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Imaging HD

B

Brian Stirling

Diamond Member
I'll be getting a new laptop within a couple weeks (Dell M3800) and plan to replace the factory provided 500GB HD with a 1TB mSATA SSD, but before I do so I'm thinking about making an image of the HD. If you do so it should copy all partitions -- correct?

Also, if I have an image from the HD including the backup/restore partitions most PC makers include then I think I can safely delete those partitions from the new mSATA SSD. That is, if the original 500GB HD includes a recovery partition of, say, 20GB and perhaps one or more additional hidden partitions, I think for my new SSD I should be able to omit these additional partitions and go with a single drive. What would be the harm in doing this if I have a full image of the original HD?


Brian
 
Yes boot from the DVD and take an image of the entire HD including hidden partition. Do this before you turn on the computer for the first time.

Use macriun free edition for this.
 
Save the original HDD in case you need to send the laptop in for warranty service/repair. You don't want to send your SSD to them or send a laptop sans any hard drive.
 
tcsenter said:
Save the original HDD in case you need to send the laptop in for warranty service/repair. You don't want to send your SSD to them or send a laptop sans any hard drive.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have about a dozen 2.5 inch HD's and most of them are larger than the 500GB HD that will come with the M3800 so I won't really have a need to make use of it other than as a backup.


Brian
 
Don't even waste your time on cloning Dell image. It has lots of crap you don't need/want.

Install fresh Windows on your SSD. Use serial from bottom sticker. Configure to your liking.

Just use Windows ISO version your laptop is licensed to use. There is an MS download site for Windows ISOs. Just plug in your serial.
 
Brian Stirling said:
If you do so it should copy all partitions -- correct?....................

Also, if I have an image from the HD including the backup/restore partitions most PC makers include then I think I can safely delete those partitions from the new mSATA SSD.......What would be the harm in doing this if I have a full image of the original HD?
Click to expand...

If you want to be able to restore and boot Windows, you would need to make an image of C and any additional partition that may be marked as "system" in Windows Disk Management----that's where the boot loader is.

On a typical Win 7 system, the "System Reserved" partition contains the boot loader, but it can reside elsewhere in OEM or custom built PCs. My bootloader is on C, so that's all I have to image if I want to restore Windows.

You could make a single image file containing all partitions, but I'd say a better choice is to make separate images of each partition--so they can be restored individually if needed.

Yeah, if you make an image of the recovery partition, you should be OK with not putting it on the SSD. With the caveat that imaging isn't foolproof and there's some chance you wouldn't be able to restore it when needed. You might want to burn factory recovery disks separately as an additional precaution.

Whatever you do, be sure to test the boot disk you make with your imaging program to ensure that it will in fact boot your PC. It's not fun to find out it won't work when needed. The Linux-based boot disks often have driver issues, so use the WinPE method if possible.

The legit Windows 7 ISOs from Digital River have been taken down in the last month or so, for reasons best known to Microsoft. You get re-directed to another site where you are asked to enter your Product Key before you can download the ISO. The problem is that the Product Key must be a retail key, not an OEM key. Your alternative is to trust unauthorized ISOs or to borrow a legit installation DVD.
 
Last edited:
bigi said:
Don't even waste your time on cloning Dell image. It has lots of crap you don't need/want.

Install fresh Windows on your SSD. Use serial from bottom sticker. Configure to your liking.

Just use Windows ISO version your laptop is licensed to use. There is an MS download site for Windows ISOs. Just plug in your serial.
Click to expand...


I like the idea of a clean install and will look into doing this. In addition to the OS (Win7 Pro) I ordered the M3800 with MS Office so I'd need to be able to do a clean install of that as well. I guess there must be a similar way to do a clean install of MS Office.

Do you have pointers to the MS website where Win7 Pro and Office can be downloaded?

IN addition, in order to do a clean install you must first be able to boot the laptop and I presume this needs to be done via CD/DVD or perhaps USB thumbdrive. Any pointers to where I can learn to do this?


Thanks,

Brian
 
Microsoft has taken down the Digital River ISO download servers and are only providing ISO's to retail customers. This leaves those who bought a PC with Win7 at the mercy of OEM Tech Support. Or borrow a copy, or search for a torrent download which can be risky if not checked for add-ins.

If you've got a retail Product Key, go here and enter the key:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery

As for imaging, look here for how to use Macrium. Yes you need to prepare a boot disc.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html

Here's how to create a bootable USB rescue disk:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/218920-macrium-reflect-create-bootable-rescue-usb-drive.html
 
ignatzatsonic said:
Microsoft has taken down the Digital River ISO download servers and are only providing ISO's to retail customers. This leaves those who bought a PC with Win7 at the mercy of OEM Tech Support. Or borrow a copy, or search for a torrent download which can be risky if not checked for add-ins.

If you've got a retail Product Key, go here and enter the key:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery

As for imaging, look here for how to use Macrium. Yes you need to prepare a boot disc.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html

Here's how to create a bootable USB rescue disk:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/218920-macrium-reflect-create-bootable-rescue-usb-drive.html
Click to expand...


Thanks, I kind of suspected that MS wouldn't make it easy.


Brian
 
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