Million dollar question system/drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter JimL
  • Start date Start date
J

JimL

How does one get his XP Pro system from one hard drive to another? Isn't
windows written so as to completely prevent this?

Is there hardware to connect an exact duplicate of your laptop hard drive
via USB so as to do some sort of clone?
 
If you are taking about replacing your laptops
hard drive with a newer and or larger drive then
use an Image Backup utility to create an image file
(Image of your old drive) to an external USB drive.
You then restore the image to the new hard drive.

Norton Ghost version 14 - has a 30 day trial available
(Trial does not allow you to create a Bootable Restore CD)
So you need to purchase the product.
http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/overview.jsp?pcid=br&pvid=ghost14
User's Guide:
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/products/ghost/14/manuals/ngh_14_user_guide.pdf

Product Review "Symantec's 14th Ghost":
http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Norton-Ghost--Review-78775.shtml

True Image 2009 - has a 15 day trial version available,
It does allow you to create a Restore/Rescue Media CD which is
what you boot from to restore the image to the new hard drive.
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/
User's Guide: http://us1.download.acronis.com/pdf/TrueImage12_ug.en.pdf

Product Review Acronis True Image Home 2009:
http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/reviews/16045.aspx

Cloning: copying disk to disk with Norton Ghost
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPOR...hot&prod=Norton+Ghost&ver=10.0&csm=no&seg=hho

Some people use cloning successfully but my preference is an Image Backup.
 
JS said:
If you are taking about replacing your laptops
hard drive with a newer and or larger drive then
use an Image Backup utility to create an image file
(Image of your old drive) to an external USB drive.
You then restore the image to the new hard drive.
Click to expand...


This will give you a bootable system drive that you can just plug in in
place of your current drive? Even on a different sized one?
 
The general procedure is as follows:
1) Install the Image Backup software on your current
laptop's hard drive. Read the User's guide so you understand
the product and also how to create a Restore/Rescue CD.
2) Create/Burn the Rescue/Restore CD.
3) Create an Image Backup to the external USB drive.
Note: choose the 'Verify Image' as part of the Image file
creation process.
4) Restart the laptop and set the BIOS so that the
CD/DVD drive is the first boot device.
5) Boot from the Restore/Rescue CD you created in step 2
and verify the that the Restore/Rescue CD can locate
the external USB drive and finds/displays the Image Backup file
you created, But DO NOT start the restore/recovery process just yet.
6) Power down your laptop and remove the old drive
(keep it in a safe place as at this point it is still your only
boot drive).
7) Install the new drive and then once again boot from
the Restore/Rescue CD and this time start the restore process.
Note: If you are offered or asked to restore the original disk
signature or MBR choose not to as this is a new drive with it's
own signature. You also may be asked to create a partition
which you will need to do as new drives are not partitioned
when you first install them.
8) After the process is complete remove the CD and then
reboot the laptop.
9) Verify that everything works as expected.
 
JimL said:
This will give you a bootable system drive that you can just plug in in
place of your current drive? Even on a different sized one?
Click to expand...

Yes, if you used Acronis it will restore the image to a new drive even
if it is larger than the original with no problems. I've done this
myself when moving from a 160GB drive to a 500GB drive.
 
M.I.5¾ said:
Yes.
Click to expand...


It gets back to a thread I _did_ read a long time ago. It was the concensus
that a target drive with a different CHS configuration from the source would
not let you clone a bootable system.

Of course that gets back to what "clone" actually means - and whether the
gurus have figured a work-around for it in later systems. That is, maybe
W98 is non-cloneable but XP is not.

If I spend a million dollars on a new drive and it won't work I'll look you
up!
 
JimL said:
It gets back to a thread I _did_ read a long time ago. It was the
concensus that a target drive with a different CHS configuration from the
source would not let you clone a bootable system.

Of course that gets back to what "clone" actually means - and whether the
gurus have figured a work-around for it in later systems. That is, maybe
W98 is non-cloneable but XP is not.

If I spend a million dollars on a new drive and it won't work I'll look
you up!
Click to expand...

Practically all of the decent drive imaging utilities will clone the source
partition to a target disc resizing the partition as required. I don't know
of one that doesn't but that doesn't mean that they don't exist. Most will
allow you to specify a size smaller than the disc size if you wish to (say)
create another drive letter on the same drive.
 
JS said:
If you are taking about replacing your laptops
hard drive with a newer and or larger drive then
use an Image Backup utility to create an image file
(Image of your old drive) to an external USB drive.
You then restore the image to the new hard drive.

Norton Ghost version 14 - has a 30 day trial available
Click to expand...


Can you confirm what I read but can't relocate?

I think it said that copying my 40GB HD onto my 320GB HD with Ghost cannot
be done to a large enough partition, rather the process will destroy ALL
DATA on the 320GB dive.

I've tried to find something about it on their web site without success and
God knows a company that big isn't going to let you actually go online and
ASK them something unless the question is on their preapproved list (which
always assumes they can do no wrong).

Thanks
 
IBM ThinkPad T42. I really don't know when it was first made, but the
processor is in the 1700MZ range. One T42 was the first to have fingerprint
ID if I'm not mistaken.

HD Tune does show several bad blocks on the old drive. Altho they appear to
be off the system partition I don't want to wait too long.

I'm very curious how this effects the function of Ghost - whether it will
destroy everything on my external drive.
 
JimL said:
Can you confirm what I read but can't relocate?

I think it said that copying my 40GB HD onto my 320GB HD with Ghost
cannot be done to a large enough partition, rather the process will
destroy ALL DATA on the 320GB dive.
Click to expand...


That's the definition of "clone": Make the new drive look exactly like
the old one. A literal clone will even put everything on the same
track/sector/platter etc..
It will consume all of whatever drive letter you install it to. The
drive can be larger but not smaller than the original.
You'll have to live with that or create another partition on the
drive or get another drive. Both Symantec and Acronis talk about it on
their sites and in the docs for the program, which Symantec has onilne;
don't know if Acronis does or not.

You don't want to clone: You want to create an image. Images do not
wipe the drive; they only put back what was originally on the drive
folder by folder, file by file. Look up imaging a drive.

HTH,

Twayne`
 
JimL said:
IBM ThinkPad T42. I really don't know when it was first made, but the
processor is in the 1700MZ range. One T42 was the first to have
fingerprint ID if I'm not mistaken.

HD Tune does show several bad blocks on the old drive. Altho they
appear to be off the system partition I don't want to wait too long.

I'm very curious how this effects the function of Ghost - whether it
will destroy everything on my external drive.
Click to expand...

A growing number of back blocks indicating a failing drive and it's
important to keep it backed up until you replace it. It could fail
anytime between the time you wrote that post and whenever.
If the number of bad blocks is constant and not growing, then they
may simply be from bumping the drive or something; not necessarily
anything to worry about but well worth keeping track of for a few
months. If the number changes though, GET THE DRIVE BACKED UP AND
REPLACED! Best use for it would be just a scratchpad if you want to keep
using it until it does die. Like I said, it could die anytime between
yesterday and some future point; you can't predict it.
My boot drive developed 4 bad blocks on it a couple years ago but the
number has never changed since then.

The best measure of a drive's health is to run the manufacturer's tests
on it; those are usually pretty accurate and aimed at that specific
drive's design parameters. Go right to the drive mfr site for the diag;
nowhere else.

HTH,

Twayne`
 
OK, I checked the specs on your laptop and
from what I can see the largest hard drive sold
with that model was 80GB. This means there is at
least a possibility that your laptop does not support
48Bit LBA (Large Drives more than 137GB in size)
I say possibility because most computers made after
2004 supported large drives and the T42 was made
in 2005.

Also check to see what Windows XP Service Pack
level is currently installed. You need SP1 or later even
if your laptop's hardware/BIOS does support larger drives.
(Start/Run enter: winver and press the Enter key)

Also as far as Ghost:
1) The Image back up must be stored to a drive or
partition that will not become the boot partition. An
external USB drive for example.
2) The message most likely means that once you
restore the image to the new drive that any existing
data on the new drive will be lost.

Exactly were in the 9 step process did Ghost issue the
warning message and the exact wording please.
 
Twayne said:
A growing number of back blocks indicating a failing drive and it's
important to keep it backed up until you replace it. It could fail
Click to expand...

Don't know right now. Last night I moved the contents and reformatted the
partition. As of now HD Tune shows fewer bad blocks than before the format.

I don't quite understand why the bad blocks would cause the thrashing given
that they are not on the system partition and, for that matter, not used in
the tiny amount of data on that partition.

It's possible that the suggestion to get more memory is valid. Or maybe
just getting the new drive in will stop it ... Time will tell. Or not.
The best measure of a drive's health is to run the manufacturer's tests on
it; those are usually pretty accurate and aimed at that specific drive's
design parameters. Go right to the drive mfr site for the diag; nowhere
else.
Click to expand...

The very first thing I did was get the company's utility. It declared and
still declares everything to be glorious. But that is only a readout of
SMART. Perhaps the fact that the bad blocks are not being actually "called
upon" keeps the SMART readout looking good.
 
JS said:
at least a possibility that your laptop does not support
48Bit LBA (Large Drives more than 137GB in size)
Click to expand...

It handles 320GB fine via USB.
You need SP1 or later even if your laptop's hardware
Click to expand...

I'm on SP3 and updated within days.
Exactly were in the 9 step process did Ghost issue the
warning message and the exact wording please.
Click to expand...

I would not start a 9 step process until I know if Ghost would handle the
drive as a single entity (thus wiping out everything as it goes) or would
limit the save to a partition of it.

Just looking at the process isn't encouraging. The target is listed as j:\.
the last and busiest partition on the big drive and I can't find a way to
change it. I have space right at the front of the drive to use for an
image.

I read the idea elsewhere, possibly somewhere in Ghost material itself. But
my searches have come up emoty so far. The wording seemed to fit with the
standard notice you get when formatting a drive - all data will be lost or
words to that effect. (I realize that IS referring only to the partition
being formatted.)

I just wish these big companies weren't so determined not to talk to users.

Thanks
 
JimL said:
Don't know right now. Last night I moved the contents and
reformatted the partition. As of now HD Tune shows fewer bad blocks
than before the format.
I don't quite understand why the bad blocks would cause the thrashing
given that they are not on the system partition and, for that matter,
not used in the tiny amount of data on that partition.
Click to expand...

Blocks being marked as Bad wouldn't cause thrashing. Blocks that are
questionable might, but it would take a lot of them. An extremely
fragmented drive (partition) might, but that's still not a given. And
while it's idle, unless you have a lot of background tasks running, it
would stop after a few minutes, too. Background tasks could be anything
from indexing to AV doing checks during idle times, anything else you
have that works during "idle" times.
But no, bad blocks wouldn't cause thrashing.
It's possible that the suggestion to get more memory is valid. Or
maybe just getting the new drive in will stop it ... Time will tell.
Or not.
Click to expand...

Any chance you could move everything to a different drive? Using an
"image", NOT a clone, would not destroy data on the disk. The machine
would simply be returned to the state it was in at the time the image
was made. Any changes to that partition after that point would of
course be lost; it's like backing up in time.
Cloning is essentially the same, but everything on the intended
partition is replaced with whatever the machine is when the clone was
made. Cloning DOES the equivalent of a format to that partition.
The very first thing I did was get the company's utility. It
declared and still declares everything to be glorious. But that is
only a readout of SMART. Perhaps the fact that the bad blocks are
not being actually "called upon" keeps the SMART readout looking good.
Click to expand...

Hmm, the mfr's utility SHOULD check the ENTIRE disk's surface! If it's
not doing that (it takes some time to do, also), it's either not the
right utility or they aren't supplying one.
What brand/model/size is the drive? Seems like you said 360G but
that's only part of the puzzle.

Silly questions:

-- How did killing pf, defrag, turning pf back on work; any help?

-- How about the tool MSConfig? Use it to boot up without any of the
background tasks running.

It might be worth your while to add a post to th is thread re-describing
the problem as precisely as you can and listing what you've tried in
troubleshooting.
Use bullet style as much as you can and put the prose elsewhere. You
would have less "I already did that" types of suggestions and by putting
it all together it might tick somethin in someone's memory and turn into
an "AHA" moment.

Twayne`
 
Back
Top