What software to use for cloning a HDD 100%?

This batch file works. You could schedule it to run hourly. It will keep the backup folder the same as the source. A sync backup takes 11 seconds.

Code:

start "" F:\FastCopy211_64bit\fastcopy.exe /cmd=sync /exclude="$RECYCLE.BIN\";"System Volume Information\" D:\ /to="F:\Backup of D\"

 

I never tried neither looked into that, I just use the profile feature which is plenty enough for me. I also use a lot the fast delete feature...

 

Great, thanks for sharing !

 

Ok, will clone it in that case, thank you!!

What is IFW please? Once the cloning is done I also like to learn how to run batch files on a regular basis. This seems like the way to go for folders I like to keep in sync. Do you have a link on how to create and schedule to run a batch file hourly?

 

HGST was boughtby Western Digital way back 2012.

xttp://www.wdc.com/en/company/pressroom/releases/?release=96593e40-7be2-4ebf-ad35-68cf58ab194d

How come there are two HDD statistics there in your "little chart"..?

 

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive/
Notes: 2. Some of the HGST drives listed were manufactured under their previous brand, Hitachi. We’ve been asked to use the HGST name and we have honored that request.

 

IFW = Image for Windows from www.terabyteunlimited.com, very robust and powerful, slightly complex to use, all features can be accessed through command line too (there is a big instruction guide).

 

Last thing, HDClone only allows 2TB to clone in the free edition.

Is there other software that will allow me to clone 4TB while using Windows?
Note the HDD to clone is not an OS HDD, just data.

Since this is taking more or less 30 hours it would be great to be able to do work while cloning is in progress.

 

You seem reluctant to use Macrium for the clone. Why is that?

 

The fact that HDClone is still in business is a mystery to me. I used their product about half a year ago and it's full of glitches, so I quit using it soon enough. Terrible.

 

My experience differs, it find it quite efficient to clone full HDD and respect bit per bit layout. No other software has been able to do the same. The main gripe I have with them is that they have added online activation now with V5 and it's quite restrictive, plus the upgrade cost for major versions are steep to say the least.

 

As far as I know I cannot clone with Reflect Free while Windows is running?

HANG ON!

Similar to this lapsus I keep thinking I can only image and restore images with Macrium Free while it HAS the function to clone right there in front of me!!
Silly silly me! Making a mental note: Macrium CAN be used for cloning too!! Gosh..

So yeah will give Macrium Reflect Free, that I run and love since ages, a go for the cloning and report back.

Sorry for the confusion folks!!

 

Since the last post and this one the cloning has been going on with Macrium Reflect Free.

It does seem to go rather slow but the LEDs on the docking station (I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread what station I am using) indicate that data is taken from the source HDD and moved to the target HDD. Either the source LED or the target LED lights up. The HDDs together heat up but not so much that I cannot touch them for at least a minute. I miss a sector progress indicator for the cloning with Macrium Reflect Free though. Would be great to see where you are at exactly since with 4TB it can take ages for the progress bar to actually indicate progress.

To compare this to HDClone Free on a smaller HDD and cloning session. It went rather fast for 2TB. The HDDs got so hot I could not touch them and I don't think that is good, not sure, could not run Crystal Disk Info during cloning so don't know how hot they got exactly. The cloned HDD had many verify errors, once the cloning was done lots of folders on the target HDD could not be accessed, windows threw an error saying the folders are corrupt and would not let me open them. What I found most interesting was that the LEDs did both did light up at the same time, flickering fast, I guess indicating that both source and target are used at the same time. I guess this lead to higher temperatures, the verification errors and the corrupt folders. Of course I could be wrong.

Fingers crossed the longer and it seems to me somewhat, just from looking at the LEDs, more steady and slower cloning with Macrium Reflect Free, will work out.

Reporting back once done.

 

OK, Macrium Reflect Free just finished the cloning, said it took approx. 16 hours but I think it was at least double the amount. Checking folders and files, so far things seem to have been cloned without errors.

Is there a way to now verify all files on the disk about their status, whether they are intact or broken/corrupted? How would I go about doing this if it is possible at all.

 

You may use CDCheck to create a hash of the whole file tree on the source and compare it to the destinatation. Or use Total Commander and perform a folder synchronization with content comparison (just the analysis).

 

And the hash of the file tree can tell me if identical that the source and target are the same without errors?

Same for Total Commander?

 

Yep, that's the basic principle for the hash of a file. 2 different files may have the same hash but the probability is very low. Supposedly. I think Total Commander performs a bit per bit comparison, but I am not 100% sure.

 

Calculating the hash with CDCheck now and also got Total Commander. Do you know how to perform a folder synchronization with content comparison (just the analysis) in Total Commander? Is this function in the menu?

 

In Total Commander -> Commands -> Synchronise Dirs.. -> have checkboxes "Subdirs", "by content" and "ignore date" checked -> Show "Unequal files" and hit -> Compare

Is this what you meant?

 

Exactly what I would have replied... And I may add : take a long stroll at the seaside because this can be very long. One tip : disable the Antivirus so files are not scanned by the AV and this should speed up the process.

 

Actually going away for a week near the beach, though for work so no time for that, but will leave things running and perhaps fingers crossed when back I see a window with all "=" values. By the way I also asked Total Commander to show me files which exist on one side only, "singles" as well, though I highly doubt there will be one, fingers crossed.

CDCheck is also taking its time for the HDD hash creation, I am fine with that, better be safe now then discover in a month time when going back to old files on the clone, that files are corrupt.

To be clear if the hash of both HDDs is the same this would also mean that the files are not corrupt, can be opened and worked with? (given they were not faulty on the source HDD in the first place)

 

If the hash is the same on both sides it means the content is most certainly the same, there is really very little chance that the copy is different. If the source file is corrupt the destination will be too. But no corruption has occured, most probably, if the source is fine and the hash are the same.

 

BTW, I would chose .md5 as hash format, CRC32 is faster I guess but md5 gives a higher percentage of reliability.

 

Total Commander result:

File found 518023
Identical 518023
Different 0
Unique left 0
Unique right 0

I am super happy!!

Is there a way to get a log of the comparison?

CDCHECK .md5 hash file created for source HDD, it is about 75MB. Since I have the Total Commander result I think it has little use to do the hash calculation for the clone HDD, or would you still recommend it?

I am soon starting to wipe the faulty HDD with DBAN before returning it. The DoD version in DBAN should be efficient for the folks at HGST to not be able to recover the files? Or should I go extreme with 30+ rounds and another algorithm? Any alternatives to DBAN worth mentioning?

 

Not sure you can get a log file for TC comparison. If you have time, you have nothing to lose running CDCheck using the .md5 hash files. For erasing the old drive I would use CopyWipe Drive from Terabyteunlimited or from Windows, Privazer, an excellent solution.