Replacing a Laptop HD

Please help me with the following practical problem:

I have a Dell laptop with a fast CPU but a lame 60GB HD, running XP-Pro, so I want to replace the HD with a faster and possibly larger one.

Since the laptop has only one ATA/IDE interface, I cannot clone the HD in the laptop, but have to use some intermediate medium, preferably another HD, e.g. one on my desktop, networked to the laptop, or possibly a USB drive connected to the laptop.

I have ATI 9.0.

I can immagine saving the laptop's disk image on the intermediate medium, but don't know how to get it back onto a new, virgin HD in the laptop.
I have not found a bootable (CD-)version of ATI to run on the laptop to restore the disk image from the intermediate medium.
What have I missed? Or will the Bootable Rescue Media do the trick?

Thanks for your suggestions.

Ruebezahl

 

Ruebezahl,

This is how I do it.

Network your laptop to a desktop
Image the laptop HD to a shared folder on the desktop using TI
Make a Reatogo XPE CD containing Mustang's TI plugin
Install the new HD in the laptop
In the laptop, boot to the above CD and map a network drive to the folder containing the backup image
Restore the backup image using the TI plugin

You could use a USB external HD instead of a network situation

Questions?

 

Thanks for your reply, Brian

The Reatogo XPE (or Bart PE?) CD was the missing link as far as the Restore part is concerned.

As a test, I just tried to clone, i.e. backup a partition on the laptop. ATI would not let me, because there was only one HD on the system. Aparently, saving the partition image on the network is not possible.
I could have backed-up, i.e. archived to a network drive, but then the MBR, FAT, etc. presumably would have been missing (according to the ATI Help file).

I am confused!

 

http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/notes.htm#14

Just some definitions. You need an image and not a "clone".

http://www.reatogo.de/

Use this in preference to BartPE. Much better networking.

http://www.mechrest.com/plugins/

You should be able (from Windows) to choose the desktop as the destination for your image. The image will contain the MBR. I think this is what you mean by "backed-up".

Don't worry. It will work.

 

If you have an external HD, I'd use it. It will save the networking steps. But still the same technique. Use an image not a clone.

Ask questions if I'm too cryptic.

 

ruebezahl,

Any news for us?

 

Hello ruebezahl,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please note that as Brian K said I would recommend that you use Backup tool of Acronis True Image 9.0 Home to create the image archive of your sustem and store it on the network shared folder or external USB hard drive. Since you would like to replace you current drive with the new one you would better select "The entire disk contents or individual partition" when the Backup Wizard prompt you select the backup type. Acronis True Image will create a sector-by-sector snapshot of the disk, which includes the operating system, registry, drivers, software applications and data files, as well as system areas hidden from the user. Also all the disk partitions as well as the zero track with master boot record (MBR) will be included into the image archive.

After you get a new hard drive you can plug in to the computer, boot the computer from the Acronis True Image Bootable CD and restore the created image.

If you would like to transfer your operating system from IDE to SATA hard drives, please take a look at this article.

I would also recommend that you have a look at this FAQ article explaining the difference between Clone Disk and Backup approaches in more detail. Also Acronis Public Knowledge Base and this article providing the illustrated instructions on Acronis True Image 9.0 Home installation and usage can be usefull.

I could assume that you use one of the old build of Acronis True Image 9.0 Home. Please note that starting with the build 3567 both entire hard drive and partition image archives include all files and folders independent of their attributes (including hidden and system files), boot record, FAT (file allocation table), root and the zero track of the hard disk with master boot record (MBR).

You can download the latest build (3677) here of Acronis True Image 9.0 Home. To get access to updates you should first register your software.

The builds 3567 and higher are based on a new engine and therefore we recommend that you uninstall the previous version/build of Acronis True Image prior to the installation of these builds of Acronis True Image 9.0 Home using Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs -> Acronis True Image.

You can find more information on how to use Acronis True Image 9.0 in the respective User's Guide.

Thank you.
--
Aleksandr Isakov