Clone failed – Error 9. Are you getting this error message when you try to clone your HDD to an SSD? Other users have also reported encountering this error code while cloning their HDD to a new HDD, rendering it impossible to clone the drive. 

While Macrium Reflect is a great cloning and imaging tool, error code 9 can make things a little bit complicated. The error message may be triggered by a number of things, ranging from antivirus to damaged sectors on your hard drive. 

If you are encountering this error message, read on to understand what it is as well as how to troubleshoot and fix it on your own.

What Is Macrium Reflect

Macrium Reflect is essentially a backup tool that has been developed by Paramount Software UK Ltd for Microsoft Windows. The program uses the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service to create disk images as well as file backup archives. 

Macrium may be used to clone an entire disk onto another disk, backup individual files, and fielders, or entire partitions. This makes it one of the most reliable, and convenient cloning utility tools available today. 

Even so, you may encounter bugs from time to time while using this software. One of the commonest Macrium Reflect bugs you may come across is the Macrium Reflect clone failed error 9. So what exactly triggers this error message? 

Macrium Reflect Clone Failed Error 9 Causes 

There are a number of things that can prevent the Macrium Reflect tool from cloning your data successfully. Other problems may even prevent the program from running in the first place. Discussed below are some of the things that are known to trigger clone failed error 9 on Macrium Reflect: 

Damaged Storage Sectors 

If some of the sectors on the storage disk you are trying to clone or the recipient disk are damaged, you are likely to encounter the Macrium error code 9. The solution would be to first fix the damaged sectors(s) before trying to clone the disk once again. 

Improper Cable Connection 

In this case, the cable you are using to connect the secondary storage device to the computer may be damaged. Again, the same problem may occur is the device is not connected to the computer as it should. In either case, the computer will not be able to detect the secondary storage device appropriately. 

This may, in turn, result in the Macrium Reflect clone error 9. The solution, in this case, would be to get a good cable and ensure that the second disk is properly connected, and detected by the computer before starting the cloning process. 

Disk File System Error 

If the target disk you are trying to copy files to happens to have a corrupted file system, it may be impossible for Macrium to complete the operation. This will, in turn, trigger the “clone failed – error 9” message on your screen. 

Interference by Antivirus Software 

Although the program is harmless, the Antivirus program on your computer may detect it as malicious, hence prevent it from running. This may also trigger error code 9 on the Macrium Reflect utility. In this case, you just need to whitelist Macrium on your Antivirus to resolve the cloning problem.  

How to Fix Macrium Reflect Clone Failed Error 9 

In most cases, the clone failed error 9 on Macrium Reflect is caused by the improper connection of the destination disk to the computer. As such, it is advisable to check the connection and correct it before trying the more advanced solutions discussed in this guide. 

If the disk is properly connected, but are still getting error 9, here are a couple of solutions you should try implementing: 

Method 1: Run CHKDSK Utility

As mentioned earlier in this guide, this error message may be triggered by damaged sectors on the hard disk. To fix the problem, you need to repair the damaged sectors accordingly. One of the best ways to achieve this is to run the CHKDSK, especially on Windows 10. 

The objective here is to check and fix any damaged Secord and other similar errors on your hard disk that may be causing the clone failed problem. Here is how you should go about it: 

Step 1: Launch the Command Prompt 

Press the Windows key on the keyboard to display the Start menu. On the search box, type ‘Command Prompt’ and press enter. Select the Command Prompt entry on the search results, right-click on it, and select ‘Run as Administrator’.

Step 2: Run the CHKDSK Command 

Type *: /f /r  into the command prompt dialog box (whereby * is the letter representing your source drive), and then press Enter. Running this command will scan the source disk in your computer, and repair all errors, corrupted files, and bad sectors it may come across. 

Once the computer is down repairing the source disk, type Exit, and press Enter to close the command prompt window. Thereafter, you can launch and run the Macrium Reflect utility to check whether the Macrium Reflect clone failed error had been fixed.  

If you are still getting the error message, try the following solution. 

Method 2: Disable Antivirus Software

If the antivirus program on your computer has blacklisted the Macrium reflect utility, it will be impossible for you to clone the drive. If this is the problem in your case, you need to whitelist the Macrium utility on the Antivirus or just disable the Antivirus for the time being. 

In this regard, you should  temporarily and try running the Macrium Reflect utility. If you happen to have multiple Antivirus programs on your computer, you should do the same for all of them before attempting to clone the disk. 

If the cloning process goes through uninterrupted, the problem was the antivirus program. Should you get the clone failed error 9 message, you have a different problem altogether. In either case, remember to enable the Antivirus program(s) once you are done. 

Method 3:Clean the Target Disk 

A corrupted file system on the target disk may also make it impossible for the Macrium reflect utility to clone your files. In this case, the best solution would be to clean the target disk and repair the corrupted file system before you can clone the files. 

To do this, open the Run dialog box from the Start Menu. You can do this by right-clicking on the Windows 10 Start menu, and then selecting Run. Type ‘Diskpart’ into the dialog box that pops up, and press Enter. 

Alternatively, you can press the Windows key to display the Start Menu, type ‘Diskpart’, and then press Enter. Now click on the best match on the search results to run the command. 

Method 4: Make an Image Rather than Cloning

If the above-discussed solutions have not played off, you should try making an image instead of cloning the disk with Macrium Reflect. A disk image on Macrium Reflect is a type of storage file that serves as a backup copy of the contents of a hard drive.

It contains all the data and the necessary information required to boot into the operating system. With this method, you will be able to back up the hard drive to an external hard drive, and thereafter restore the image to your new hard drive or SSD.

By so doing, the system and other necessary data will be copied to the new disk as well. A considerable number of users have been able to work around the “clone failed – error 9” screen by just creating an image. 

Method 5: Ignore Bad Sectors

If you do not have the time to clean the disk or repair damaged sectors prior to closing your disk, you may opt for the easiest and fastest workaround—ignore the bad sectors warning. This solution is particularly useful if you encounter the Macrium Reflect error 9 while creating an image. 

In such a case, ignoring the message can get you past the error screen, and allow you to successfully clone your disk. To do this, launch the Macrium Utility on your computer. On the top of the window, click on the Advanced tab. 

Navigate to the left lane, and click on the ‘Advanced Backup Options’. On the window that comes up, you need to check the box corresponding to the ‘Ignore Bad Sectors’ option. This will allow the computer to overlook the bad sectors error while creating images with the Macrium Reflect utility. 

Final Verdict

If you are getting the clone failed error on Macrium Reflect, you will not be able to clone or create images of your hard disk onto a secondary disk. As you have learned throughout this guide, this error message may be triggered by a third-party antivirus, bad sector, or just a corrupted file system on the target disk. 

In order to clone or create an image of the disk, you will need to troubleshoot and fix the problem accordingly. If the above solutions have failed completely, you may need to try a different climbing utility, such as the MiniTool Partition Wizard or the MiniTool ShadowMaker.

Not so, try the last solution on this guide to just bypass the Macrium Reflect clone failed error 9 error message.

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