OS Image - will this work?

[C1]

I want to upgrade my notebooks SATA HDD. The Partition Commander can see an external drive that uses an IDE interface, but not one that uses SATA, so I cant just flip the new (or old) SATA HDD in the external enclosure & do image-ing.

I therefore want to image the old SATA HDD while it is in the notebook to an external IDE HDD. Then install the new SATA HDD in the notebook & copy the created image back to the notebook's newly installed drive. (note: Partition Commander's "Copy"/"Move" is an image)

Im pretty sure this should work. The thing about bootable partitions is that they consider the drive geometry, but I believe that it will be taken into consideration in each case in this instance.

the reason why Im having to go this route is to work with what I have in hand & keep from buying any new stuff for this one time transfer.

If I buy a boxed HDD with tranfer software would that work? When I do imaging I like to do it outside of the OS (ie, as a bootable CDROM wherein the transfer application resides in RAM & just writes from one drive to another.

Thanks in advance

 

[peasant]

I'm sorry if this sounds crass.

The simple fact is no.

What you need is a second computer, set up as a server. You need to set up the first computer you want to change to be pxe.

You need your second computer/server to be able to run the setup you want on first computer from active directory.

Beyond that I can't help you, you either needd a bit more knowledge, an RJ45 cable, or access to a very cheap, local computer centre.

Otherwise, you could fly me over from the UK (first class), put me up in a local hotel, inc transfer fees, pay me a $1000 for my efforts.

Or find some one local who'll help you out for nothing.

And before you say I'm anti American, no I'm not, any any American will tell you what I've said is right, although you might find an local to you who'll help you for free, somehow I doubt that also.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I'm sorry if this sounds crass.

The simple fact is no.

What you need is a second computer, set up as a server. You need to set up the first computer you want to change to be pxe.

You need your second computer/server to be able to run the setup you want on first computer from active directory.

Beyond that I can't help you, you either needd a bit more knowledge, an RJ45 cable, or access to a very cheap, local computer centre.

Otherwise, you could fly me over from the UK (first class), put me up in a local hotel, inc transfer fees, pay me a $1000 for my efforts.

Or find some one local who'll help you out for nothing.

And before you say I'm anti American, no I'm not, any any American will tell you what I've said is right, although you might find an local to you who'll help you for free, somehow I doubt that also.

What garbage. Don't listen to this crap.

Acronis TrueImage can do this easily. Some boxed HDD like Seagate include their own version of TI that can do this.

 

[peasant]

Don't listen to that crap either.

You cannot impose one image on top of another, without the aid of a second computer server, Else you'll get halfway through the image, whilst at the same time erasing the original OS, and the image, leaving you in terms you Americans will understand , word removed.

 

[sivart]

Clone of Laptop --> External HDD
Install new laptop hard drive
Clone from External HDD --> Laptop

Sounds like it will work to me. Not sure about the capabilities of the software included in hard drive packaging, but it can be done.

 

[bruceb]

It will work, but you do not want to image it to the external drive and then back. You want to Clone the current drive to the External, swap your laptop drive and clone the external to the new internal hard drive. That should do it.
The program you have is not designed to do this.
You need to use either of these to do the job:

Perfect Image Professional 12 .. this has a trial period

Acronis TruImage ... this has a trial period

Norton Ghost

 

[peasant]

OK, I'm going to modify my last answer from being confrontational into helpful.

The essence of what you are asking, is basically for a network install, for this you WILL need a server setup.

Installing from an image on a secondary drive will not work, I cannot confirm this to you simply, so you'll either have to accept it, or learn through error, either the answer is simple, you'll have to install from a secondary Operating system or from a server.

Logic itself, SHOULD tell you, overwriting your original image from a non fuctioning OS, eg a USB drive, or even a copy on your own hard drive is a no no o begin with.

You need a fully operational OS with the image, to implant on the computer you want it on, this can only be done from a network install.

Else you might just format and install your own personal image from a cd/dvd, elimanating allerrors, from a source you trust, eg Microsoft, or Apple, or god forbid, as you are actually asking this, Linux.

 

[peasant]

This one is just an aside.

Many Americans say they prefer straight talking.

When they get it, they can't handle it.

My question.

Are American men, actually men, or just pussies?

This is just rhetorical.

For those of you who can't answer rhetorical, go here,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetorical_question

For those of you who can, I'm sure in part, I share your opinion, elsewise, you're a wit. Well at least I'll be half right.

 

[C1]

Thanks especially bruceb.
Your right. I forgot. When I do my big machine I image all my partitions off the MB's IDE Controller (use a lot of left over small HDDs). That works & those small imaged HDDs are bootable or the images can be transfered (using either Drive copy or Partition Commander).

I do have TI9 & TI10 also. To set up a back up system, I built a test bench to verify that I could image & restore my system (which once I actually had to use due to a crashed Drive 0). Worked successfully as tested. The external box may be another matter. I tested TI, but did not like those Ruskies cloning/imaging capability. It was a while back, but either you had to install the software (dont want that, use the boot cd instead), the instructions were too confusing or I had some problem dont remember. When doing any stuff like Im attempting, I dont like to try things without verifying the technique & result using a test bench (cant afford rude surprises). TI is my least favorite backup program, and I use it to back up when I have to (ie, some type of SATA issue or need the space efficiency of TI; ie, omits page file, unused space & does compression).

 

[corkyg]

I clone my laptop HDD every 2 weeks using this setup. I boot the laptop to Acvronis bootable CD - then clone from the laptop as source to the external as target. When done (takes about 12 minutes with the eSATA link, 320GB to 320GBN) I power down, remove the laptop HDD, put in the backup HDD and then repeat the process, only now the laptop drive is the target and the external drive is the source.

When done, remove the bootable CD, disconnect the external, and boot to the newly cloned laptop drive. It never fails.

This photo shows the setup.

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Corky-G/Vantec3.jpg

The beauty of cloning is that the product is immediately usable - no restoration needed, and I have a spare HDD all caddy mounted and ready to go should I have a problem with the laptop active drive.

 

[sivart]

This one is just an aside.

For those of you who can't answer rhetorical, go here,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetorical_question

Did you read your own link? :\ No, that is not a rhetorical question.

 

[peasant]

Please excuse my ignorance, or not.
Crap.
Disk cloning is not cheap, being $500 or more, at this point you want to be asking yourself several questions, one of which being, if I'm spending $500 or more, do I want professional advice or extraneous advice. The answer to that SHOULD be simple.
Cloning, in itself, does drive to drive, this was not the OP's original question.

At this point, can we have clarification from the OP, or do we just move in a general direction,covering every single possibility, or do we just answer the OP's question, as asked, STRAIGHT.

Forgive me , I'm not American, I don't like waffle/s.

Time to settle down with the remarks. Keep it civil please.
Anandtech Moderator - Keysplayr

 

[sivart]

I want to upgrade my notebooks SATA HDD.

the reason why Im having to go this route is to work with what I have in hand & keep from buying any new stuff for this one time transfer.

At this point, can we have clarification from the OP, or do we just move in a general direction,covering every single possibility, or do we just answer the OP's question, as asked, STRAIGHT.

That was pretty straight forward, the OP wants to upgrade (probably larger) the hard drive without having to re-install all of their apps.

Forgive me , I'm not American, I don't like waffle/s.

Not sure what waffles have to do with being American, I would think more Belgian (or Brussels if you want to get technical about it). Try to go to the stores here and find anything other than a Belgian waffle maker, good luck.

 

[peasant]

OK, then I have to assume a complete lack of comprehension or similarity between English english and American english.

For me, upgrade means, to improve, a higher value, etc , etc ,etc.

You come back to me with clone, for me is copy, same as, no improvement.

I am sure you will AGAIN, be able to correct me as my inability to actually read plain English.

 

[Fardringle]

C1 did not say that they want to "upgrade" the installed operating system. He/she did say that they want to upgrade the hard drive while keeping the same operating system installation.

As sivart and bruceb said, the simplest and best way to do this is to use a program that will boot from a CD and clone the data from one drive to another. Many hard drive manufacturers have free programs available that will do this. It is easier to clone directly from the old drive to the new one, but since that can't be done in this situation, a third temporary drive is the way to go.

Simply download the drive imaging application from the appropriate manufacturer (most require that at least one of the drives you are using is the same brand as the application) and follow the instructions. In case they don't have instructions with the program, these are the steps to follow (expanded from what sivart wrote):

Install the drive imaging application and make a bootable CD.
Shut down the computer.
Attach the external/temporary drive.
Boot to the imaging CD.
Clone the laptop's hard drive to the external temporary drive.
Shut down the laptop again.
Remove the old internal hard drive.
Install the new internal hard drive.
Boot again using the imaging CD.
Clone the external temporary drive back to the new internal drive.
Disconnect the external drive.
Remove the bootable CD.
Reboot the laptop with the operating system on the new internal hard drive.

 

[peasant]

Then, the only way to upgrade the hard drive is to replace it with a newer model, no?

So the whole discusion is mute.

Regardless of which, to reimage the NEW "hard drive" still requires a boot from a server, no?

Or, and you I am sure, will be able to tell me, plugin in new hard drive, plug in USB drive, and voila, up and running computer.

How simple, or hard can that be.?

Post back, please, when you have actually thought that one through, and to the end,one would hope.

 

[Nothinman]

Regardless of which, to reimage the NEW "hard drive" still requires a boot from a server, no?

Or to simply boot from a DVD drive...

 

[corkyg]

You come back to me with clone, for me is copy, same as, no improvement.

Not necessarily. Cloning is duplication of the data, a bit by bit copy of the source drive - but it can be proportional to a larger or smaller drive. (unlike cloning a sheep.)

Improvement can simply be having a reserve drive (duplicate) ready to go in one's kit when travelling to far off places.

All of my computers (4 as of today) have duplicate or "reserve" drives ready to go. I don't know what that would be called in UK, but I call it planned redundancy.

 

[bruceb]

You do not need a server to do this. I moved my laptop from an old drive (running out of room) to a new one, using Norton Ghost and USB / IDE- SATA adapter. All I did after the clone was done, was shut down, swap in the new drive and boot up. Worked perfect.

Also, I must agree with Corky ... A copy of a hard drive will not be bootable. A clone is an Exact Bit by Bit copy, including the Master boot record, and as such, will be bootable upon installation.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I did this very thing this afternoon. Works fine, assuming the OS is XP SP2 or later. SP1 and earlier don't have the SATA drivers so a clone from IDE to SATA will blue-screen. Most people who can figure out how to clone a drive probably don't have to worry about using pre-SP2 XP though.

btw, if you're using a Western Digital drive they have a free version of Acronis available for download that works great for cloning XP & Vista. Don't know if it works with Win7.

 

[C1]

Thanks again.
Yes corkyg, Fardringle spotted my issue. It is that I dont have an external SATA enclosure to be able to image or clone directly to the new drive (or vice versa). So the question was about cloneing thru an intermediate drive (of different size & interface type), but it sounds like that will work. The problem was using a software that Im comfortable with that can also see an external enclosure (eg, Drive Copy 4 cannot; works with IDE off the MB only & does not support USB/1394 drivers). Partion Commander doesnt work with some BIOSes nor with SATA external enclosures. (Even certain TI variants may have similar issues.)

But corkyg has helped me in another way. I have a freind that wants me to back up his Toshiba QOSMIOS & it will have to be done using TI as no other backup software that I have works with the Toshiba BIOS to support the external ports. I have not yet tried TI on his machine yet, but it is the software of last resort, otherwise the drive has to be pulled then cloned via another machine.

 

[Binky]

...wow

 

[corkyg]

Understood. Bear in mind that since Vista, cloning requires TI 11 or 2010 in order to be bootable without running a boot time repair. If you use TI bootable media, the source OS never enters the equation. As long as the USB ports are active by BIOS, it will work for the Toshiba. You can also clone HDD to HDD in the same machine. But, few laptops can accomodate two HDDs. That's why an external USB drive is preferred.

BTW - I used to use DriveCopy 2, 3, and 4 back when it was from PowerQuest. Then along came TrueImage, and it did it better and faster.

 

[sivart]

Then, the only way to upgrade the hard drive is to replace it with a newer model, no?

You could also replace it with an older, same size drive that is 7200RPM vs 5400RPM and that would still be an upgrade. More than likely it would be a newer drive, but it is possible you could find a nice (older) used drive with better specifications....but now we're just talking semantics.

 

[markanthony100]

The straight answer is still no, either you are asking to upgrade your hard drive or just asking for plain old fashioned backup. If its just backing up then the process you suggest is fine, if YOU are asking for upgrade then no, you will need to find some way to pump your image onto your new hard drive.

@sivart, it would appear that the rhetorical question was less rhetorical than I thought. Next I'll post the question, how do you confuse an idiot?, perhaps you'll be able to answer that one too.

Merry Christmas to one and all, and believe it or not, that is actually sincere.

Happy New Year too! The vacation/ban of your original account was extended by 1 week for making this 2nd account. It expires on Jan 3. -Anandtech Moderator DrPizza