Clonig disk with dual boot XP and Vista

Hi, I spent 3 days searching here and didn't succes, so I hope there is no similar thread, solving my problem.

I have 3HDD now, one, IDE 250GB with 3 partitions, 1st 20 000MB is XP, 2nd 50 000MB Vista and 3rd is empty (after loosing it suddenly and not being able to restore it, no matters). (getting size this way because of problems listed below)
Then I have SATA drive only with data.
Last one, the new one i got because I'm afraid of loosing whole 1st disk by physical demage:/ It's SATA 160GB and I want to clon my 1st disk to here.

I found Norton Ghost 14, tried, didn't work. The I found TI 10 and found it very useful and seemd to me very pro. Didn't work, si I started to look arround web. I found one site http://www.multibooters.co.uk/cloning.html - very helpful in understanding how booting works and also I tried "generalizing BCD" - seems to me that causes first problems After cloing disk again and trying to repair BCD from Vista DVD, I have now 4 item in boot menu. Older verzions of Win, Vista and twice Vista (restored). Then I found this forum and thanked to god for it. Great, lots of similar problems, lots of potentional solvings. No at all First I tried TI 11 - because of compatibility with vista. Because my old disk is bigger then the new one, I had to manually set size of each partition, and there I found another problem. I was setting it for 20 and 50GB, not for 20000 and 50000 MB which is smlaar then 20/50GB. I found a thread that contained solution that TI 11 is not working well with changeing partition size. So I tried partition "As is" and seemd great for me, XP and Vista partitons were the same and the emtpy one get smaller. As I wished. But it didn't wor properly. When I tried to boot from the new disk I get the same 4items menu, Xp works fine, normal Vista had problem with missing winload.exe and the one of the vista (restored) too and the second one strats to boot. BUT i showa the "processing" bar movving, then the display gets black (like turned off) and thene it lite up inblack (HDD can be heard is working) and there it get stuck. and won't move. When I plug in my old HDD it gets to Vista properly (even through the 4item menu and one of restored vista item)but still workin. The new one, JUST XP.

So what I need is a proper manual at first how to fix my boot menu (to have there just two options for each system and then, how to clearly and smoothly clone my disk.

for info I use Xp pro 32-bit and Vista business 64-bit.

if any additional info neede, just ask. I'm lost and don't know where to go now and I really don't wone re-instal because of so much app allready instaleld on both systems.

I know that this forum is really helpful, so I hope there is a hope for me too
Thak you all for responds.
Dweep.

 

Ijust tried rescue CD and utility Secure zone - wasn't able even get to boot menu - and also tried cloning disck without succes

 

Cloning is not the feature you should use. You need to use Backup, which makes an Image. Then follow this by Recovery, which restores that Image.

Boot with the ver 10 cd and do a Backup of your entire existing 250Gb drive - put the check mark on Disk 1 in the Backup window. As long as the total used space on the 250 ide is less than the 160 Sata the Backup/Recovery feature should work.

 

Ok, I'm gonna try it, just some info, can I use for backup free partition on 3rd new destination disk? Should I delete the first two partitions to be recovered from a backup image or the partitions should be prepared?

 

I would use the "old" Sata as the Destination for the Backup Image. Then when that is done, remove the 250 Ide and connect the new Sata.

The Recovery process will wipe any partitions from the new Sata and during the process it should automatically restore what you had on the 250 Ide proportionately.

 

great, get the same opinion and now i'm cleaning up backup space...thanx for now

 

unfortunetly booting from CD (TI 11) in cloning section saw all my drives, but in beackuping it offered me just two of them. Not the one I cleaned for backup so I wasn't able to perform it. Now i'm at work and in the mornin' I'm leavin' home for a few days, so next advise I'll try on mondey.

Should I perform the backup from Vista? or from XP? and do the recovery from booted CD?

 

So that must be the Sata drive that it doesn't see, is that correct? If so, then it will not see the new Sata when you connect it. And in case of an emergency restore, you want the bootable cd to see the Sata drive.

You will have to make something like the BartPE or VistaPE cd which has the Acronis plugin in the cd.

 

Yes, it doesn't see the SATA drive, used only for data and this si the first time it doesn't see it. Dunno why, because the NEW SATA it sees and because there is non bootable system clone there, it also offers me to backup it, which I uncheck.

BartPE or VistaPE cd ?? what is that?

 

Wait ... are you saying that the True Image bootable CD sees the new sata? That's odd that it wouldn't see the old one. Do you know what the difference is between the two? I wonder if it is because you have both SATAs connected at the same time?

 

Yeah, righ...that seems to me odd too. That why I mentioned it... The difference new/old is in size 160/320 and I thing in producer segate/WD ....

 

In that case then, try this:
1. With the TI boot cd, make a backup of the 250 IDE to the new Sata.
2. Boot up into Windows with the 250 and transfer the Backup Image from the new Sata to any partition on the 250 that has enough space - maybe the empty 3rd part.
3. Boot with the TI boot cd again and carry out the Recover to restore the Image to the new Sata.

I don't use Sata drives so I'm not sure if they use jumpers like IDE. If they do, check that you have the jumper correct on the WD drive. In the IDE world a WD drive has the funkiest way to connect jumpers depending on whether the drive is a single or has a slave with it.

 

Oh sure, thats an idea... why didn't come up to my mind bymy self? thaks I'll try this asap.
?Can you please predict any other possibilities of problems in this case? to discuss them earlier then on monday?
By the way, Now, when I have practicly 2 bootable systems on IDE and 2 demaged systems on new SATA, is there any way how to fix the boot menu on IDE? will it help, if I format the NEW sata and clean any marks of another system and then try to repair booting from Vista DVD?

 

I don't know what problems you might run into. And you won't know till you try it.

You lost me with the mention of two bootable systems on IDE. I thought we were dealing with one IDE, one old Sata and one new Sata.

 

I meant thwo systems on one IDE disk, XP and Vista on separated partitons.
Ok, thank you very much for help for now, I'll continue with my progres on monday. Thank you also for so quick responds

This forum is really great, with helpful people.

 

Let's do the Backup and Recovery first and see how that goes. If successful then move on to the dual boot of Vista and XP. But unless it is somehow tied into True Image it will be off topic ... and someone else will have to help with that as I don't know much at all about dual booting.

 

But I'd prefer to solve this problem first, you know, to recover "proper and clean" system with clean boot menu. But yes, it doesn't matters which one first
Thank you for your help. I'll post result on Monday.