Hi,
I'm going to need a larger master drive, so I'm planning on cloning
using Acronis 9. My question is this, can I remove my #2 HDD which is
"D", put in the new HDD on that secondary, do the cloning, remove the
old "C" Drive and replace it with the new larger cloned drive, put the
"D" drive back into that slot, and expect all this to go smoothly? The
clone software will expand the old partition to the new size, what
worries me is that my existing C drive is Fat32 and the new drive will
no doubt have to be formated NTFS.

Thanks,
Joan

"Joan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> Hi,
> I'm going to need a larger master drive, so I'm planning on cloning
> using Acronis 9. My question is this, can I remove my #2 HDD which is
> "D", put in the new HDD on that secondary, do the cloning, remove the
> old "C" Drive and replace it with the new larger cloned drive, put the
> "D" drive back into that slot, and expect all this to go smoothly? The
> clone software will expand the old partition to the new size, what
> worries me is that my existing C drive is Fat32 and the new drive will
> no doubt have to be formated NTFS.
>
> Thanks,
> Joan


Joan:
You're on the right track. It would be best to disconnect your "#2 HDD"
prior to the disk cloning operation. It's always best to have connected
*only* your source disk (your C: drive in this instance) and your
destination disk (your new HDD) during the disk cloning operation. There's
no need to physically remove that #2 HDD - just disconnect its power/data
cable. (I'm assuming that you plan to retain that drive in your system
following the disk cloning operation).

As things now stand your newly-cloned HDD will retain the same file system
as your source disk, i.e., the FAT32 file system. You could - prior to the
disk cloning operation - convert your present boot drive to NTFS and then go
through the disk cloning operation so that the cloned disk will have the
NTFS. But I would recommend that you perform the disk cloning operation with
your current C: drive (including its FAT32 file system) and *then* convert
your destination drive (your new HDD) to NTFS. That way you would avoid any
problems in the unlikely event things go awry with the conversion process of
your source disk - your present C: drive. And you would still have your
original source disk intact - *always* a desirable thing.

Please understand there is no need to format your new HDD NTFS prior to the
disk cloning operation. As mentioned above, the destination disk will take
on the file system of the source disk.

You haven't said what you intend to do with your present C: drive. Will that
be a third internal HDD in your system? Or will you be using it in an
external enclosure? That could be desirable for maintaining a backup system
using your Acronis disk imaging program on a routine basis.

I assume you've worked with the Acronis program before. But if you (or
anyone else) need step-by-step instructions for using that program, please
so indicate and I'll post them again.
Anna

"Joan" wrote

> Hi,
> I'm going to need a larger master drive, so I'm planning on cloning
> using Acronis 9. My question is this, can I remove my #2 HDD which is
> "D", put in the new HDD on that secondary, do the cloning, remove the
> old "C" Drive and replace it with the new larger cloned drive, put the
> "D" drive back into that slot, and expect all this to go smoothly? The
> clone software will expand the old partition to the new size, what
> worries me is that my existing C drive is Fat32 and the new drive will
> no doubt have to be formated NTFS.

Just to emphasize one thing to yours and Anna's post, after you clone the
new drive, (with the only drives in the system being the original boot drive
as Master and the new drive as slave), remove all drives and boot up only
with the new drive in the Master position. After the first boot you can
reinstall the old slave drive.

--
Rock [MVP - User/Shell]

On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 10:57:55 -0500, "Anna" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

Thanks for the tips, I'll do the clone and then convert the file
system, makes sense, but what about the fat32 30 GB limit, what will
happen with that as I plan on getting >80 GB replacement drive. Will
the partition size be recognised properly after converting the file
system? I only want the one large partition on the new drive so as to
preserve the #2 HDD's drive letter. I know the cons of doing it that
way, but it seems best for me. Another thought, I've read that Casper
3.0 will do the conversion automatically during the cloning process,
is it worth it to buy this software? TIA

>
>"Joan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> Hi,
>> I'm going to need a larger master drive, so I'm planning on cloning
>> using Acronis 9. My question is this, can I remove my #2 HDD which is
>> "D", put in the new HDD on that secondary, do the cloning, remove the
>> old "C" Drive and replace it with the new larger cloned drive, put the
>> "D" drive back into that slot, and expect all this to go smoothly? The
>> clone software will expand the old partition to the new size, what
>> worries me is that my existing C drive is Fat32 and the new drive will
>> no doubt have to be formated NTFS.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Joan
>
>
>Joan:
>You're on the right track. It would be best to disconnect your "#2 HDD"
>prior to the disk cloning operation. It's always best to have connected
>*only* your source disk (your C: drive in this instance) and your
>destination disk (your new HDD) during the disk cloning operation. There's
>no need to physically remove that #2 HDD - just disconnect its power/data
>cable. (I'm assuming that you plan to retain that drive in your system
>following the disk cloning operation).
>
>As things now stand your newly-cloned HDD will retain the same file system
>as your source disk, i.e., the FAT32 file system. You could - prior to the
>disk cloning operation - convert your present boot drive to NTFS and then go
>through the disk cloning operation so that the cloned disk will have the
>NTFS. But I would recommend that you perform the disk cloning operation with
>your current C: drive (including its FAT32 file system) and *then* convert
>your destination drive (your new HDD) to NTFS. That way you would avoid any
>problems in the unlikely event things go awry with the conversion process of
>your source disk - your present C: drive. And you would still have your
>original source disk intact - *always* a desirable thing.
>
>Please understand there is no need to format your new HDD NTFS prior to the
>disk cloning operation. As mentioned above, the destination disk will take
>on the file system of the source disk.
>
>You haven't said what you intend to do with your present C: drive. Will that
>be a third internal HDD in your system? Or will you be using it in an
>external enclosure? That could be desirable for maintaining a backup system
>using your Acronis disk imaging program on a routine basis.
>
>I assume you've worked with the Acronis program before. But if you (or
>anyone else) need step-by-step instructions for using that program, please
>so indicate and I'll post them again.
>Anna
>

On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 13:35:55 -0800, "Rock" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

Will do, I've heard about drive designation mix -ups after the clone
process, wonder why that would happen.


>Just to emphasize one thing to yours and Anna's post, after you clone the
>new drive, (with the only drives in the system being the original boot drive
>as Master and the new drive as slave), remove all drives and boot up only
>with the new drive in the Master position. After the first boot you can
>reinstall the old slave drive.

"Joan" wrote

> On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 13:35:55 -0800, "Rock" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> Will do, I've heard about drive designation mix -ups after the clone
> process, wonder why that would happen.
>
>
>>Just to emphasize one thing to yours and Anna's post, after you clone the
>>new drive, (with the only drives in the system being the original boot
>>drive
>>as Master and the new drive as slave), remove all drives and boot up only
>>with the new drive in the Master position. After the first boot you can
>>reinstall the old slave drive

It occurs when you leave the other drives connected when first booting the
new cloned drive.

--
Rock [MVP - User/Shell]

>>"Joan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>
>>> Hi,
>>> I'm going to need a larger master drive, so I'm planning on cloning
>>> using Acronis 9. My question is this, can I remove my #2 HDD which is
>>> "D", put in the new HDD on that secondary, do the cloning, remove the
>>> old "C" Drive and replace it with the new larger cloned drive, put the
>>> "D" drive back into that slot, and expect all this to go smoothly? The
>>> clone software will expand the old partition to the new size, what
>>> worries me is that my existing C drive is Fat32 and the new drive will
>>> no doubt have to be formated NTFS.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Joan
>>
>>
>>Joan:
>>You're on the right track. It would be best to disconnect your "#2 HDD"
>>prior to the disk cloning operation. It's always best to have connected
>>*only* your source disk (your C: drive in this instance) and your
>>destination disk (your new HDD) during the disk cloning operation. There's
>>no need to physically remove that #2 HDD - just disconnect its power/data
>>cable. (I'm assuming that you plan to retain that drive in your system
>>following the disk cloning operation).
>>
>>As things now stand your newly-cloned HDD will retain the same file system
>>as your source disk, i.e., the FAT32 file system. You could - prior to the
>>disk cloning operation - convert your present boot drive to NTFS and then
>>go
>>through the disk cloning operation so that the cloned disk will have the
>>NTFS. But I would recommend that you perform the disk cloning operation
>>with
>>your current C: drive (including its FAT32 file system) and *then* convert
>>your destination drive (your new HDD) to NTFS. That way you would avoid
>>any
>>problems in the unlikely event things go awry with the conversion process
>>of
>>your source disk - your present C: drive. And you would still have your
>>original source disk intact - *always* a desirable thing.
>>
>>Please understand there is no need to format your new HDD NTFS prior to
>>the
>>disk cloning operation. As mentioned above, the destination disk will take
>>on the file system of the source disk.
>>
>>You haven't said what you intend to do with your present C: drive. Will
>>that
>>be a third internal HDD in your system? Or will you be using it in an
>>external enclosure? That could be desirable for maintaining a backup
>>system
>>using your Acronis disk imaging program on a routine basis.
>>
>>I assume you've worked with the Acronis program before. But if you (or
>>anyone else) need step-by-step instructions for using that program, please
>>so indicate and I'll post them again.
>>Anna


"Joan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 10:57:55 -0500, "Anna" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> Thanks for the tips, I'll do the clone and then convert the file
> system, makes sense, but what about the fat32 30 GB limit, what will
> happen with that as I plan on getting >80 GB replacement drive. Will
> the partition size be recognised properly after converting the file
> system? I only want the one large partition on the new drive so as to
> preserve the #2 HDD's drive letter. I know the cons of doing it that
> way, but it seems best for me. Another thought, I've read that Casper
> 3.0 will do the conversion automatically during the cloning process,
> is it worth it to buy this software? TIA


Joan:
Just to make this clear...

XP does have a 32 GB FAT32 limitation in the sense that the operating system
will not allow a user to create a FAT32 formatted partition that is greater
than 32 GB. (I assume that's what you're referring to when you mention a "30
GB limit"). That limitation is of no consequence in your situation.

When you clone the contents of your source HDD to your new larger-capacity
HDD the entire contents of that source HDD will then reside on the new HDD -
in effect, a copy of the "old" HDD, but now you'll have additional disk
capacity. The file system will be the file system of the source HDD, in this
case FAT32. No FAT32 partitioning/formatting limitation is involved here.

You'll then convert the file system to NTFS as you plan. I really don't see
any need for an additional purchase of the Casper disk imaging program in
this situation since you already have the Acronis program and that should be
sufficient.
Anna

"Anna" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

snipped

: XP does have a 32 GB FAT32 limitation in the sense that the operating
system
: will not allow a user to create a FAT32 formatted partition that is
greater
: than 32 GB. (I assume that's what you're referring to when you mention a
"30
: GB limit"). That limitation is of no consequence in your situation.
:
: When you clone the contents of your source HDD to your new larger-capacity
: HDD the entire contents of that source HDD will then reside on the new
HDD -
: in effect, a copy of the "old" HDD, but now you'll have additional disk
: capacity. The file system will be the file system of the source HDD, in
this
: case FAT32. No FAT32 partitioning/formatting limitation is involved here.
:
: You'll then convert the file system to NTFS as you plan. I really don't
see
: any need for an additional purchase of the Casper disk imaging program in
: this situation since you already have the Acronis program and that should
be
: sufficient.
: Anna
:
:
Anna's direction for cloning=>
The following are step-by-step instructions for using the Acronis True Image
9 program to clone the contents of one HDD to an external HDD. (The steps
are essentially the same using the newer ATI 10 version):

1. With both hard drives (source & destination disks) connected, boot up.
Ensure that no other storage devices, e.g., flash drives, ZIP drives, etc.,
are connected. It's also probably a good idea to shut down any programs you
may have working in the background - including any anti-virus anti-spyware
programs - before undertaking this disk-to-disk cloning operation.

2. Access the Acronis True Image 9 program and under "Pick a Task", click
on "Clone Disk". (In the ATI 10 version click on "Manage Hard Disks" in the
"Pick a Tool" area and on the next screen click on "Clone Disk").

3. On the next "Welcome to the Disk Clone Wizard!" window, click Next.

4. On the next "Clone Mode" window select the Automatic option (it should
be the default option selected) and click Next.

5. On the next "Source Hard Disk" window, ensure that the correct source
HDD (the disk you're cloning from) has been selected (click to highlight).
Click Next.

6. On the next "Destination Hard Disk" window, ensure that the correct
destination HDD (the disk you're cloning to) has been selected (again, click
to highlight). Click Next.

7. On the next window, select the option "Delete partitions on the
destination hard disk". Understand that all data presently on the disk that
will be the recipient of the clone will be deleted prior to the disk cloning
operation. Click Next.

8. The next window will reflect the source and destination disks. Again,
confirm that the correct drives have been selected. Click Next.

9. On the next window click on the Proceed button. A message box will
display indicating that a reboot will be required to undertake the disk
cloning operation. Click Reboot.

10. The cloning operation will proceed during the reboot. With modern
components and a medium to high-powered processor, data transfer rate will
be somewhere in the range of about 450 MB/min to 800 MB/min when cloning to
a USB external HDD; considerably faster when cloning to another internal
HDD.

11. When the cloning operation has been completed, a message will appear
indicating the disk cloning process has been successful and instructs you to
shut down the computer by pressing any key. Do so and disconnect your USB
external HDD.

If, however, the destination drive has been another *internal* HDD, see the
NOTE below.

12. Note that the cloned contents now residing on the USB external HDD take
on the file system of the source drive. For example, if prior to the
disk-cloning operation your USB external HDD had been FAT32-formatted and
your XP OS was NTFS-formatted, the cloned contents will be NTFS-formatted.
There is no need to format the USB external HDD prior to the disk-cloning
operation. Similarly, there is no need prior to the disk-cloning operation
to format an internal HDD should you be using an internal HDD as the
destination drive .

13. Restoration of the system can be achieved by cloning the contents of the
data residing on the external HDD to an internal HDD through the normal
disk-cloning process as described above.

NOTE: Just one other point that should be emphasized with respect to the
disk cloning operation should the recipient of the clone be another internal
HDD and not a USB or Firewire external HDD. Immediately following the disk
cloning operation the machine should be shutdown and the source HDD should
be disconnected. Boot ONLY to the newly-cloned drive. DO NOT BOOT
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE CLONING OPERATION WITH BOTH DRIVES CONNECTED.
Doing so is likely to cause future boot problems with the cloned drive.
Obviously there is no problem in this area should a USB or Firewire EHD be
the recipient of the clone since that device is not ordinarily bootable in
an XP environment.
************
Anna,

After cloning to the larger drive, what size partition is created on the
larger drive?
Does the cloning create a partition to fill the whole drive?
--
Ronald Sommer

"Ron Sommer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Anna,
> After cloning to the larger drive, what size partition is created on the
> larger drive?
> Does the cloning create a partition to fill the whole drive?
> --
> Ronald Sommer


Ronald:
In effect, yes. Say, for example, the source disk is a single-partitioned 40
GB HDD with 30 GB of data. And the destination disk (the recipient of the
clone) is a 160 HDD. After the disk cloning process the destination drive
will be single-partitioned containing, of course, 30 GB of data.

Another example (using the Acronis program)...
Source disk is a 80 GB HDD (actual approx. 74.5 GB) multi-partitioned...
Partition 1 has 45.2 GB of data (61% of total disk space)
Partition 2 has 29.3 GB of data (39% " " " " )

Destination disk is a 160 GB HDD (actual approx 153.3 GB)
After the disk-to-disk cloning operation...
Partition 1 will contain the 45.2 GB of data in a partition of 93.1 GB (61%
of total disk space)
Partition 2 will contain the 29.3 GB of data in a partition of 60.2 GB (31%
of total disk space)

Note the same disk space proportions will be carried over from the source to
the destination disk.

If one uses the Acronis disk imaging capability rather than the disk-to-disk
cloning process, disk images of *individual* partitions can be created. In
the above example involving the multi-partitioned HDD - if the user wanted
to copy over to another HDD *only* the second partition of the source HDD
he/she would have to do so through the Acronis disk imaging process
involving *only* the second partition. That specific partition could be
later restored through the recovery process. Acronis does *not* have the
capability of creating a clone of *individual* partitions in the same way as
its disk-to-disk cloning process. The program can only perform a (entire)
disk-to-disk cloning operation.

The above refers specifically to the Acronis True Image 9 program. I haven't
worked very much with the new ATI 10 version, but I don't believe any major
changes have been made here.
Anna

"Anna" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
:
: "Ron Sommer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
: news:(E-Mail Removed)...
: > Anna,
: > After cloning to the larger drive, what size partition is created on the
: > larger drive?
: > Does the cloning create a partition to fill the whole drive?
: > --
: > Ronald Sommer
:
:
: Ronald:
: In effect, yes. Say, for example, the source disk is a single-partitioned
40
: GB HDD with 30 GB of data. And the destination disk (the recipient of the
: clone) is a 160 HDD. After the disk cloning process the destination drive
: will be single-partitioned containing, of course, 30 GB of data.
:
: Another example (using the Acronis program)...
: Source disk is a 80 GB HDD (actual approx. 74.5 GB) multi-partitioned...
: Partition 1 has 45.2 GB of data (61% of total disk space)
: Partition 2 has 29.3 GB of data (39% " " " " )
:
: Destination disk is a 160 GB HDD (actual approx 153.3 GB)
: After the disk-to-disk cloning operation...
: Partition 1 will contain the 45.2 GB of data in a partition of 93.1 GB
(61%
: of total disk space)
: Partition 2 will contain the 29.3 GB of data in a partition of 60.2 GB
(31%
: of total disk space)
:
: Note the same disk space proportions will be carried over from the source
to
: the destination disk.
:
: If one uses the Acronis disk imaging capability rather than the
disk-to-disk
: cloning process, disk images of *individual* partitions can be created. In
: the above example involving the multi-partitioned HDD - if the user wanted
: to copy over to another HDD *only* the second partition of the source HDD
: he/she would have to do so through the Acronis disk imaging process
: involving *only* the second partition. That specific partition could be
: later restored through the recovery process. Acronis does *not* have the
: capability of creating a clone of *individual* partitions in the same way
as
: its disk-to-disk cloning process. The program can only perform a (entire)
: disk-to-disk cloning operation.
:
: The above refers specifically to the Acronis True Image 9 program. I
haven't
: worked very much with the new ATI 10 version, but I don't believe any
major
: changes have been made here.
: Anna
:
:
Thanks for the information.
So if the original disk has a hidden recovery partition, the new disk will
have a recovery partition?
What happens if the original disk has unpartitioned space?
--
Ronald Sommer