Brad - Before going any further, it would be a good idea if you posted the partition information that was displayed by Macrium. First, whether the internal drive is a MBR or GPT partitioned disk and the overall size; this is displayed at the top of the window. Next, how many partitions there are on the disk, including C: and D:, their names, the order they are in, the size of each one, the amount of data on each one and the type of format used. Here's an example of what I want to see:
GPT Disk 1 Hitachi 931.51 GB
1.) WinRE 400MB-255MB used NTFS
2.) System EFI 260MB-114MB used FAT32
3.) MSR 128MB-0MB used - (no format)
4.) System C: 903GB-44.5GB used NTFS
5.) Recovery D: 28GB-24.8GB used NTFS
In this example, Macrium flags #2, #3, and #4 as system partitions that must be cloned; the others would be left up to the user
I understand you already have D: backed up to your Toshiba, but please include it with this information. Depending on how much data there is stored on it, and how much data is on the other partitions, we will decide whether to include or exclude it when using Macrium to do the clone.
I understand you formatted the other Toshiba to NTFS and ended up with 297GB usable space, this is normal due to the partition table created in the formatting process, and 4096 bytes is default size for clusters in the NTFS filesystem. Macrium will reformat the target disk anyway, but it's good to know there's 297GB to work with.
I understand you shrank C: to 297GB to match the Toshiba, but since I'm unaware of the size of all the other partitions, you may have to go a bit further. I realize there's a 8.1GB recovery partition involved as well, and it is a good idea to save it, but don't do anything until we have the info for all the other partitions involved. Also, I think it's better to shrink a partition using the Windows Partition Manager rather than using the option to change partition size with Macrium.
In order to save the time and effort involved for me to explain how to use Macrium, I'm posting a link to their support site: http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50081.aspx Read everything, then watch the video at the bottom of the page. If you have any doubts, keep in mind that you can keep re-doing everything on the first page over and over until you think it's right, because the cloning process does not begin unless you go to the second page and click the button to start. Also, if you perform the clone and think you got it wrong, you can repeat the entire process. When you are done, and you want to test the Toshiba to see if it boots, shut down, leave the Toshiba connected, go into the case and remove the cable to the internal drive. When you re-boot, hit the key to enter BIOS settings, change the boot order to put the USB drive first, then exit BIOS and let it boot. If it works, just leave the internal drive in place and disconnected, it's probably the safest place to keep it. If it fails, shut down, re-connect the internal drive, and remember to enter BIOS and make that the first device.
As far as plan B, I'm giving you two links here. The first is for Rufus, a utility that is used to create a bootable USB stick. http://rufus.akeo.ie/ It's not too difficult to use, and like Macrium, if you get it wrong, just re-run it. The second is to a link to download the Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit ISO image. Digital River is authorized by Microsoft to make these images available.http://www.w7forums.com/threads/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads.12325/
I think the one you want is the second from the top, please verify this for yourself in case I am wrong. By using Rufus to make this image bootable, you will be able to install Windows from scratch if you have to. Test it first, but do NOT begin the installation process. You only want to see if it boots. Click the red x to close the program and shut down the machine. If you have a valid activation key, you can activate it during installation, or you have 30 days if you want to do it afterward. Remember, this is a fallback plan, it will save you a lot of time and effort to use Macrium and save what you already have.
One unanswered question: Can you boot your machine from USB by changing the BIOS settings? You have to know this for sure, otherwise booting from the Toshiba or the USB stick will not work. This is very important, you need to know for sure before going any further. Please post back with the partition info I requested, or if there's a problem using Macrium. Talk to you soon.