3 Ways to Mirror a Hard Drive on Windows 10

Hard drive failure is a serious problem because it can permanently lose data, and this is why many people choose to back up their data by mirroring a hard drive in Windows 10.

Mirroring a hard drive isn’t as complicated as you think. In today’s guide, we’ll show you a couple of ways you can do that on your PC.

How do I clone a hard drive on Windows 10?​

1. Use Disk Management​

1. Open Disk Management:
   • Press the Windows key + X and choose Disk Management.
2. Add Mirror:
   • Select the primary drive that you want to use as the source, right-click it, and choose Add Mirror.
   • Select the drive letter of the secondary drive that you want to use for mirroring and choose Add Mirror.
3. Convert to Dynamic Disk:
   • You’ll be asked to convert the basic disk to a dynamic disk. Click Yes to proceed.
   • Wait for a few moments for the process to finish.

2. Use Storage Spaces​

1. Open Storage Spaces:
   • Press the Windows key + S and type storage spaces. Select Manage Storage Spaces.
2. Create Pool and Storage Space:
   • Navigate to Create a new pool and storage space.
   • Select the drives you want to use.
   • Configure the size of the mirror drive and set the Resiliency type to a Two-way mirror.
   • Click on Create Storage Space and wait for the process to finish.

3. Use diskpart​

1. Open PowerShell:
   • Press the Windows key + X and choose PowerShell (Admin).
     
2. Enter diskpart:
   • Once it starts, enter diskpart and press Enter.
     
3. Select Source Disk:
   • Enter the list disk to show all drives on your PC.
   • Locate the drive that you want to use as the source disk. For example, select disk 1:
     select disk 1
4. Convert to Dynamic Disk:
   • Run the following command:
     convert dynamic
5. Select Destination Disk:
   • Repeat the previous two steps for the disk that you want to use as the destination disk.
6. Create Mirror Volume:
   • Run the following command to create a mirror volume:
     create volume mirror disk=1
7. Add Other Disk:
   • Finally, add the other disk with this command:
     add disk=0

Note: Diskpart is an advanced tool, so use it only if you’re already familiar with it.

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Troubleshooting common issues with mirroring a hard drive on Windows 10​

1. Use chkdsk to fix drive cloning errors and corrupt files​

1. Open PowerShell:
   • Press the Windows key + X and choose PowerShell (Admin).
2. Run chkdsk:
   • Run the following command:
     chkdsk c: /r

2. Use Disk Management to fix unallocated space after cloning​

1. Open Disk Management:
   • Open Disk Management.
2. Extend Disk:
   • Locate the disk that has unallocated space, right-click it, and choose Extend.
   • Configure the amount of space that you want to add to the drive and click Next. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.

Additional tips for optimizing your mirrored drives on Windows 10​

• Disk size: For mirroring to work, the secondary disk needs to be the same size or larger than your source drive.
• Reliability: In case you need more reliability, consider using three drives instead of two for mirroring and create two copies.
• Quality drivers: Use high-quality drivers from reliable manufacturers to increase the lifespan of your drive.
• Hardware RAID: Use hardware RAID if possible since it offers better performance and it’s not dependent on your OS, unlike software options.

Mirroring is a great way to protect against sudden hardware failure, and since it’s a built-in Windows feature, it doesn’t require cloning software.