There are many reasons why you can’t clone 100 MB EFI system partition. In this post, we’ll show you how to clone EFI system partition step by step.
Cloning a 100MB EFI System Partition (ESP) can sometimes fail or be problematic due to several reasons. Here’s a detailed explanation:
1. Partition size limitations
Most cloning software requires the destination partition to be equal to or larger than the source partition. A 100MB EFI partition is very small, so if the cloning software reserves extra space for alignment or metadata, it might refuse to clone it.
2. Hidden and protected partition
The EFI System Partition is a hidden system partition marked with the EFI System Partition (ESP) type. Some cloning tools don’t handle system or hidden partitions properly unless they explicitly support UEFI/ESP cloning.
3. File system type
EFI partitions are usually formatted as FAT32, not NTFS. Some cloning tools primarily designed for NTFS or larger data partitions may skip or fail when cloning small FAT32 system partitions.
4. Boot configuration complexity
The EFI partition contains bootloader files critical for UEFI boot. Improper cloning may corrupt boot information, so some tools prevent cloning unless the software specifically supports boot or system partition cloning.
6. Alignment Issues
EFI partitions are often aligned to 1MB boundaries for performance.Some cloning software can’t handle proper alignment for such small partitions, leading to failure.
To back up an EFI partition, the most effective method is to clone it onto another hard drive. But how can this be done efficiently? AOMEI Partition Assistant provides a reliable solution. This robust disk management tool allows you to clone partitions quickly and safely, ensuring that no data is lost during the process. The operation is swift, often completing within seconds. In addition to partition cloning, the software also supports full disk cloning, making it easy to replicate all data from one drive to another.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click the partition you want to clone and select the "Clone Partition" tool to run partition clone. (You can also click the "Clone" main tab and select "Clone Partition".)
Step 2. In next window, select the destination partition or unallocated space to hold your source partition, and then click "Confirm".
Step 3. Then, you will enter the Confirm interface where you can check the source and destination clone location. After all is set, you can click the "Confirm" button to continue.
Step 4. In the next window, you can click the "Settings" button to adjust the target partition size. As you can see from the screenshot, you could adjust the size of source partition in order to fit the target partition as per your need, or directly skip the step and click "Save".
Step 5. You can preview the partition copy operating by viewing the "Pending Operations". To commit the "Pending Operations", please click "Apply" and "Proceed".
Cloning a 100MB EFI System Partition often fails due to its small size, hidden status, file system type, bootloader complexity, or alignment issues. To safely back up or copy an EFI partition, use a professional tool like AOMEI Partition Assistant, which supports partition and full disk cloning, ensuring a smooth and reliable process without data loss.