Will a clonezilla image restore properly to a different hard drive?

Question

From a planning standpoint, I would like to understand if a Clonezilla Unix image will restore to a different hard drive. I would also like to understand the same point with regard to a Windows XP image. I would expect more difficulty the more different the target drive is from the original.

For example differences could include:

1. SSD vs not SSD
2. Memory Capacity Differences
3. Different model number, but same brand
4. Different brand

For example I have an obsolete 120GB SSD that I would like to clonezilla to a larger SSD drive. Perhaps one of these differences is a non starter and prevents image restoration?

If you have experience restoring clonezilla images across any of the differences as described please state the details of your experience and the enumerated difference. Thank you

Answer 1

If I were you, I would be much less concerned about the image itself than what you actually have cloned. I think this type of restoration should be generally no problem. But where I might expect a problem is with your Windows. This OS (not only XP) is so sensitive and pretty much a cry baby if you change core hardware parts. Including the HDD it is installed on. Changing hardware after installation doesn't always go right and often means that it will complain about something.

I suggest you can try it out, because due to the questions nature you won't really ever get a truly satisfying answer because there is no general absolute answer to the compatability points you wanted answers to. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't; there are so many different hardware setups in the world that you can't account for most of them in one answer. It is a situational question.