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Thread ID: 118646 2011-06-15 01:55:00 Trouble cloning windows 7 partition!! stone2 (9037) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1209314 2011-06-15 07:37:00 You are better off going with the Active@ disk image. While its not free, there is a trial version, From here (www.disk-image.net) 146MB from memory 15 or 30 day days trial (cant recall now) - get the installer and bootable CD, it allows you to do any work from the CD. It has options to select only certain partitions.

Paragons free one -- Forget it, seen so many failures with that its not funny. Better to go with something that does work.

If you wanted to create an image first (as a backup) then Active does allow you to select partitions, so if you imaged the two windows 7 partitions to an external drive, network storage it will then thats what it will image.

Another one that works sometimes is ToDo (www.todo-backup.com)- the free home version does allow you to clone just partitions, BUT keep in mind, windows 7 makes a hidden partition which is usually the cause of many failures. LOTS of cloning software cant handle that partition.

Failures: With W7 & various programs

Paragons Free one -- Around 70% failure
Acronis, about 50%
Active@ - never, and I use it daily to make backups of customers Drives before working on them as most people still don't do backups, and I dont want be held responsible for losing their data.
wainuitech (129)
1209315 2011-06-15 08:50:00 Paragon was a big fail from me, it screwed my system completely leading to a re install as I was trying to image it at the time so didn't have an image to restore. Now use Active and its great. I only image my C drive as my D drive is only data and I back that up by folder using syncback as the data is then available to me form any computer on my network gary67 (56)
1209316 2011-06-15 12:42:00 You are better off going with the Active@ disk image. While its not free, there is a trial version, From here (www.disk-image.net) 146MB from memory 15 or 30 day days trial (cant recall now) - get the installer and bootable CD, it allows you to do any work from the CD. It has options to select only certain partitions.

Paragons free one -- Forget it, seen so many failures with that its not funny. Better to go with something that does work.

If you wanted to create an image first (as a backup) then Active does allow you to select partitions, so if you imaged the two windows 7 partitions to an external drive, network storage it will then thats what it will image.

Another one that works sometimes is ToDo (www.todo-backup.com)- the free home version does allow you to clone just partitions, BUT keep in mind, windows 7 makes a hidden partition which is usually the cause of many failures. LOTS of cloning software cant handle that partition.

Failures: With W7 & various programs

Paragons Free one -- Around 70% failure
Acronis, about 50%
Active@ - never, and I use it daily to make backups of customers Drives before working on them as most people still don't do backups, and I dont want be held responsible for losing their data.


So I am trying it right now. I am making a disk image within windows and then Im going to restore that image to the new drive. Then can I shut down unplug old HDD and plug in new HDD and windows will boot from the new drive?
Q. Will the new drive be labeled C: ?
stone2 (9037)
1209317 2011-06-15 21:56:00 Yes the boot drive is always C gary67 (56)
1209318 2011-06-15 22:21:00 Yes the boot drive is always C

No, not always mate....if you have 2 partitions, 1 boot, 1 data, then delete the boot, then go to install new o/s on the boot partition, then old xp will put boot loader on the data partition and name it c: leaving new o/s boot as d:
SolMiester (139)
1209319 2011-06-15 22:29:00 No, not always mate....if you have 2 partitions, 1 boot, 1 data, then delete the boot, then go to install new o/s on the boot partition, then old xp will put boot loader on the data partition and name it c: leaving new o/s boot as d:

Oops I thought the C would always get given to the new boot as well, I stand corrected
gary67 (56)
1209320 2011-06-15 22:29:00 Ok, I've nearly had enough. I downloaded Active@ Disk Image trial and made my image and made a boot disk but when prompted to put in serial key it say's it's invalid..WTF

Help!!!
stone2 (9037)
1209321 2011-06-16 01:15:00 Never mind, did it within windows and ...Success!!
Thanks to all who helped.
stone2 (9037)
1209322 2011-06-16 05:35:00 I had to change the hard drive on a desk Top Asus today.
The Acronis system Image was from a 30GB partition, and the Active primary on the new drive was 80GB. After I restored the Image the 80GB partition was reduced to 30GB, same as the Image. Booted into Puppy Linux, Part-edit and expanded the partition to 80GB again. No problems except that it got me to run Skandisk first.

On the subject of Paragon; I have a bought version of it. I gave up using it as Windows often lost its activation after a restore. Don't have that problem with Aconis.
mzee (3324)
1209323 2011-06-21 03:22:00 I've sucessfully used Casper - creates a bootable image. I have a 2nd hard drive that I create my image to and unplug it between my monthly re-imaging.
Casper is not free but I've been able to install it on 3 other computers to create images for them, too.
Fishb8 (484)
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