Need help cloning XP pro laptop HDD

Hi all,
I've got a Dell Inspirion 8200 laptop running XP Pro SP2. Here's what I want to do:

1) Make an exact clone of my laptop HDD, and store it temporarily on an external USB HD.
2) Remove my laptop HDD, and replace it with a brand new one (empty).
3) Make the new HDD an exact duplicate of the old one, using the image stored on the external USB HD.

That's it; I'm not interested in general backup capabilities, disk organization, etc.

My questions:
-Will this work? Which Acronis product should I use? True Image? Migrate Easy? or...?

-Is there any way to do this without messing around with sysprep? (e.g., can I skip sysprep if I buy a new HD that's the exact same brand and model as the old one?)

Thanks

 

The latest True Image Home will work. Sysprep not needed, even if the hard drive was a different brand. The main thing is the drive is going into the same computer.

But be aware that in True Image terminology, Clone and Image are two different things.

Clone is a copy without compression of the source. So a cloned drive will be bootable immediately when it is replaces the original. When you make a clone, the destination drive gets wiped of any other files it had on it.

An Image of the entire drive is a compressed file of that drive, and has to go through the Recovery procedure before if will become bootable like the original. You can put an Image on another drive that has other files without the process wiping the other files.

To do what you want, you can, in fact, use the Clone feature. You just have to do it twice. But you will have to make what is called the Bootable Rescue Media CD after installing the True Image software. This cd will have the basic Backup (to make an Image), Clone, and Recovery features on it.

 

Thanks DwNdrty!

Let me see if I have this straight:

A) Install TI and make a Bootable Rescue Media CD.
B) Reboot the laptop from the Bootable Rescue Media CD and use it to make an Image of the original HDD on the external USB HDD.
C) Install the new (empty) HDD (any brand Ultra-ATA will do), then boot the laptop from the Bootable Rescue Media CD again.
D) Use the Recovery Feature on the Bootable Rescue Media CD to "restore" the image from the original laptop HDD (temporarily stored on the USB HDD) to the new HDD.

'zat right?

 

I used TI to upgrade my ThinkPad from a 40GB HDD to a 100GB HDD. I just took the old 40GB HDD out and installed it into an external USB case and installed the 100GB into my laptop I booted the TI Rescue Media CD and selected Copy and told it to copy my now external 40GB to my new internal 100GB. 20 minutes later it was done and it rebooted with all my programs and XP and everything. TI rocks!

 

Nightlink - you got it!

You can also do what KWheeler did if your usb drive is the type that is removable. But if the enclosure is for a 3.5 inch type, you will need an adapter for the laptop drive.

 

KWheelerAZ, that option never even occurred to me. I just checked newegg... man, USB enclosures are cheap! I think I'll give this a shot.

 

I use this very inexpensive USB to SATA/IDE adapter to clone my laptop hard disk.

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/712/dsc07071yo0.jpg

 

I have a similar looking one (IDE and SATA, 3.5 and 2.5) and it also works with True Image.

 

Yes, can backup/clone to 3.5" hard disk too.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9936/dsc07092xb4.jpg

 

I did that (almost exactly) with my laptop and it worked like a champ. The only thing I did differently was (in your item B) I created an image of my 40GB drive from within TI's Windows interface onto my external USB drive.

I then replaced the 40GB in my laptop with a faster 80GB, and using the Boot CD I successfully restored the image (as per your item D).

 

Hello Nightlink,

Thank you for your interest in Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please notice that previous posters are correct. Acronis True Image 10.0 Home is the solution that fits your needs. We recommend you to download and install the free trial version of Acronis True Image 10.0 Home to see how the software works on your computer. With the trial version of the product you will be able to fully use the windows version for a period of 15 days. The standalone version (bootable media) will have only restore function available.

You can find the detailed instructions on how to use Acronis True Image 10.0 Home in the respective User's Guide.

Thank you.
--
Marat Setdikov