How to Clone a Hard Drive Discussion
- Thread starter johnb35
- Start date
spynoodle
Active Member
It wasn't quite a full-blown failure, but just a bad sector and some blue screens and system issues to go along with it. I'll edit that out.
spynoodle
Active Member
No prob! Glad you liked it!Hello!!!!
Thanks for posting ....its really helpful!!!!
kobaj
VIP Member
It is a nice guide but I would edit a few things.
First I would put in a section on testing your hard drive. No point on cloning it if the drive's errors are with the bits and not the physical device. As johnb35 said, that would just transfer all the issues to the new drive. Unless of course the person just wanted a duplicate of all his data. Then a test is pretty much unnecessary.
Basically, Every Manufacturer has their own HDD tests that you can burn to CDs. Boot up into the test, run extended, and if /that/ fails with something like sector read error, THEN clone. If it tests fine, the data is bunk, and a clone is unnecessary and the drive is fine. However, it should be noted, most manufacturers also include sector repair software tools with their tests.
THEN run a clone with Clonezilla.
However, the SATA to PATA thing is rubbish, I've cloned probably a good 100 drives in the last month or so for work, and I know a lot of them were SATA to PATA. You just have to run the right tools/clone software ;D.
First I would put in a section on testing your hard drive. No point on cloning it if the drive's errors are with the bits and not the physical device. As johnb35 said, that would just transfer all the issues to the new drive. Unless of course the person just wanted a duplicate of all his data. Then a test is pretty much unnecessary.
Basically, Every Manufacturer has their own HDD tests that you can burn to CDs. Boot up into the test, run extended, and if /that/ fails with something like sector read error, THEN clone. If it tests fine, the data is bunk, and a clone is unnecessary and the drive is fine. However, it should be noted, most manufacturers also include sector repair software tools with their tests.
THEN run a clone with Clonezilla.
However, the SATA to PATA thing is rubbish, I've cloned probably a good 100 drives in the last month or so for work, and I know a lot of them were SATA to PATA. You just have to run the right tools/clone software ;D.
spynoodle
Active Member
Thanks for the advice! I do have a small section in the FAQ about running chkdsk in Windows, but I'll add another Q about testing the drive.
I'll also edit out the SATA to PATA part a bit.
Take the drive out and take it to your local computer shop, best buy, fry's, tiger direct/compusa and tell them you need another drive just like it but bigger.
Does it have the wide flat ribbon cable attached to it or the thin cable?
Let me know what the end of the drive looks like.
picture 1
picture 2
spynoodle
Active Member
Thanks for the suggestion! It seems like the free version of that program, though, doesn't support certain features, such as the cloning of SCSI drives. This might prove to be a problem for some users. Thanks for the option, though!
Hi thwew thanks for the guide.
Once I cloned my old hard drive onto my new one using 'Clonezilla', all my files went on the new hard drive successfully but , once I plugged it in; I realised the hard drive wasn't bootable as there was no operating system on it. The computer told me to insert the Windows 7 Home Premium CD.
Is there any way I could repeat the cloning process with a program that allows the new hard drive to be bootable too? Because I think I'm going to have to resort to pirating a Windows 7 ISO and then using my product key for it (which isn't illegal, as I have my licensed product key, right?).
Once I cloned my old hard drive onto my new one using 'Clonezilla', all my files went on the new hard drive successfully but , once I plugged it in; I realised the hard drive wasn't bootable as there was no operating system on it. The computer told me to insert the Windows 7 Home Premium CD.
Is there any way I could repeat the cloning process with a program that allows the new hard drive to be bootable too? Because I think I'm going to have to resort to pirating a Windows 7 ISO and then using my product key for it (which isn't illegal, as I have my licensed product key, right?).
spynoodle
Active Member
Hmm, that's strange. Are you doing a full drive clone, rather than partition-to-partition? Also, are you using the cloned drive on the same computer as the original? If so, then you might want to try re-cloning. If it still doesn't work, then try running an error scan on the original drive, as explained in the bottom of the guide.
Twinbird24
Member
Great guide, Thanks!
datarecoverydude
New Member
Nortan Ghost is a nice easy way to clone a drives data from a boot CD. If your drives on the way out or slowing down you dont want to spend ages imaging unused space.
Why did the guide not mention other cloning software such as ****** Todo Backup Free or Macrium Reflect or a paid version of Acronis TrueImage. Also, some of the hard drive makers provide a free version of Acronis TrueImage designed to clone where the drives involved are their brand.
Umm, why is the brand name for ****** Todo Backup Free censored out? LOL
Umm, why is the brand name for ****** Todo Backup Free censored out? LOL
spynoodle
Active Member
I just don't really use paid software when it's not necessary. Since Clonezilla is free and platform-intepedent, it's become my personal preference.
Well, I personally like the fact that Clonezilla is open-source. Also, as I said above, it's platform-independent. This lets me use it on any OS.
djarvis1one
New Member
"-An IDE/SATA cable, depending on your type of drive. Make sure that you can plug two drives into your cord. It is also possible to clone an IDE drive to a SATA drive, or vice versa."
What exactly did you mean by this statement? Is there a SATA cable that can support two drives at once or do you mean a ribbon cable for an IDE drive?
What exactly did you mean by this statement? Is there a SATA cable that can support two drives at once or do you mean a ribbon cable for an IDE drive?
SATA are designed to be one device, one channel. I believe the poster was referring to IDE ribbon cables, where you can have two drives connected.
I will second the HDClone recommendation; I have used it several times to 'upgrade' laptop hard drives. With the "Basic" package (about $25 US when I bought it), you can clone IDE to SATA or move individual partitions.
I will second the HDClone recommendation; I have used it several times to 'upgrade' laptop hard drives. With the "Basic" package (about $25 US when I bought it), you can clone IDE to SATA or move individual partitions.
spynoodle
Active Member
I see what you mean. I meant it just for IDE cables, but I guess I should of worded it better.
It sounds like this HDClone program is really nice, although I still couldn't see paying for a program that you could get an alternative to for free.