Member Avatar for lewashby

I just purchased an 240 GB SSD for my older Toshiba Satellite. I would rather not go through trying to save the files from the HDD and install the Linux Mint Debian Edition and then move all the files back, I would like to just be able to clone the HDD to the SSD. Can anyone give me any direction on that? Thanks.

ALso, I'd like to maybe get some new memory for the laptop and if possible maybe a CPU as well but I know that's less likely. Here's my laptop -> https://www.cnet.com/products/toshiba-satellite-l355d/specs/ After looking over the specs it looks like it only has 3 GB of RAM and it can only have a max of 4 GB. I found this product on amazon, can anyone tell me if this would work? "KOMPUTERBAY 2GB (2x1GB) DDR SODIMM (200 pin) 333Mhz DDR333 PC2700 LAPTOP MEMORY" or maybe two of these "Crucial 2GB Single DDR2 800MHz (PC2-6400) CL6 SODIMM 200-Pin Notebook Memory Module CT25664AC800". Also, is the CPU replaceable and if so what would be a little better and compatible? Thanks.

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Dani AI

Generated

Short practical plan (answers tied to replies above)

  • Hardware cloners or Clonezilla (as and noted) work well for a straight image copy, but if your HDD layout or used-data size is larger than the 240 GB SSD you bought, a file-level copy is safer and faster. Clonezilla is the standard block/partition imaging tool; it’s fine if you want an image or direct device-to-device copy. (clonezilla.org)

Step-by-step (file-level; safest when target < source)

  1. Back up anything critical.
  2. Verify used space on the HDD (df -h, du -sh /home).
  3. Boot a live USB and use GParted to create properly aligned partitions on the SSD (start at 1MiB) and format them. Do NOT resize a mounted root — use a live CD. (gparted.org)
  4. Mount source and target partitions and copy the system with rsync to preserve permissions, xattrs and links:
sudo rsync -aHAXx --info=progress2 /mnt/source/ /mnt/target/
  1. Update the target /etc/fstab to use the SSD UUIDs (blkid) and reinstall GRUB from a chroot:
for fs in dev dev/pts proc sys; do sudo mount --bind /$fs /mnt/target/$fs; done
sudo chroot /mnt/target
grub-install /dev/sdX
update-grub
exit

A worked rsync+chroot flow is a common, reliable method and avoids copying empty blocks; imaging tools that use partclone are another efficient alternative. (softpanorama.org)

SSD housekeeping & performance

  • Align partitions and enable TRIM (periodic TRIM via fstrim.timer is recommended over continuous discard on many systems). Run sudo fstrim -av once after the move to reclaim free blocks. (wiki.archlinux.org)

RAM & CPU notes for your L355D

  • Toshiba’s service/user docs list the L355D family as using DDR2 SODIMM (up to 4 GB total), so two matched 2 GB PC2-6400 modules are the correct route. Check the module sticker or sudo dmidecode -t memory to confirm before buying. CPU swaps on laptops are usually impractical — most consumer laptops won’t benefit or allow a safe upgrade. (usermanual.com)

Cautions: always keep a bootable live USB handy, verify the SSD boots before wiping the old HDD, and keep backups until you’ve confirmed everything works.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for rproffitt

For cloning I've been using the Apricom USB 3.0 drive clone kit and software. Some won't think it's worth it. I have hair.

As to the RAM it looks OK at first glance. If the seller won't answer, that's a bad sign but doesn't mean it will or won't work.

Member Avatar for lewashby

Thanks.

Member Avatar for Itsdigger

Personally , since LMDE only requires 512 MB of RAM ( 1GB to run comfortably ) as I have read here > http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2809 ,
I would only upgrade the SSD and let it fly. You'll be impressed ! I was and at the time I only had 2GB Ram and a 320 GB HDD and it was fast than .

Member Avatar for rubberman

Also, check out Clonezilla. That is a standard Linux tool to clone drives and systems.

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