Error message with Acronis True Image WD

[Daniel Prince]

I am trying to use Acronis True Image WD to clone a WD 2TB hard
drive to a new 2TB Hitachi hard drive. I have tried several times
to do this using all the options I can find. Every time I try it I
get this error message:

Failed to move the selected data. Make sure that your new hard
drive is not smaller than your old one and that your partitions do
not contain errors. You can check for errors and correct them using
a special utility.

Does anyone know how I can find out what the problem is? Does
anyone know what special utility I need to use? Thank you in
advance for all replies.

 

[Rod Speed]

Daniel Prince wrote

I am trying to use Acronis True Image WD to clone a WD 2TB hard
drive to a new 2TB Hitachi hard drive. I have tried several times
to do this using all the options I can find. Every time I try it I
get this error message:

Failed to move the selected data. Make sure that your new hard
drive is not smaller than your old one and that your partitions do
not contain errors. You can check for errors and correct them using
a special utility.

Does anyone know how I can find out what the problem is?

TI can be a bit cryptic when a clone fails, not making it clear why it failed.

I found with one attempt to clone a laptop drive that the problem went
away when I formatted the USB drive I was cloning to. It wasnt at all
clear why it cared about whether the destination was formatted or not
with a clone op which replaces the entire contents of the destinatiion
drive, including the existing partition structure if any.

Maybe it was just checking the destination drive to warn the user if it
had partitions and files on it, so the user would clone in the wrong
direction accidentally, and it couldnt see the destination drive until it
was formatted or something.

Does anyone know what special utility I need to use?

You dont need to use any special utility to do that.

Thank you in advance for all replies.

Dont forget about those dead bears. They have already got Folknurt.

 

[Daniel Prince]

Daniel Prince wrote



TI can be a bit cryptic when a clone fails, not making it clear why it failed.

I found with one attempt to clone a laptop drive that the problem went
away when I formatted the USB drive I was cloning to. It wasnt at all
clear why it cared about whether the destination was formatted or not
with a clone op which replaces the entire contents of the destinatiion
drive, including the existing partition structure if any.

I have formatted the drive. It warns me that the drive might have
data on it. Then it gives me the stupid error message.

Maybe the program is so stupid that it will only work if the
destination drive is larger than the source drive and not if they
are exactly the same size.

 

[Rod Speed]

I have formatted the drive. It warns me that the drive might have
data on it. Then it gives me the stupid error message.

Yeah, mine did too. I forget now how I got the destination drive
into the situation where all it needed was a format to allow it to
be cloned too, I think it was with an older version of TI which
claimed it couldnt even see the USB drive at all.

Maybe the program is so stupid that it will only work
if the destination drive is larger than the source drive

No, thats not the case. That was the situation with the clone
that worked after I had formatted the destination drive.

Not with that free WD copy of TI tho.

and not if they are exactly the same size.

No, thats not the case. The main use of the clone op is when
you are replacing the main drive in a system with a bigger one
and so the clone op needs to handle that and always has done;

 

[Arno]

I am trying to use Acronis True Image WD to clone a WD 2TB hard
drive to a new 2TB Hitachi hard drive. I have tried several times
to do this using all the options I can find. Every time I try it I
get this error message:

Failed to move the selected data. Make sure that your new hard
drive is not smaller than your old one and that your partitions do
not contain errors. You can check for errors and correct them using
a special utility.

Have you made sure the new drive is not smaller? 2TB != 2TB in
HDDs. There is a slight fuzz-factor.

Does anyone know how I can find out what the problem is? Does
anyone know what special utility I need to use? Thank you in
advance for all replies.

Check the precise hdd sizes. Usually printed on top of the disk.

Pulling a 2TB WD at random, the WD20EARS is precisely

3,907,029,168 * 512B sectors.

Pulling a Hitachi 2TB at random, it seems that Hitachi does not
document precise capacity on their website or in the datasheet,
which is really, really stupid. It still shpuld be printed
on the disk.

Arno

 

[Daniel Prince]

Have you made sure the new drive is not smaller? 2TB != 2TB in
HDDs. There is a slight fuzz-factor.

If that was the problem, I think the program was very stupidly
written.

If I was to write a disk cloning program, I would make it so that it
would work if the destination drive had enough space to hold all the
data on the source drive plus 5 to 10 percent.

My source drive was less than 16 percent full. To have Acronis True
Image WD Edition refuse to work because the destination drive is
less than a millionth of 1 percent smaller is incredibly stupid.

I would also write the program so that it gave the user a detailed
explanation that actually told the user specifically what the
problem is.

 

[Rod Speed]

Daniel Prince wrote

If that was the problem,

It isnt.

I think the program was very stupidly written.

If I was to write a disk cloning program, I would make it so that it
would work if the destination drive had enough space to hold all the
data on the source drive plus 5 to 10 percent.

Amd that is how TI has always worked.

My source drive was less than 16 percent full.

So thats not your problem.

To have Acronis True Image WD Edition refuse to work because
the destination drive is less than a millionth of 1 percent smaller

It doesnt.

is incredibly stupid.

Having fun thrashing that straw man ?

I would also write the program so that it gave the user a detailed
explanation that actually told the user specifically what the problem is.

Pity you arent capable of writing one.

 

[Stuart Bouchey]

Could the problem be that one of the drives is not WD and this is the free WD edition for WD drives?

 

[Daniel Prince]

Could the problem be that one of the drives is not WD and this is the free WD edition for WD drives?

Other people have written that they were able to use the program to
copy to a non-WD drive. If that was the problem, the program should
have said so instead of wasting hours of my time.

 

[Daniel Prince]

Daniel Prince wrote

Amd that is how TI has always worked.

That is not how it "always" works. On my system, all it does is
stop and give me an error message that is not very informative.

 

[Rod Speed]

Daniel Prince wrote

That is not how it "always" works.

Yes it is. Thats the primary use of the clone function, replacing
a drive with a bigger one when the original ends up too small.

On my system, all it does is stop and give me an error message

Yes, but you dont know that the size is the reason it wont do it.

It wasnt when I got that error message myself.

that is not very informative.

Yes, its basically just saying it doesnt work. But the problem isnt the size.

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

If I was to write a disk cloning program, I would make it so that it
would work if the destination drive had enough space to hold all the
data on the source drive plus 5 to 10 percent.

Copying a drive can be done in two ways: by copying partitions, which
requires the cloning program to have knowledge of partition tables and
filesystems, or by dumb cloning - read sector X from the source, write
it to the destination, increment X by one and repeat.

The first means that the cloning program can analyse the data on the
source to assess if it will fit onto a smaller destination disk, since
it understands the filesystem.

The second requires a destination drive with a number of sectors equal
to or greater than the source. This is what Arno is telling you - that
your destination drive may be a few sectors smaller than the source. If
True Image is just doing a dumb sector-by-sector clone, it cannot
possibly accurately clone onto a destination disk smaller than the
source.

If TrueImage will not do what you want, you need software that will copy
partitions rather than entire disks. Try GParted or Easeus Partition
Master (both free.)

 

[Arno]

Other people have written that they were able to use the program to
copy to a non-WD drive. If that was the problem, the program should
have said so instead of wasting hours of my time.

As far as I can tell, the programm gave you a clear and precise error
message. So what is your problem?

Arno

 

[Rod Speed]

Mike Tomlinson wrote

Copying a drive can be done in two ways:

More than two, actually.

copying partitions, which requires the cloning program
to have knowledge of partition tables and filesystems,

Nope, it can copy partitions sector by sector too.

or by dumb cloning - read sector X from the source, write
it to the destination, increment X by one and repeat.

The first means that the cloning program can analyse the data
on the source to assess if it will fit onto a smaller destination
disk, since it understands the filesystem.

The second requires a destination drive with a number of sectors
equal to or greater than the source. This is what Arno is telling you -
that your destination drive may be a few sectors smaller than the
source. If True Image is just doing a dumb sector-by-sector clone,

It doesnt, unless told explicitly to do that sort of clone.

it cannot possibly accurately clone onto a destination disk smaller than the source.

Thats wrong too if the destination is only a little smaller than the clone, by the maintenance tracks.

If TrueImage will not do what you want,

It does.

you need software that will copy partitions rather than entire disks.

TI can do that.

Try GParted or Easeus Partition Master (both free.)

No need, TI can do it.

 

[Bill James]

As far as I can tell, the programm gave you a clear and precise error
message.

More fool you.

So what is your problem?

That it did not do that.