Disk Copy

  • Thread starter Thread starter Howard Brazee
  • Start date Start date
H

Howard Brazee

What's a current, safe utility to duplicate my current computer's hard
drive to my back-up computer?

My main computer has:
ST3120022A [Hard drive] (120.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 4JT0TP5K, rev 8.01
with one logical drive.

My backup computer has:
Maxtor 6Y120L0 [Hard drive] (122.94 GB) -- drive 0, s/n Y3MH4T6E, rev
YAR41BW0, partitioned into a bunch of logical drives.

They are now connected via home LAN, but they are so different they
aren't good backups. They still will have different sound cards, so
I will have to reinstall Windows after the copy, but they will be a
lot closer.

I have used utilities in the past to do this, but times change, and
what used to be safe isn't always currently safe.
 
Howard Brazee said:
What's a current, safe utility to duplicate my current computer's hard
drive to my back-up computer?

My main computer has:
ST3120022A [Hard drive] (120.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 4JT0TP5K, rev 8.01
with one logical drive.

My backup computer has:
Maxtor 6Y120L0 [Hard drive] (122.94 GB) -- drive 0, s/n Y3MH4T6E, rev
YAR41BW0, partitioned into a bunch of logical drives.

They are now connected via home LAN, but they are so different they
aren't good backups. They still will have different sound cards, so
I will have to reinstall Windows after the copy, but they will be a
lot closer.

I have used utilities in the past to do this, but times change, and
what used to be safe isn't always currently safe.
Click to expand...

There are two reasons why you cannot easily port the
Windows installation from your main PC to your backup
PC:
a) Your activation will be invalid.
b) Windows is unlikely to start, due to different hardware.

Here are a few links on the second issue:
How to Move a Windows Installation to Different Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q249694
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314082
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q315341

Another way of porting an existing installation to different
hardware is to install Acronis True Image plus Acronis Universal
Restore. It works like so:
1. You create an image file of your main PC.
2. You restore this image file on your backup PC. When
prompted, you permit Universal Restore to make whatever
adjustments are required.
However, this method does not get around the activation issue.
 
There are two reasons why you cannot easily port the
Windows installation from your main PC to your backup
PC:
a) Your activation will be invalid.
b) Windows is unlikely to start, due to different hardware.
Click to expand...

I figure that after doing the copy, I need to reinstall Windows on the
copied to computer.
 
Howard Brazee said:
I figure that after doing the copy, I need to reinstall Windows on the
copied to computer.
Click to expand...

So why go to the trouble of copying things in the first place?
 
Howard Brazee said:
What's a current, safe utility to duplicate my current computer's hard
drive to my back-up computer?

My main computer has:
ST3120022A [Hard drive] (120.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 4JT0TP5K, rev 8.01
with one logical drive.

My backup computer has:
Maxtor 6Y120L0 [Hard drive] (122.94 GB) -- drive 0, s/n Y3MH4T6E, rev
YAR41BW0, partitioned into a bunch of logical drives.

They are now connected via home LAN, but they are so different they
aren't good backups. They still will have different sound cards, so
I will have to reinstall Windows after the copy, but they will be a
lot closer.

I have used utilities in the past to do this, but times change, and
what used to be safe isn't always currently safe.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


Pegasus (MVP) said:
There are two reasons why you cannot easily port the
Windows installation from your main PC to your backup
PC:
a) Your activation will be invalid.
b) Windows is unlikely to start, due to different hardware.

Here are a few links on the second issue:
How to Move a Windows Installation to Different Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q249694
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314082
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q315341

Another way of porting an existing installation to different
hardware is to install Acronis True Image plus Acronis Universal
Restore. It works like so:
1. You create an image file of your main PC.
2. You restore this image file on your backup PC. When
prompted, you permit Universal Restore to make whatever
adjustments are required.
However, this method does not get around the activation issue.
Click to expand...


Pegasus (MVP) said:
So why go to the trouble of copying things in the first place?
Click to expand...


Howard:
As Pegasus has informed you, you can use a disk imaging program such as the
Acronis program he mentioned to "clone" the contents of your "main" computer
to another HD - presumably an internal HD that would be connected
temporarily in your "main" computer for the purposes of undertaking the
cloning operation. Through this process you would have (for all practical
purposes) a duplicate of your "main" computer's HD, including the XP
operating system, all your programs and created data.

You could then install that "cloned" HD in your "backup" computer if that's
what you wanted to do. It's not clear from your posting as to precisely what
this "backup" computer is being used for. Is it set up or being set up
*exclusively* to maintain a backup of your "main" computer? Or do you use it
(I notice you indicate it's multi-partitioned) for other purposes?

So assuming that that "backup" computer is presently bootable and you're
using its current HD for that purpose to run other programs or access data,
you could connect the "cloned" HD as a secondary HD in that machine and
simply use it as a repository of the cloned contents of your "main"
computer. In that case there would be no need for driver(s) installation nor
activation. Understand this would be with the understanding that you would
*not* be using that cloned drive for booting purposes. It would simply
function as a secondary HD that would be available for data access.

But all this seems to me a rather tortuous and unnecessary process if I
correctly understand your basic objective. If that objective is to backup
your "main" computer, why not simply install an internal HD in that machine
and use the disk imaging program for straight disk-to-disk cloning? Better
still, why not use a USB or Firewire external HD for this purpose? Is your
reason for transferring the copied HD to your "backup" computer to provide
another level of security? Wouldn't an external HD retaining the
copied/cloned contents of your "main" HD suit your purposes in a more
straightforward way?
Anna
 
Howard:
As Pegasus has informed you, you can use a disk imaging program such as the
Acronis program he mentioned to "clone" the contents of your "main" computer
to another HD - presumably an internal HD that would be connected
temporarily in your "main" computer for the purposes of undertaking the
cloning operation. Through this process you would have (for all practical
purposes) a duplicate of your "main" computer's HD, including the XP
operating system, all your programs and created data.
Click to expand...

Yep. This is currently my old computer, connected via the LAN, but
I never kept it up-to-date with all of my software. It does allow me
to connect to the VPN at work when my main computer is at work though.
You could then install that "cloned" HD in your "backup" computer if that's
what you wanted to do. It's not clear from your posting as to precisely what
this "backup" computer is being used for. Is it set up or being set up
*exclusively* to maintain a backup of your "main" computer? Or do you use it
(I notice you indicate it's multi-partitioned) for other purposes?
Click to expand...

It won't be multi-partitioned when it is a reliable backup. When I
install anything on one computer, I will install it on the other, and
periodically I will copy data subdirectories across the LAN from one
to the other.
So assuming that that "backup" computer is presently bootable and you're
using its current HD for that purpose to run other programs or access data,
you could connect the "cloned" HD as a secondary HD in that machine and
simply use it as a repository of the cloned contents of your "main"
computer. In that case there would be no need for driver(s) installation nor
activation. Understand this would be with the understanding that you would
*not* be using that cloned drive for booting purposes. It would simply
function as a secondary HD that would be available for data access.
Click to expand...

When my main computer is down, I want to be able to switch immediately
to the backup computer. Therefore, the backup computer needs to be
ready to run.
But all this seems to me a rather tortuous and unnecessary process if I
correctly understand your basic objective. If that objective is to backup
your "main" computer, why not simply install an internal HD in that machine
and use the disk imaging program for straight disk-to-disk cloning? Better
still, why not use a USB or Firewire external HD for this purpose? Is your
reason for transferring the copied HD to your "backup" computer to provide
another level of security? Wouldn't an external HD retaining the
copied/cloned contents of your "main" HD suit your purposes in a more
straightforward way?
Anna
Click to expand...

Having my backup data is OK as a worst case scenario. Having the
ability to switch operations to the backup computer is much better.

The company that made my main computer doesn't know what is wrong with
it that causes it to give hardware aborts. They say it isn't the
hardware, and have run extensive stress tests on it without getting it
to abort. They have replaced the hard drive, the power supply, & the
video card (twice). They say the next step is for a clean install
of Windows. While they have had it, I have done some work with my
backup computer, but it is missing stuff. I decided that I need to
make it a complete backup before letting PC City have its way.

I figure the easiest way to do this is to clone the drive, and then
re-install Windows on the old computer. But I'm on this newsgroup
getting advice on how to do this safely and effectively.
 
Would it make sense to reinstall Windows on my second computer from
scratch, telling it to make the partition large (Can the XP install do
that?), and then trying to copy all of my applications piece by piece?
 
Your applications will need to be "installed" to set all the needed
registry entries and common file copies. A piecemeal copy is not going
to cut it for 99% of the applications out there.
 
Howard Brazee said:
To have all my applications and data. What good is a computer
without those?
Click to expand...

You cannot copy your applications to another computer. You
will have to re-install them, using the original media.
 
Your applications will need to be "installed" to set all the needed
registry entries and common file copies. A piecemeal copy is not going
to cut it for 99% of the applications out there.
Click to expand...

Yep. But I need my data and settings.

A disk copy will pull over the settings. The reinstall of Windows
should get them pretty much working.

The danger is that I might duplicate whatever it is that the PC
company says is wrong with my current computer.
 
I could attach my old computer's drive and Partition Magic it to one
partition before trying to copy my new computer to it.
 
You cannot copy your applications to another computer. You
will have to re-install them, using the original media.
Click to expand...

When I disk copy and then reinstall Windows, I have had my
applications. This is a common way of upgrading computers. It's
downside is that useless and obsolete stuff is copied as well. Its
upside is that nothing is missed.

Reinstalling has caused problems. I believe it was Outlook one time
that when I reinstalled, couldn't read my files and corrupted them -
until on-line upgrades to Outlook were done, and I re-restored the
data. These days where our original media isn't the current version
of the program, upgrades are more difficult.
 
See below.


Howard Brazee said:
When I disk copy and then reinstall Windows, I have had my
applications. This is a common way of upgrading computers.
Click to expand...

We covered this before: If you port a Windows installation (and
its applications) to another hardware platform then Windows will
most likely not start.
It's (Its?) downside is that useless and obsolete stuff is copied as well.
Its upside is that nothing is missed.

Reinstalling has caused problems. I believe it was Outlook one time
that when I reinstalled, couldn't read my files and corrupted them -
until on-line upgrades to Outlook were done, and I re-restored the
data. These days where our original media isn't the current version
of the program, upgrades are more difficult.
Click to expand...

Outlook will happily read .PST files of older versions.

If you wish to promote your second PC to act as your main
workstation then you simply copy all your data files across.
Forget about copying Windows and forget about copying
your applications - both must be re-installed.
 
We covered this before: If you port a Windows installation (and
its applications) to another hardware platform then Windows will
most likely not start.
Click to expand...

And I replied. The procedure that I've done, and my computer maker
has done in the past is to port it over then reinstall Windows over
the copy. In fact they did that 6 months ago when they guessed
that it might be a bad hard drive that was causing my troubles.

Am I misunderstanding something, or is this not a common procedure to
upgrade hardware?
If you wish to promote your second PC to act as your main
workstation then you simply copy all your data files across.
Forget about copying Windows and forget about copying
your applications - both must be re-installed.
Click to expand...

My goal is to get everything copied, so I can give PC-City my new
computer, reinstall Windows, and then I take my time copying
everything back. I don't have a list of my applications, and figure
it will take months to get everything reanalyzed & reinstalled with
confidence that I didn't miss anything.

When they get back, I will want to synchronize the two computers so
that they are identical. I am paranoid about losing valuable data.
 
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