Which is best practice to clone?

Hi,

Has there any common problems when cloning running Windows XP onto new destination HDD?
Which method is considered most fool proof against possible Windows problems:

1. Attaching original disk to be cloned to 2nd PC as slave and create backup tib to 2nd PC using TI installed on 2nd PC. The system cloned is not running.
2. Installing TI onto PC which HDD I'd like to clone and create a backup tib to external USB drive. System is active. The clone will have TI installed, which often isn't needed to to be cloned with maintenace works.

3. Installing TI onto PC which HDD I'd like to clone and attach the new destination HDD to it's USB port as external HDD and to use clone function instead of full backup.


4. Create bootable TI CD. Boot from CD and create backup tib to any external HDD. System isn't active. Else I'd consider it a a best practice, except that the problem may be booting with full external USB HDD support.

Thanks.

 

Let's be sure that you mean clone. Cloning is used normally when you are planning on replacing the current boot drive with a different drive (newer, bigger, etc.). It's not normally used as a way to backup a drive which you intend to continue using.

Cloning is not used as a way to transfer Windows and programs between two PCs. The different hardware requires a new installation of Windows or other steps to make Windows bootable on a different PC.

The best way to clone is to:
1. Shut down the system and connect the second drive via the internal IDE or SATA drive connectors.
Do not restart the system under Windows!

2. Boot from the TI Recovery CD and clone the drive.

3. Shut down and remove the first drive and set the second drive as the boot device.
Do not restart the system under Windows with both drives attached.

4. Boot from the cloned drive.

You can now attach the original drive if you want to reformat it for use as a data drive.

An alternative which is far easier in my opinion is:
1. Make an image of the entire original drive to an external USB drive or a second internal drive. This can be done under Windows.

2. Replace the original drive with the new drive.

3. Boot from the TI Recovery CD (or a BartPE CD) and restore the image to the new drive.

4. Boot from the new drive.

 

Hello roberta,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

We are sorry for the delayed response.

Please be aware that as jmk94903 said the problems may occurred if you do not unplug one of the hard drives right after the disk cloning process finished. The point is that keeping two identical hard drives (hard drives having identical digital signatures) connected at the same time is "unpleasant" for Windows and might cause a number of boot and\or drive letter assignment problems. After you boot into Windows from one of the hard drives at least once, please feel free to turn off the computer and connect another disk.

I would also recommend that you have a look at these threads, which contains instructions of the successful clone procedure: <How I did a successful clone on my Sony laptop> and <Successful Clone - this method worked!>.

Thank you.
--
Aleksandr Isakov

 

Haven't been here in a while. Haven't needed to!!! Still using TI 8 (build 791). It has worked perfectly over the years when I have had to restore my HD for one reason or another. If it works, don't fix it.

I am considering getting a larger boot drive for my PC. I want to partition it and dual boot to Ubuntu (on the road to dumping Windows . . . I'll NEVER run Vista!). There is a second internal drive and also a USB drive on which I store .tibs of the boot drive.

The second method sounds like it would be the easiest. But you didn't address restoring an image to a drive that is going to be partitioned.

1.) Should the image be restored first and then the drive partitioned or

2.) can the image just go on the partition intended for Windows?

3.) Also by TI Recovery CD do you mean the boot disk from which I run the backup/restore? Or is this something different? Can it be done with TI 8??

4.) And last question . . . when I fianlly get things set up, will I be able to image both the XP and Linux partitions (the entire HD) into one .tib??

So many questions. Thanks for your assistance.

 

As long as you have the same hardware, TI 8 will be fine. However, when you buy a new computer or switch to a new motherboard, you will probably have to upgrade to get support for the new hardware.

I would partition the disk first since you know you want two partitions. Assuming Windows in now in the first partition of your current hard disk, put it in the first partition of the new disk. Confirm that Windows boots, and you are home free to install the Linux flavor of the month in the second partition.

You might consider a third partition for data or any items that you want to access from both operating systems. However, if you have a second internal hard disk and an external USB disk, this may not be needed.

I mean the CD that you can create in TI 8 to boot the system into the Linux environment to run TI. I think we are talking about the same thing.

Yes if you want to. Or you can image each partition separately.

 

Thanks so much! But one more question . . .

Will I run into a problem if the new partition size is larger than the original? I've done a little reading around the forum but am still confused.

 

You can resize the partition during restore, making it either larger or smaller (to a point -- it has to be large enough to contain the restored data) as necessary.

This can be done from either a full backup image and just selecting the partition to restore or from a single partition back.

If you restore a partition over an existing partition I think the default is to use the size of the existing partition.

 

Thanks. I think I've wrapped my brain around the process. The moment of truth will come sometime next week.

 

Oops one more. At the place where the surgery is taking place, they have the latest Acronis business version. Should we use their new boot disk or the one that I have for v.8. Would the new boot disk even be able to restore an image made with v.8?

 

Could you please elaborate how to resize the partition during restore? I do not remember seeing resizing option during restoration. I would like to learn howto. I use partition magic to resize the partition. Sarutaro

 

I have only used the later builds of 9 and currently version 10 so I don't know if the resize feature was available in earlier versions.

When your do the restore, you just check the partition (not the Disk # checkbox). A further step will allow you to resize the partition. When asked if you want to restore another drive/partition you select yes and go back to the list. Then you can select another partition or the MBR to restore. Once you have selected all the partitions you want to restore you just select "No, I don't want to restore another disk/partition" and continue with the restore.

If you check the Disk # checkbox to restore the entire drive image you will not be able to resize any of the partitions during the restore. In that case you would have to use another program (DD, Partition Magic, etc.) to resize.

 

A newer version of TI is supposed to work fine with images created in older versions. Some people have had problems, but "technically" it is supposed to work. Take your boot cd with you. That way you have it if they need it.

 

Thank you MudCrab.
I am currently using v. 10 but I did not pay attention to this one.
I restored tib yesterday for a minor problem. I should have known this procedure earlier. Thanks again. Sarutaro

 

Thanks again. I figured I'd take my disk with me. I'll report back once it's up and running.