Cloning your hard drive or migrating data between hard drives or SSDs used to be a massive headache, but thanks to the Samsung Data Migration (SDM) tool, you can do it conveniently in only a few clicks. However, the SDM does have some issues of its own.
Many users complain that data transfers with the Samsung Data Migration tool get stuck at various percentages, such as 0% 99%, or even 100% without finalizing. This situation is tricky because a variety of factors can cause it. In this guide, you’ll learn what to do when your SDM transfers get stuck.
Samsung Data Migration stuck at 0%, 99% or 100%
When your Samsung Data Migration gets stuck, you may be glad to know that it’s rarely the case with your computer. Before taking any drastic measures, follow the steps outlined below to fix it.
- Use the chkdsk command to check the health of your HDD.
- Update your Samsung Data Migration tool.
- Reduce the size of data transferred.
- Replace your HDD with a Samsung SSD.
Apply the above fixes in the order I’ve listed them above to fix the migration issue. If you’re not sure how to perform any of the operations, continue reading for a complete breakdown of the steps involved.
1] Use the chkdsk command to check the health of your HDD
Your hard drive is damaged or broken. Data transfer from failed hard drives will most likely get stuck and not complete. The chkdsk command checks the health of internal and external storage devices connected to your computer.
Open the Command Prompt as an Administrator by searching for it in the Start menu, right-clicking, and selecting the Run as Administrator option.
In the Command Prompt window, input the following command and press the ENTER key:
chkdsk C: /f/r/x
NOTE: The above command checks the C: drive. After running the chkdsk command for this drive, you should also repeat it for the destination storage device. To do this, replace the C: part of the command with the appropriate drive letter of the destination device.
2] Update your Samsung Data Migration tool
The most common culprit behind stuck data transfers is an outdated Samsung Data Migration tool. Visit this web page and download the latest version of the Data Migration tool. You can find it by expanding the Samsung Data Migration Software for Consumer SSD section.
3] Reduce the size of data transferred
Another factor that can make it seem like your transfer is stuck is that the destination drive may be too full to receive more data. To be safe, I advise that you don’t transfer more than 75% of the total free space of the destination drive.
For instance, if the SSD has a total free space of 500GB, then you should transfer a maximum of 375GB. You can move the rest of the data to a different storage drive to avoid the transfer getting stuck.
4] Replace your HDD with a Samsung SSD
- Back up your hard disk drive and save this backup to a different drive.
- Download the Windows ISO file and burn it to an empty USB storage device to make it bootable.
- Remove the old HDD from your machine and replace the drive with a Samsung SSD. Next, power off your PC.
- Insert the newly created bootable USB drive into your computer and boot the computer using this USB device.
- Finally, connect the Samsung SSD to your computer and restore the data you backed up to the machine.
- Reboot your computer to finalize the transfer.
Other solutions to try out when faced with the data migration problem is to replace the SATA connector and make sure to connect it firmly. You may also connect it to a different port on the motherboard. You can also do the same for your USB cable.
Another common issue users face using the Samsung Data Migration tool is where the cloning fails due to an error while reading the disk. If you encounter this challenge, read this guide for detailed solutions to fix it.
