how do i copy a hard drive? copy +paste wont do it :D

**Swafe** · 20-09-2003, 08:00 PM

how do i copy a hard drive?

ive got one and im goin to move everything to my new one, so when i plug it in itll boot

the catch, the drive i want to copy stuff to already has stuff and i dont want to overwrite it all?

**BlackTower** · 20-09-2003, 08:28 PM

You need to use a program like Ghost or drive image to make an exact copy og the drive. Some HD manufacturers also offer a utility for this as well I believe.

**directhex** · 20-09-2003, 08:30 PM

that's a tall order, and you're gonna need to spend money on software to do it. alternatively you could try copying everything via drag & drop to the new drive, then booting into the recovery console & try fixmbr with the old drive removed. no promises tho

**Swafe** · 20-09-2003, 09:10 PM

isnt there freeware that can copy my hdd?

even if i used ghost, would it overwrite it? or just add the files?

**BlackTower** · 21-09-2003, 10:24 AM

ah didnt read the last bit. Yes it will overwrite any existing data. In that case you would need to partition the drive up using partition magic or something like that, which can resize with data already on it. Then do disk > partition.

**Swafe** · 21-09-2003, 10:33 AM

thats 2 programs

might as well back up my 120 gig to cdr and get ghost

**Slamdog** · 21-09-2003, 11:18 AM

make sure you get the latest version of ghost, because the earlier versions couldn't handle xp's version of ntfs. IIRC certain mobo manufacturers gave copies of ghost away with other utils.

yep.. I have a handful of soyo mobo disks here with ghost on...

**Swafe** · 21-09-2003, 12:46 PM

ta slam, try and get the latest one i can

**directhex** · 21-09-2003, 01:55 PM

or try powerquest driveimage if it's cheaper. i know it does the job...

--jo

**youngteam** · 22-09-2003, 07:44 PM

or get maxblast free from Maxtor http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/dow.../maxblast3.htm

**Pingu2003** · 24-09-2003, 02:47 PM

i use "True Image"

basicallt it coppies exact image of a hard drive and can be saved on a few cds or dvds or zip drives etc...

best thing is it gives you boot facilities (usually a menu on a floppy disk).

now i just install winxp, the drivers, software and save the image to 2 dvds

and everytime i wanna format i just do the image thing back on a new hard drive, saves a lot of time and hassle!

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