HDClone download review

Once you've bought and installed a new hard disk, you'll need to copy Windows and all your files to it. HDClone simplifies this process and doesn't cost a penny.

Installation is simple, but you will need to reboot the computer at the end to complete it. A desktop icon is created so it's easy to find.

Unsurprisingly, as HDClone requires significant access to the hard disks fitted to the computer, the User Account Control Window will appear when first attempt to open the program.

The application has both a Wizard and Classic mode. The Wizard mode is the easiest to use because you can select the different options in a sensible progression.

The most useful feature of HDClone is that it can expand the partition on the new disk to make use of the extra space. Since this is often a reason for buying a new hard disk, the feature is a big time saver.

The basic Free version of HDClone has some limitiations compared to the paid-for versions. The Standard version can work with USB3 mass storage devices and live defragmentation of FAT and NTFS partitions. All versions apart from the Basic one can move to a smaller partition, which might be useful if you are moving to a Solid State Drive from a platter disk. It is possible to shrink partitions in Windows but this does increase the number of steps you have to complete.

There are also limitations on how quickly files can be transferred between the hard disks. This Free version is limited to 1.8GB/minute, Basic 3GB/minute, Standard 3.6GB/minute and no limits for the Professional version.

Based on half full 80GB disk, the difference between the Free and Standard versions is 45 minutes as opposed to 12 minutes.

The Basic version costs €19.90, Standard €39.90 and Professional €99.