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View Full Version : Clone C: drive onto new hard drive?

TsunamiZ
11-01-2007, 03:51 AM
I just got a new internal hard drive and I want to make an exact copy of all my C: data [WinXP, programs, etc.] from my old hard drive to the new one. Anyone know the best way to do this? The size and model of the new hard drive is different. Will there be any problems doing this hard drive replacement for my C: drive data? Or will I have to reformat/reinstall C:? Thanks.
singularity2006
11-02-2007, 08:03 AM
The proper way to clone this is to you a cloning application such as Acronis TrueImage or Norton Ghost. You cannot simply drag and drop copy the drive because this fails to copy the boot sector onto the new drive. Both applications are pretty cheap online through their websites. I have not looked in a while, but maybe you can find freeware or trial disk cloning software @ www.download.com (http://www.download.com/).

One drawback is that since the size is different, you will need an application that is robust enough for you to be able to resize the new partition to fill the new drive. Or you can always just add new partitions and separate out your data, which is probably the best way to go anyway.

But anyway, cloning is totally safe and doesn't require that much technical know how.
Mahlon
11-02-2007, 08:06 PM
I've been using Acronis for this type of thing and it works fine. Also, it's a good backup program for normal backups.

Mahlon
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