How to Resolve Black Screen Issue After Disk Cloning - 3 Effective Solutions

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Sherly 

Updated on April 22, 2024

Usually, the issue of a black screen and cursor appearing during Windows startup after cloning the system to an SSD/HDD is due to incorrect drive letter assignments.

To completely avoid the Windows black screen error after cloning the disk, you can opt for a professional tool like Partition Master Professional for cloning. Such specialized programs automatically identify and assign the correct drive letter to your hard drive. Additionally, they can assign a new drive letter to rectify the existing error.

Click the button below to download this professional disk cloning tool directly.

How to Fix Black Screen After Cloning Disk

As previously mentioned, the incorrect drive letter could be the reason for the Windows 10/11 Black Screen After Cloning Disk issue. This section provides two solutions: changing the drive letter or utilizing the registry.

?Further Reading: How to Fix Macrium Reflect Clone Failed Error 9

Translation: Solution 1: Change the Drive Letter

An incorrect drive letter assignment can result in Windows 10/11 booting with a black screen after being cloned to an SSD/HDD. You can attempt to resolve this issue by correcting the drive letter. Please follow these steps:

Step 1: Boot your Windows PC into safe mode when stuck on a black screen after cloning SSD.

Step 2: Right-click the Start icon in Safe Mode, and select Disk Management.

Step 3: Make sure the C drive is your system drive and no other drives are assigned the letter C. If not, right-click the problematic disk and choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths" to reassigned the drive letter.

Change drive letter

Step 4: Once done, restart your computer from the cloned disk and check if the "Black screen after cloning disk" issue still persists.

Don't forget to share this article to help others fix the black screen issue after cloning.

Translation: Fix 2: Modify the Registry This is a heading or anchor in a document, and it translates to: Solution 2: Edit the Registry

You can also resolve the black screen issue after cloning a disk by making alterations to the Windows Registry. If your cloned drive boots to a black screen, follow these steps to fix the problem.

Step 1: Boot Windows into the recovery environment (WinRE).

Step 2: Go to Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.

Step 3: In an elevated command prompt, type regedit and press Enter.

Step 4: After opening the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

Step 5: Following that, right-click on each value in the right pane and select Delete. Continue doing this until all values are removed except for the "(Default)" entry.

Modify the Registry

Step 6: Restart your computer, and Windows should automatically recognize and assign the correct drive letter to your hard drive. This should prevent the black screen issue from occurring after cloning the disk.

These two solutions effectively address the issue of a black screen appearing after cloning your PC OS to an SSD or HDD. However, if there's a method to prevent the black screen error altogether, it's worth giving it a try.

Use Partition Master Tool to Avoid Black Screen After Cloning

tools Partition Master Professional is the best disk cloning software that can help you clone disks (HDD or SSD) without encountering a black screen issue after cloning. It automatically adjusts the boot order and assigns the correct drive letter, making it suitable for all Windows users and extremely user-friendly for beginners.

Here are the detailed steps in English:

Step 1. Select the source disk.

1. Click "Clone" from the left-hand menu. Select "Clone OS Disk" or "Clone Data Disk" and click "Next". 2. Choose the source disk and click "Next".

Step 2. Select the target disk.

Translate these sentences into English:
• Select the desired HDD/SSD as your destination and click "Next" to proceed.
• Read the warning message and confirm by clicking the "Yes" button.

Step 3. View the disk layout and edit the target disk partition size.

Then click “Continue” when the program warns it will wipe out all data on the target disk. (If you have valuable data on the target disk, back up it in advance.)

Here, you can choose to "Autofit the disk," "Clone as source," or "Edit disk layout" to customize your disk configuration. (Select the last option if you want to allocate more space to the C drive.)

Step 4. Click "Start" to begin the disk cloning process.

It also includes a boot repair function and can resolve PC black screen/blue screen issues during gaming or after cloning. Click the link for more information about this tool.

Conclusion

This article offers effective solutions to address the issue of a Windows black screen after disk cloning. Give them a try. Typically, the problem of Windows booting with a black screen and cursor following cloning to an SSD or HDD arises from incorrect drive letter assignment. Hence, you can attempt to resolve it by assigning the right drive letter. For novices, using third-party tools might be more suitable. One such tool is Partition Master, a free SSD cloning software, which can also directly help you prevent the black screen issue after cloning.

"Windows Black Screen After Cloning FAQs"

After cloning Windows to SSD/HDD, you may encounter a black screen on PC. Read on to learn more details about this issue.

**1. Why is my drive not bootable after cloning?**

Ensure that the cloned drive is set as the boot drive. Following that, why isn't my drive bootable after cloning?

If the cloned drive is a GPT disk, make sure that the UEFI boot mode is enabled. If it's an MBR disk, set it to Legacy boot mode.

Many reasons can cause this problem:

Here are the translations for the given languages in American English: 1. Incorrect drive letter 2. Missing SSD support settings in Windows 3. Incorrect boot order 4. Wrong Legacy or UEFI configuration

Many users resolve the black screen after cloning by reinstalling Windows.

3. How do I boot from the SSD after cloning?

You need to set the SSD as the primary boot drive. Here's how to do it: 1. Restart your computer and enter the BIOS or UEFI settings. Typically, you can access this by pressing a specific key during startup, such as F2, F10, F12, or Del. The key varies depending on your computer's manufacturer. 2. Once in the BIOS/UEFI menu, look for a section called "Boot," "Boot Options," or "Startup." Navigate to this section using the arrow keys. 3. In the Boot menu, find your Solid State Drive (SSD). It might be listed by its name or with an identifier like "NVMe SSD" or "PCIe SSD." 4. Use the arrow keys to move the SSD to the top of the boot order list. This ensures that your computer will attempt to boot from the SSD first. 5. Save the changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI settings. Usually, you can do this by pressing F10 and confirming your selection with 'Yes' or 'Enter.' 6. Your computer will restart, and now it should boot from the SSD as the primary drive. If the process was successful, you'll notice faster boot times compared to a traditional hard disk drive (HDD).

Step 1. Restart your PC and press the BIOS key (F2, F8, F11, or the Del key) to enter the BIOS environment.

Step 2. Navigate to the boot section in BIOS and set the cloned SSD as the primary boot drive.