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJZJI84/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[trs96]

Acronis True Image -- Backup
On sale at Newegg.com for $9.99
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This price of $9.99 is after an email promo code and rebate. It is worth it if you also use Windows and want Acronis running on the desktop full time making scheduled backups. It also allows you to make a WinPE drive with just Acronis on it to use for backups, cloning and recovery after a HDD or SSD failure. This is macOS High Sierra and APFS friendly as stated previously.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832200139&ignorebbr=1

Make sure you're signed up for Newegg email deals to get the promo code to apply for an extra 10 dollars off.
Acronis states you should get your rebate check within 6-8 weeks.
Rebate offer expires if the rebate check is not cashed within 90 days of the check date.

Acronis 2018 works for macOS Yosemite through High Sierra and Windows 7 through Windows 10.

 

[Bob_the_Tomato]

I just tried this using the version of ATI that I owned (2016 version) and it worked! Both the main and the EFI partitions were cloned. I like it.

As a side note, I downloaded the Hiren's version and made a bootable thumb drive but the version on the Hiren's would not let me complete the clone - saying that that feature was not available with that ATI version installed....