Disk Cloning/Migrating requestion

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Guest

Very simply, can anyone recommend a good HD Cloning application?

I know there are many available, but migrating my OS is something I don't
want to trust to an application thats going to let me down.

What are your thoughts??

Thanks guys...

Big Liam :)
 
Big Liam said:
Very simply, can anyone recommend a good HD Cloning application?

I know there are many available, but migrating my OS is something I don't
want to trust to an application thats going to let me down.

What are your thoughts??

Thanks guys...

Big Liam :)
Click to expand...

I can't recommend software, but I recommend thinking through your strategy
carefully. From what I've heard, XP does not like being moved to different
hardware (motherboard, etc). It may not run at all unless the disk image is
dropped onto an identical machine. Others in this newsgroup may know some
ways to work around this.
 
Doug Kanter said:
I can't recommend software, but I recommend thinking through your strategy
carefully. From what I've heard, XP does not like being moved to different
hardware (motherboard, etc). It may not run at all unless the disk image
is dropped onto an identical machine. Others in this newsgroup may know
some ways to work around this.
Click to expand...

to a new machine ? ..you would be better off installing a fresh copy of XP
on the new one , then use FAST wizard to move all your settings a data
 
Big said:
Very simply, can anyone recommend a good HD Cloning application?

I know there are many available, but migrating my OS is something I
don't want to trust to an application thats going to let me down.

What are your thoughts??

Thanks guys...

Big Liam :)
Click to expand...

All of the cloning applications I have used that are designed for use with
NTFS have worked successfully to clone XP to a new hard drive. Some will not
work with special hidden restore or diagnostic partitions but all had no
problems with XP FAT32 or NTFS partitions. Personally I use Acronis True
Image. My second choice would be Norton Ghost. Both will successfully clone
drives with hidden, Linux or whatever partitions. If you are just moving to
a new drive in the same system and it's a one time move then check out the
free software from the manufacturer of the new drive. Most manufacturers
have free software you can download.

As someone else mentioned this may not be the best strategy for moving to a
new system. If you want to transfer your data to a new system then the best
way is to do a clean install of XP and your programs on the new system. Then
use the FAST wizard to transfer your user settings and most data. If you
have data that is not transferred with the FAST wizard then you can copy it
via a network or by simply temporarily installing the old hard drive as a
secondary drive in the new system.

Kerry
 
Haggis said:
to a new machine ? ..you would be better off installing a fresh copy of XP
on the new one , then use FAST wizard to move all your settings a data
Click to expand...


Big Liam:
There's no reason why you can't use a disk imaging program to clone the
contents of one HD to another HD. It's not clear from your query whether
you're planning to clone the contents of your present HD to another HD in
the same machine or you're planning to move the cloned drive to another
machine.

If the former, this usually goes without a hitch. If the latter, then...
1. You'll probably need to perform a Repair install on the new drive
although this is not *always* necessary since in a number of cases the
cloned HD will boot in the new system. But the likelihood is you will need
to undertake a Repair install. If you don't know how to do this, just do a
Google search on "xp repair install" and you'll be pointed to a number of
websites that have step-by-step instructions for doing so. And,
2. You'll probably need to install drivers in the new system.

As to recommendations for a disk imaging program to perform disk-to-disk
cloning, everyone likes different programs. I, for one, usually use the
Symantec Ghost 2003 program, others like Acronis True Image, others like
Casper XP, others like... The list goes on & on. Why don't you do a Google
search on "disk cloning software" and see what's out there?

BTW, if you're planning to use this type of software as a one-shot
operation, i.e., you're not interested in using this disk cloning process
for routine backup purposes (which I strongly recommend), a disk copying
utility will be provided by the HD manufacturer that will be included in the
retail, boxed version of the HD. And this utility is also usually available
from the website of the HD manufacturer.
Anna
 
Thank you all very much for your replies.

I am simply moving my OS onto a bigger HD in the same machine. I'm going to
go with the Acronis TrueImage software I have been hearing so much about. My
reason for asking this question on the first place was to get opinions on the
cloning software itself.

Thanks again guys, in a world full of incertainty, it's nice to know I can
rely on the people on this forum.

Big Liam :)
 
I am simply moving my OS onto a bigger HD in the same machine. I'm going to
go with the Acronis TrueImage software I have been hearing so much about.

Big Liam :)
Click to expand...

You might want to take a look at what Fred Langa has to say on this at http://www.langa.com/#c

He writes the best newsletter extant and has just covered this subject.

David
 
Never used that imaging software but used diferent in the past. I used ghost
and PQDI on hundreds on desktops in the past to ghost images to other
desktops. Your's is even simpler so yiu should be OK..

Chris
 
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