HDD Cloning Software

[Shaun]

Any recommendations on a good hard drive cloning software? My main gigging HDD is dropping out and restarting itself, I fear it's on it's way out. So it's time to swap everything over onto another hard drive.


Anyone have any experience of cloning software? Any recommendations?

[Marc J]

Anyone have any experience of cloning software? Any recommendations?

Upgrade it with an SSD, if you can. You might need to shift data off it if you keep any, but that's no bad thing as you shouldn't be keeping a lot of data on your system drive, anyway.

I've got a Samsung 256Gb 840 Pro in my machine and it's amazing. There's now an 850 Pro (http://www.ebuyer.com/657563/) which benchmarks even better.

There are some complications when upgrading a standard HDD to SSD if you do decide to do it, mostly due to alignment, but most guides you find via Google will help you through these (for example http://www.howtogeek.com/97242/how-to-migrate-windows-7-to-a-solid-state-drive/).

As far as cloning software goes, you can actually do it from within Windows using it's own backup (create a system image), then using that when installing on the new drive - assuming you have the Windows install disk (which I'm fairly certain you do). I've done this before without any issues, just make sure your backup location is accessible (network storage is handy but tricky, USB is better...USB3 if you can, otherwise it'll take forever).

Some other handy links: -

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/149969-ssd-install-transfer-operating-system.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html

If not using Windows to backup / restore, Macrium is popular (http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html) and also Clonezilla.

If your existing HDD is dropping out a lot, I'd be wary of performing a defrag on it (as some of the links above may suggest) prior to backing up. If it bombs out during that, you may be up :censored: creek without a paddle. You can always defrag the restored version if you want. The fragmentation will just cause the backup and restore to take a little longer, and thrash the drive(s) a bit more (although, the dying drive would be thrashed by the defrag anyway).

[Shaun]

Hi Marc,

Thanks for the reply.

Its an external disk (for my Denon controller) that's The issue, not a system drive. I've got an identical HDD already, just need something to help make a nidentical copy of it onto the other HDD I have. Downside, it's bog standard USB 1, so I know it'll take a while. In the past I had to transfer it a few folders at a time as It used to screw up during transfer. I'm thinking if there's a good cloning software that I just click and let it do it's thing it'll be an easier solution all round

[Marc J]

Its an external disk (for my Denon controller) that's The issue, not a system drive.

Oops, I should have noticed that in the OP!

Macrium and Clonezilla should both be able to clone the drive. For speed you might be better sticking both in your PC if you can, rather than do it over USB. Beware if the filesystem is different though, Windows might attempt to do stuff you don't want!

[Shaun]

Cheers mate. Will check them out. :-)

[Nakatomi]

If the drive is really on its last legs don't bother copying files from it to another disk. Clone the whole disk forensically with a bootable disk like Clonezilla (burn to CD/DVD or splurt it onto a USB stick), or use a commercial product (frankly commercial products are a total waste of money since free open source apps do the job just as well if not better).

When the drive is successfully cloned, then you can safely scan the copy for filesystem errors and defragment it. When a hard disk is already showing signs of unreliability count every spin up as if it could be its very last, so don't faff around. Rescue all you can NOW.

In my last day job I was involved in recovering CCTV images from disks pulled from video recorders in very important cases & it was essential to try & get good copies of data from the first power up - you might not get a second chance.

[yourdj]

is this HDD like a std SATA drive?

Get a mac and use Carbon Copy Cloner if thats the case. Go SSD or at least use a hybrid drive.
i have a hybrid and its much faster.

[Shaun]

is this HDD like a std SATA drive?

Get a mac and use Carbon Copy Cloner if thats the case. Go SSD or at least use a hybrid drive.
i have a hybrid and its much faster.

It's a standard USB external drive, not a SATA. I already have the HDD I wish to copy everything over to. Additional expense of a new HDD (or indeed a MAC) at this stage isn't on the horizon. I still use the old Denon HD2500, and up till now the make of HDD I use with it has worked without issue. I'm hesitant to move to any other type of hard drive now, especially as I have an identical drive to move everything over to.

Thanks everyone for your input and help.

[Shaun]

Successfully cloned now - thanks for all the input. :)

[DazzyD]

is this HDD like a std SATA drive?

Get a mac and use Carbon Copy Cloner if thats the case. Go SSD or at least use a hybrid drive.
i have a hybrid and its much faster.

I really, really hope this was sarcasm, Toby.

But, if not, I can sell you a pneumatic road drill for £800 that you can use to crack open your walnuts this Christmas!! ;)


Successfully cloned now - thanks for all the input. :)

:thumbs_up:

[Les Brock]

A Bit late to the party :daft:

but I find this very useful

http://file-synchronizer.software.informer.com/

Allows you to copy just the files that have changed, been added without having to copy the whole thing, not a lot of use in this case, but great if you have a hard-drive and a back up drive (which you all have just in case you main drive fails don't you ?) various option and its free !

Regards

Les

[yourdj]

I really, really hope this was sarcasm, Toby.

But, if not, I can sell you a pneumatic road drill for £800 that you can use to crack open your walnuts this Christmas!! ;)



:thumbs_up:

No it wasn't. i am not sure if they have this sort of software for PC, but it works superbly well for Mac.
Takes an hour to create an exact copy of my hard drive which is really cool. :)

Its bootable, so if I have any problems I can just swap the hard drive over - sorted.

You can plug in external drives

[DazzyD]

A Bit late to the party :daft:

but I find this very useful

http://file-synchronizer.software.informer.com/

Allows you to copy just the files that have changed, been added without having to copy the whole thing, not a lot of use in this case, but great if you have a hard-drive and a back up drive (which you all have just in case you main drive fails don't you ?) various option and its free !

Regards

Les

What you've described there, Les, is a back-up program that allows incremental back-ups which, to be fair, most good ones do anyway. What Shaun was really looking for was a drive-cloning or duplicating system. There are lots of them out there. The one people usually mention is the Acronis True Image suite. It's back up software, as you've described, but also gets in to disc-imaging so it's capable of cloning a drive. I've never used it but I've never read a bad review.


No it wasn't. i am not sure if they have this sort of software for PC, but it works superbly well for Mac.
Takes an hour to create an exact copy of my hard drive which is really cool. :)

Its bootable, so if I have any problems I can just swap the hard drive over - sorted.

You can plug in external drives

We do have this kind of software, Toby. Cloning discs is not a Mac-only application!! ;)

Actually, when I worked for Apple in the 90's I used to make images of CDs and DATs so I could "mount" the images as "virtual" discs. Modern-day disc cloning works in pretty much the same way. I'd forgotten all about those things until now!

[ian8limelight]

Successfully cloned now - thanks for all the input. :)

How did you eventually do it please Shaun?

[Shaun]

How did you eventually do it please Shaun?

I ended up ignoring all the advice and using something completely different - thanks again though to all that contributed to the thread though. :o :d

Software I used was something I already had 'AOMEI Partition Wizard - it's freeware. It has a function called 'Disc Copy Wizard'. Just click on that, it then gives you the option of doing a quick copy, or copying sector by sector (which I chose), then select your source HDD, click next, select your destination HDD, and click APPLY. Done. I left it doing it's thing overnight and it was complete when I woke up. It seems to have worked perfect. Very simple to use piece of software

My first gig is tonight with the new cloned drive - I'll let you know how it performs! :beer1:

[Marc J]

the option of doing a quick copy, or copying sector by sector (which I chose), then select your source HDD, click next, select your destination HDD, and click APPLY. Done.

You might want to defrag the new drive, may give it a performance boost and a better lifespan...

[Shaun]

Well, new drive worked perfectly tonight. Pheeeew.



You might want to defrag the new drive, may give it a performance boost and a better lifespan...


Good thinking. :beer1:

[Excalibur]

Well, new drive worked perfectly tonight. Pheeeew.


Excellent. Now be a good lad, pop along to Maplins, and buy another one, ready for when this one goes to Silicone Heaven. And keep it up to date, as well. :D

[DazzyD]

Excellent. Now be a good lad, pop along to Maplins, and buy another one, ready for when this one goes to Silicone Heaven. And keep it up to date, as well. :D

Maplin?? MAPLIN?? Has Shaun won the lottery, then?? :eek:

I find Maplin to be quite expensive when it comes to hard drives (and, in fact, most things nowadays other than budget DJ gear!! Funny, that!). I was looking at NAS drives and they were about a third cheaper in Argos than they were in Maplin. To be fair, they were even more expensive in the big Tesco superstore. I decided against the NAS drive for now and, instead, got a 3TB Seagate Expansion drive last month at Argos for under £80.

I've never had a problem buying HDDs from Argos before so I'd recommend them to anyone.

[Excalibur]

Maplin?? MAPLIN?? Has Shaun won the lottery, then?? :eek:

I find Maplin to be quite expensive when it comes to hard drives (and, in fact, most things nowadays .

OK, ok. Other vendors are available. :D

Ebuyer can be worth a look, as can CPC