Does True Image Clone ThinkPad HPA?

I have a T41 ThinkPad XP Pro with a 30GB Hitachi HD. I bought a 160 GB Seagate Maximus to replace the Hitachi, intending to clone it via an external enclosure on the USB. I read there could be some problems in cloning this laptop's HD due a hidden partition IBM used to store the Rescue and Recovery software. In the article, it was referred to as a Host Protected Area (HPA).

I have three questions:

First, will TI clone this hidden partition plus the C: partition and produce a fully-functional system drive?

Second, if it does, will I be able to swap the old and new drives back and forth - in other words, does TI do anything to the old drive that would make it inoperable?

Three, if I can find a way to get rid of that HPA, would TI be a complete replacement for the vendor-provided R&R software?

BTW, my version of TI is 7.0. Got it several years ago, just getting around to having a need for it.

Thanks for your help.

 

Hello mbient,

Thank you for your interest in Acronis True Image

1. Acronis True Image will clone HPA but it should be removed from the destination hard drive to restore its original capacity. This can be done using Hitachi Feature Tool (CD ISO image):

• Go to the Hitachi website at http://www.hitachigst.com;
• Select Downloads & Utilities;
• Under Feature Tool click CD Image to download the tool.

2. No it doesn’t influence to the original drive.
3. You can use Acronis True Image for clone and backup/restore purposes, I may recommend you upgrade Acronis True Image 7.0 to the most current version Acronis True Image Home 2009 just for $29.99

Best regards,
--
Dmitry Nikolaev