Cheap Home Backup Mirror Hard Drive

[DizzyBoy]

Hello All,

I'd like to backup or mirror my current HD. I'd like an EXACT copy of
my current 80GB ATA standard issue that came on my Dell.

Can someone help me with the following..

The scenario is that my HD crashes one day so I just throw it away and
put in the back up mirror. My PC doesn't miss a beat. Just looks like
the setting from last time I backed up. I don't want to reinstall any
patches, OS, Excel, games etc. Just a copy 100%. My I have to move the
slave switch pin but that is it.

1) Best Drive (Internal, removable, external)? ( My prob. with the
external is can I make this my master HD? Can I boot from it? If so
this is good as I can just copy down to a new internal hard drive. But
can you boot from a USB linked drive?)
2) I don't have too much space in my small Dell case So Could I just
open the side and copy over to an internal and then remove it again?
Safe?
3) Any software needed? Freeware please, suggestions?

I don't care too much about losing 30days-60days of work. I just want
to protect against a complete rebuild of my system/programs etc.

Thanks - DizzyBoy.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You'll need a third-party imaging program.

Norton Ghost 10
http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/backup_recovery/ghost10/features.html
Animated Shockwave Ghost tutorial with sound
http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/tutorial/ghost_2002/2001032917165825_s.html

How to perform a disk-to-disk clone
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/pfdocs/2001032917165825

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"DizzyBoy"wrote:

| Hello All,
|
| I'd like to backup or mirror my current HD. I'd like an EXACT copy of
| my current 80GB ATA standard issue that came on my Dell.
|
| Can someone help me with the following..
|
| The scenario is that my HD crashes one day so I just throw it away and
| put in the back up mirror. My PC doesn't miss a beat. Just looks like
| the setting from last time I backed up. I don't want to reinstall any
| patches, OS, Excel, games etc. Just a copy 100%. My I have to move the
| slave switch pin but that is it.
|
| 1) Best Drive (Internal, removable, external)? ( My prob. with the
| external is can I make this my master HD? Can I boot from it? If so
| this is good as I can just copy down to a new internal hard drive. But
| can you boot from a USB linked drive?)
| 2) I don't have too much space in my small Dell case So Could I just
| open the side and copy over to an internal and then remove it again?
| Safe?
| 3) Any software needed? Freeware please, suggestions?
|
| I don't care too much about losing 30days-60days of work. I just want
| to protect against a complete rebuild of my system/programs etc.
|
| Thanks - DizzyBoy.
|

 

[gerryR]

Not freeware though!

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You get what you pay for!

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| Not freeware though!
|
|
| | > You'll need a third-party imaging program.
| >
| > Norton Ghost 10
| > http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/backup_recovery/ghost10/features.html
| > Animated Shockwave Ghost tutorial with sound
| > http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/tutorial/ghost_2002/2001032917165825_s.html
| >
| > How to perform a disk-to-disk clone
| > http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/pfdocs/2001032917165825
| >
| > --
| > Carey Frisch
| > Microsoft MVP
| > Windows Shell/User
| >
| > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| >
| > "DizzyBoy"wrote:
| >
| > | Hello All,
| > |
| > | I'd like to backup or mirror my current HD. I'd like an EXACT copy of
| > | my current 80GB ATA standard issue that came on my Dell.
| > |
| > | Can someone help me with the following..
| > |
| > | The scenario is that my HD crashes one day so I just throw it away and
| > | put in the back up mirror. My PC doesn't miss a beat. Just looks like
| > | the setting from last time I backed up. I don't want to reinstall any
| > | patches, OS, Excel, games etc. Just a copy 100%. My I have to move the
| > | slave switch pin but that is it.
| > |
| > | 1) Best Drive (Internal, removable, external)? ( My prob. with the
| > | external is can I make this my master HD? Can I boot from it? If so
| > | this is good as I can just copy down to a new internal hard drive. But
| > | can you boot from a USB linked drive?)
| > | 2) I don't have too much space in my small Dell case So Could I just
| > | open the side and copy over to an internal and then remove it again?
| > | Safe?
| > | 3) Any software needed? Freeware please, suggestions?
| > |
| > | I don't care too much about losing 30days-60days of work. I just want
| > | to protect against a complete rebuild of my system/programs etc.
| > |
| > | Thanks - DizzyBoy.
| > |
|
|

 

[gerryR]

I agree, I use ghost on a regular basis but the OP is looking for freeware.
(I'm not sure if one exists even!)

g

 

[Alias]

You get what you pay for!

Is that what your spouse said after the wedding?

Alias

 

[HeyBub]

You get what you pay for!

True story:

A Houston police officer acquaintance of mine and his wife were visiting Las
Vegas a few years ago and, while sitting in the hotel lounge, the wife
remarks about the stunningly beautiful girl at the bar.

"A hooker," said the husband.
"No way!" said the wife.
"I'll prove it," says the husband. He gets up an approaches the girl. "How
much?" says the husband. "$1000," says the girl. "I was thinking more in the
neighborhood of $50," the man replies. The girl just shrugs.

Later that evening, the husband and wife are riding the elevator from their
room to the lobby. The elevator stops on an intermediate floor and, wouldn't
you know it, he hooker steps aboard.

The hooker studies the wife for a moment, then says (wait for it now): "You
certainly get what you pay for."

 

[Jonny]

If you use imaging software, the target has to be another hard drive, or
media suitable and adequate in size for restoration.

If you use cloning software, the target has to be another hard drive,
preferrably the same make/model and capacity. The target hard drive should
be using the same bus (onboard ide) when making the copy. Elsewhere as a
target is inviting trouble when use is expected as primary onboard ide boot
drive. Many use a removable tray system for this while used as the target
for cloning.

 

[Alias]

If you use imaging software, the target has to be another hard drive, or
media suitable and adequate in size for restoration.

If you use cloning software, the target has to be another hard drive,
preferrably the same make/model and capacity. The target hard drive should
be using the same bus (onboard ide) when making the copy. Elsewhere as a
target is inviting trouble when use is expected as primary onboard ide boot
drive. Many use a removable tray system for this while used as the target
for cloning.

You mean you can't image from a Maxtor HD to a Seagate HD, for example?

Alias

 

[Anna]

If you use imaging software, the target has to be another hard drive, or
media suitable and adequate in size for restoration.

If you use cloning software, the target has to be another hard drive,
preferrably the same make/model and capacity. The target hard drive
should be using the same bus (onboard ide) when making the copy.
Elsewhere as a target is inviting trouble when use is expected as primary
onboard ide boot drive. Many use a removable tray system for this while
used as the target for cloning.

Assuming one is employing a disk imaging program such as Symantec's Norton
Ghost or Acronis True Image or any other established disk imaging product to
directly clone the contents of one HD to another HD, virtually every one of
Jonny's comments is incorrect.

1. The destination drive, i.e., the HD that will be the recipient of the
clone (what Jonny calls the "target") need *not* be the same make and/or
model of the source disk, the drive you're cloning from. Using "modern" HDs
manufactured during the past ten (10) years or so, you can mix and match to
your heart's content.

2. The disk capacities of the disks involved can be completely different.
There's absolutely no requirement that both drives have the same capacity.
All that *is* required is that the destination drive have sufficient disk
capacity to receive the contents of the drive you're cloning from.

3. There is *no* requirement that the drives use the same IDE channel during
the cloning operation. There is *no* problem whatsoever if, for example, the
source drive is connected on the primary IDE channel and the destination
drive is connected on the secondary IDE channel.

Jonny's "inviting trouble" comment is simply wrong. As I've stated in many
of my posts re this subject, assuming internal HDs have been involved in the
cloning operation, immediately following the cloning operation the initial
boot should be made *only* with the destination drive (the recipient of the
clone) connected; the source drive having been disconnected from the system.
As a general proposition both drives should not be connected during this
initial boot, even if one could enter the BIOS to change the boot order so
as to boot to the destination drive. After this initial boot to the
destination drive, there is no later potential booting problem involving the
destination drive even when both drives are simultaneously connected during
bootup.

Jonny's final comment re removable hard drives is fine. As readers of my
previous posts may recall, I am a strong proponent of equipping one's
desktop computer with removable hard drives in their mobile racks.

I am not directly responding to DizzyBoy's query since he apparently is
interested in using only freeware to achieve his objective and my experience
with "freeware" in this area has been decidedly negative.
Anna

 

[Alias]

Assuming one is employing a disk imaging program such as Symantec's Norton
Ghost or Acronis True Image or any other established disk imaging product to
directly clone the contents of one HD to another HD, virtually every one of
Jonny's comments is incorrect.

1. The destination drive, i.e., the HD that will be the recipient of the
clone (what Jonny calls the "target") need *not* be the same make and/or
model of the source disk, the drive you're cloning from. Using "modern" HDs
manufactured during the past ten (10) years or so, you can mix and match to
your heart's content.

2. The disk capacities of the disks involved can be completely different.
There's absolutely no requirement that both drives have the same capacity.
All that *is* required is that the destination drive have sufficient disk
capacity to receive the contents of the drive you're cloning from.

3. There is *no* requirement that the drives use the same IDE channel during
the cloning operation. There is *no* problem whatsoever if, for example, the
source drive is connected on the primary IDE channel and the destination
drive is connected on the secondary IDE channel.

Jonny's "inviting trouble" comment is simply wrong. As I've stated in many
of my posts re this subject, assuming internal HDs have been involved in the
cloning operation, immediately following the cloning operation the initial
boot should be made *only* with the destination drive (the recipient of the
clone) connected; the source drive having been disconnected from the system.
As a general proposition both drives should not be connected during this
initial boot, even if one could enter the BIOS to change the boot order so
as to boot to the destination drive. After this initial boot to the
destination drive, there is no later potential booting problem involving the
destination drive even when both drives are simultaneously connected during
bootup.

Jonny's final comment re removable hard drives is fine. As readers of my
previous posts may recall, I am a strong proponent of equipping one's
desktop computer with removable hard drives in their mobile racks.

I am not directly responding to DizzyBoy's query since he apparently is
interested in using only freeware to achieve his objective and my experience
with "freeware" in this area has been decidedly negative.
Anna

Thank you.

Can one make an image and send it to a HD with a USB connection in a
external case?

Alias

 

[Anna]

Thank you.
Can one make an image and send it to a HD with a USB connection in a
external case?

Alias

Alias:
Assuming I correctly understand your question -- there is no problem
directly cloning the contents of one's internal HD to a USB external HD,
however, you should be aware that the USBEHD will *not* be bootable. Its
contents can, of course, be re:cloned to an internal HD for restoration
purposes should the need later arise and the receiving internal HD *will* be
bootable under those circumstances.
Anna

 

[Alias]

Alias:
Assuming I correctly understand your question -- there is no problem
directly cloning the contents of one's internal HD to a USB external HD,
however, you should be aware that the USBEHD will *not* be bootable. Its
contents can, of course, be re:cloned to an internal HD for restoration
purposes should the need later arise and the receiving internal HD *will* be
bootable under those circumstances.
Anna

I see. I think I will leave my ex. HD in a case alone for manual back
ups and buy me a new HD, connect it to the slave IDE, and do the clone
that way so if anything goes haywire, all I need to do is use the cloned
HD and boot with it.

Have I got that right?

Alias

 

[Kerry Brown]

Alias wrote:

I see. I think I will leave my ex. HD in a case alone for manual back
ups and buy me a new HD, connect it to the slave IDE, and do the clone
that way so if anything goes haywire, all I need to do is use the
cloned HD and boot with it.

Have I got that right?

Alias

After cloning the hard drive disconnect one of them before rebooting.
Sometimes Windows gets mixed up on the first boot if two identical drives
are in the system. It writes something to one or both drives that will cause
both to have problems booting after that. Also if some malware gets
installed at a later date it could potentially corrupt both drives.

Kerry

 

[Alias]

Alias wrote:



Alias

After cloning the hard drive disconnect one of them before rebooting.
Sometimes Windows gets mixed up on the first boot if two identical drives
are in the system. It writes something to one or both drives that will cause
both to have problems booting after that. Also if some malware gets
installed at a later date it could potentially corrupt both drives.

Kerry

Thanks, good to know.

Alias

 

[Anna]

I see. I think I will leave my ex. HD in a case alone for manual back ups
and buy me a new HD, connect it to the slave IDE, and do the clone that
way so if anything goes haywire, all I need to do is use the cloned HD and
boot with it.

Have I got that right?
Alias

Alias:
Yes, you could connect that secondary HD as an internal drive on *any*
available IDE channel, either Master or Slave. Just ensure that during the
cloning operation you *correctly* select the source disk you're cloning
from, and the destination disk, the disk you're cloning to. Time & time
again we've come across users who mixed up the two with, of course, dire
results.

I should mention that the only negative to setting up an *internal* HD to be
the recipient of the clone is that there's a chance of corruption of that
drive through electrical malfunctions of the system or some other malware
infecting the system while both drives are connected. It's a minimal risk in
my experience, but it is present. That's one of the reasons we're so
enthusiastic about setting up one's desktop computer with removable hard
drives. Through that hardware configuration the drive can be easily
disconnected from the system when not in use and easily reconnected when it
need be.
Anna

 

[Alias]

Alias:
Yes, you could connect that secondary HD as an internal drive on *any*
available IDE channel, either Master or Slave. Just ensure that during the
cloning operation you *correctly* select the source disk you're cloning
from, and the destination disk, the disk you're cloning to. Time & time
again we've come across users who mixed up the two with, of course, dire
results.

I should mention that the only negative to setting up an *internal* HD to be
the recipient of the clone is that there's a chance of corruption of that
drive through electrical malfunctions of the system or some other malware
infecting the system while both drives are connected. It's a minimal risk in
my experience, but it is present. That's one of the reasons we're so
enthusiastic about setting up one's desktop computer with removable hard
drives. Through that hardware configuration the drive can be easily
disconnected from the system when not in use and easily reconnected when it
need be.
Anna

So, you say, clone it to an external HD. If the original set up is
trashed, connect the clone and image it over to the trashed set up? Do I
understand you correctly? I already have an external HD I put into a box
that connects via USB.

Alias

 

[Anna]

So, you say, clone it to an external HD. If the original set up is
trashed, connect the clone and image it over to the trashed set up? Do I
understand you correctly? I already have an external HD I put into a box
that connects via USB.

Alias

Yes

 

[Kerry Brown]

So, you say, clone it to an external HD. If the original set up is
trashed, connect the clone and image it over to the trashed set up?
Do I understand you correctly? I already have an external HD I put
into a box that connects via USB.

Alias

Depending on the program you use it might be more efficient to create an
image rather than a clone. Image files usually take up less space than
cloning a drive. But other than that the answer is yes, that is the
procedure.

Kerry

 

[Alias]

Yes

Thank you, Anna.

Alias