Tech Help: Hard Drive Cloning

[eduardo]

Can anybody recommend any hard drive cloning software as I wish to replace several hard drives and I want to copy the entire hard drive with the operating system, all current software and settings and all the data from each indivdual hard drive and not mess about reinstalling everything manually?

Any recommendations?

Also I've never had to partition a hard drive before but is it difficult to do?

This might sound like a dumb question but if I get some cloning software that copies the partition information as well (when cloning) then does that mean that the cloning software partitions the drive for me or do I still have to clone it manually and copy the (cloned) partitions in their relevant sections on the new hard drive?

There are several free applications but I don't mind paying for one if it's good.

I was thinking of using this

Any help, advice or recommendations would be welcome and appreciated as always.

[Guilbert]

PC Pro magazine recommends Acronis True Image 10. There is a home version that is only about ?20.

More here:



PC Pro review here:



I use a product called Norton Ghost, but as it is no loner being updated I cannot really recommend it. Full support for Vista in Ghost seems lacking.

I have never used Acronis True Image but plan to have a look at it soon.

If Acronis works like Ghost then it does the partitioning for you. Of course if the new hard disk is bigger than the old hard disk it may ask you if you want to change the partition sizes when you are creating the clone.

[Guilbert]

One other useful thing that Ghost does which I assume Acronis does is creating a backup of your complete hard disk (as opposed to a clone).

I have two hard disks in my PC. I have Windows on my "C" drive and all my user files on the "D" drive.

To make the backup of the C drive I boot from the DOS Ghost diskette and ask Ghost to create a IMAGE of the "C" drive and store it on "D". It will compress the file while making the image

This takes maybe 20 minutes (depending what is on C")

Ghost creates one HUGE file (about 2 gigabytes) on the "D" drive that is the image of my "C" drive.

If anything goes wrong with my "C" drive (I get a virus or other problem) I then use Ghost to copy the IMAGE off the "D" drive and restore it to my "C" drive.

Within about 10 minutes I can have a brand new clean install of Windows on my "C" drive.

[eduardo]

The Acronis True Magic was one of the softwares that I was looking at so I think I might give that one a go.

Thanks for your help and for taking the time to post which I appreciate.

[sparky]

So far had nothing to do with Vista but 'proper' DOS Norton Ghost 2003 (file dated 30/05/03 (update 2) rather than 24/12/03 (update 3) which I have found less than reliable) that runs from a single boot Windows ME or 98SE floppy disk or bootable CD does everying I need. You can clone partitons of a drive or a complete drive.

If you have several partitions on a drive you may want to partition new drive first for control over partition sizes then clone each partition seperately. The new partition can be larger or smaller.

Yes it works with NTFS drives running WinXP and 2K.
Yes it works with SATA drives.
Yes with USBASPI.SYS it will work with USB External DVD writer and no reason why not external USB hard drive and still from 1 bootable floppy disc.

Should cloned hard drive not boot start PC from a Win98SE boot floppy/CD with FDISK on it and simply type
FDISK /MBR
First boot can be really slow but all will be fine there after.

Only hurdle I have yet to overcome is external USB DVD writer when the PC has no PS/2 keyboard port.

Current Ghost is a very different animal.

[eduardo]

Thanks Sparky for your help and I will check it out.

Thanks again.