cloning OS from HDD to SSD?

So I am thinking of getting an SSD tomorrow, and I know most people say that when you get an SSD, it's best to do a fresh install of windows onto the SSD. But I am wondering if it is possible to clone my OS partition onto an SSD to avoid reinstalling windows, drivers and all my programs? If so what are the best programs to do this? If anyone has done this before, would you mind sharing your experiences?

Thanks and happy Thanksgivings!

 

Acronis True Image will do it. You can make an image of your OS partition, then also make a bootable CD/DVD/USB key with the program that will allow you to boot right into True Image and copy the image to the new drive outside Windows.

Something like this is really handy to have too (it also comes in a dual drive version)

 

Do NOT clone it if you want your SSD to work like it should.

 

Why?

I know that doing a sector-by-sector clone probably isn't good for a SSD but I see absolutely no problem with copying an image over...its basically a file transfer.

I've done HD -> SSD and SSD to SSD in the past with no issues. Hell, intel drives come with "cloning kits" nowadays.

 

I think Hellcry means not to use the cloning facility in Acronis. But use the “backup an entire disk” facility instead. Which I recommend as well. Apparently cloning with Acronis doesn’t work so well and messes up the alignment of the drive. And this alignment is important for the performance of an SSD.

 

The manufacturer of my ssd, G Skill, recommends a fresh install. If you clone the drive, the sectors may not be aligned. Most drives are optimized for 4k sectors. If your source drive doesn't have 4k sectors performance will be lost. Kingston and intel include cloning kits because they want buyers to think ssd's are a mature plug and play upgrade that anyone can do. The truth is ssds are not mature and if you want the most performance out of it, you will need to optimize it yourself.