Successful Clone - this method worked!

I used the following clone procedure and it went like a dream – both the old and the new drive work fine .

System:
All HDs are internal PATA 100. Windows XP Home SP1. Acronis TI 9 v2337
Drive 0 (Seagate) 60Gb set as the Master, Primary drive with C: (boot/OS), D: and E: partitions. HD is about 50% full.
Drive F: DVD/CD, Drive G: DVD/CD burner.
Drive 1, Slave Seagate 120 Gb is just for data: partitioned as H: 8Gb, I: 12Gb and J: 100Gb (mainly for Video)
I want to clone the 60Gb to a Seagate 80Gb and then keep this cloned drive safe in case the old 60Gb drive fails.


Steps
1 Create the Acronis boot CD. Since I only want to clone, I do not make any images nor create a Secure Zone. I also generated one 3.5” floppy with the Acronis Fix MBR programme – just in case.

2 Drive 0 was then defragmented and Chkdisk run - all OK.

3 Switch off, remove Drive 1: Switch on to confirm that Windows works and that Drive 1 (120Gb) is not there. All is fine, system runs with just C: D: E: F: and G:

4 JUST before switch off, open F: DVD/CD drive drawer (I can’t get it open without power). The reson is that when I next switch on, I want to BOOT FROM the Acronis boot CD.

5 Fit the 80Gb as the Slave and then ONLY BOOT from the TI9 boot disk.

6 Perform the cloning while running TI9 outside of windows using the “Manual” method to alter the partition sizes to suit the larger 80Gb drive. Acronis reported the 60Gb drive a C:, E: and F: but this was not a problem.

The time taken to clone was 37minutes. as expected, there wasn’t a progress bar (this was reported in the forum) when using the boot CD.

7 When complete, close the TI boot “window”. The PC wanted to re-boot so I quickly opened the drawer, removed the CD and switched it off. I DID NOT WANT Windows see the two drives.

8 Remove the 80Gb Drive, switch on to make sure the old 60Gb drive would boot with XP. It did and looked no different than when last running windows. Big sigh of relief; the MBR had not been corrupted.

9 Switched off, removed the 60Gb drive, fitted the 80Gb drive as MASTER, switched on. It booted with XP and everything looked just like it did with the old drive. The only thing I noted was that when booting from the new drive for the first time, Windows XP Home said “found new hardware” need to reboot. The message was too quick to read.
XP Disk management reported the new cloned 80Gb drive to be Drive 0 with C: (boot/OS), D: and E: partitions. The sizes were as I chose by not using the Automatic but by using the “Manual” method when asked.

10 Finally, refitted the 60Gb as master, the 120Gb as slave and everything appears to be the same as before except I have a “safeguard” 80Gb drive to use for when the 60Gb fails to work one fine morning!


I believe the secret is to ONLY use the TI boot CD and not let TI9 run under Windows.

Hope this helps.

RetiredBri

 

Hello RetiredBri,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Sharing your experience is very much appreciated.

If you have any further experience to share, please feel free to post it on this forum.

Thank you.
--
Alexey Popov

 

Nice one RetiredBri.

Still, the general user will not have the wherewithall to jump through those hoops that you did, albeit simple enough for one with a little experience and not afraid to open the case, disconnect and reconnect drives etc.

Making a cloned drive should be more straightforward than that ... IMHO.

And the lack of progress bars ... a definite "turn off" - pardon the pun.

Also one cannot rely on the "Clone created successfully" message at the end of the process as some have found out too late. You have to test the Clone before it is really needed!