I want to change a clone of the OS partition on the same m2 SSD to be the boot partition.

Optimizing Your M.2 SSD: Switching the Boot Partition to a Clone of Your OS

If you’re looking to reconfigure your M.2 SSD to prioritize a cloned OS partition as your primary boot volume, you’re not alone. Many users prefer to create a seamless transition without reinstalling or complicated setups. In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of shifting your current OS clone into the boot position on the same physical drive, ensuring smooth operation within a UEFI/GPT environment.

Understanding Your Current Setup

From your description, your Windows Disk Management snapshot indicates the following:

The current system partition is labeled C: but is actually a clone of your OS, designated as D:.
The actual boot partition (C:) seems to be different from the OS clone.
You intend to replace the current boot partition with the clone, effectively making the clone the primary boot volume.
You have a complete offline backup of your original OS.

Key Considerations Before Proceeding

Ensuring the clone’s bootability: Since the clone is a sector-by-sector copy, it should theoretically be bootable; however, additional adjustments may be necessary.
UEFI/GPT environment: Your system uses UEFI firmware with GPT partitions, which generally simplifies partition management.
Data safety: Backups are essential. You’ve mentioned having an offline image, but consider creating a backup of the current state before making any changes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Preparation:
Confirm the clone is bootable—test it on a different drive if possible.
Create a full backup to prevent data loss.
Use reliable disk management tools such as Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Partition Assistant, or EaseUS Partition Master—many of these offer free versions.
Shrink or move partitions if needed:
To clone or modify partitions, ensure there’s enough unallocated space or that your clone resides on a partition compatible with the desired configuration.
Set the clone as the active/boot partition:
Use your disk management tool to set the cloned partition as “Active” (note: on GPT disks, the concept of “Active” is not strictly required, but you need to ensure the EFI System Partition—ESP—is correctly configured).
Repair or update the EFI Boot Records:
Boot from a Windows installation media or recovery drive.
Access the Command Prompt.
Use bcdboot to recreate the Boot Configuration Data (BCD