I agree with OS-Wiz Acronis works well.
If you don't own it, and don't want to buy it, you can simply back up all your data, and install your new HDD.
Then, borrow a Windows 7 disc from anyone, and use your product code to activate it.
If you have an error on your hdd causing issues then cloning it would probably NOT be a good idea since it would most likely replicate the error on the new drive.At the minute I can't log in as normal due to error code 0142 which I have read suggests hdd is failing. And so I log on through a temporary log on as I had to do a recovery to log on atall. If I image my drive will I be able to log on as per normal one my new drive is up and running. Or will I still have a error code.
... AFAIK, there is no way to copy the entire drive via USB, even with Acronis. you would have to make an image of the drive as it is and from there put that image onto the new drive. ...
You can clone over USB with Acronis.
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It's a little slow but it works.