[Resolved] - Copy Hd to an Other

[Megistal]

Hi!

I would like to know the best way (shorter one) to copy an entire Hd worth of data to a new Hd (often larger) and still be able to boot from the new Hd as it has never change.
(In other word, everything as softwares remain the same except that the Hd is not the same)

Of course the Os is a windows, which version, it may change from time to time.

Thks

[si_the_geek]

You can use software such as Norton Ghost to transfer it for you. Some hard-drives come with software to do this too (or at least did a couple of years ago).

[Megistal]

Ghosts aren't suppose to work only for the same drive with the same capacity, in other word the exact same hdd?

[si_the_geek]

That's only very old versions of Ghost. I used Ghost a couple of years ago to copy between completely different hard drives (size, make, and interface).

[Megistal]

Is there an available freeware / open source ghost that can do that transfer easily?
Better compatible with bartPE?

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

[si_the_geek]

I don't know of any freeware ones, I've always had Ghost available.

I doubt that any will support copying from CD/DVD (which is what bartPE seems to be designed for), as the file system is completely different.

[Megistal]

How does a ghost work?

Can it span the output to burn after on cd or dvd? A bit like old zip file with 1.44 megs on each disk.

And when we need the ghost, does we need to have windows already install or can we boot from a OSless hd and install the ghost?

Can we ghost the new hdd like old zip, insert cd1 then insert cd 2 etc... t'il the end on dos cmd prompt?

Thks

[VBdynamic]

You can Ghost to Cds. I used it to setup a whole lab of PCs. You just have to change Cds when prompted. This was using Ghost 2003.

[Megistal]

I'll look into it.
Thks

[si_the_geek]

Yep, I've seen it on multiple CD's too. I've mainly seen it working across a network, where you copy the Ghost file to a server and install to the target PC via the network.

You can install to a blank hard drive, you just need to use a floppy disk (which Ghost will set up for you) to boot from.

[Megistal]

That's sound like everything I need for my problem

Can the cd be made bootable to overcome the floppy disk?
It would be such marvelous!
Everything you need on a few cd/dvd and don't care about a demagnitized floppy disk hehehe

[si_the_geek]

No idea!

You could copy the floppy to a CD tho, if your CD writing software supports bootable CD's.

[Megistal]

Hi

I now have at hand Symantec 8.0 Ghost and DrvImagerXP which is very lighter in term of functions but offer some interesting features for a freeware applications.

I'm waiting for my enclosure (for a hdd) to do the job because I've read that you can't write a ghost / image on the same partition. (I think we could write a program to do this but it could be very difficult to do so)

I can't wait to try that.
Although I would have prefer to use Norton because you used it and all features I ask for was answering by that software, I'll try to use Symantec.

[si_the_geek]

Actually Norton has become part of the Symantec brand, so it looks like it's the same software

[conipto]

I like Acronis Trueimage, but I think Ghost 9.0 might be the same thing? I know they bought one of the other imaging brands.. anyways, either let you split it over many DVD/CD and do it without booting into DOS. One thing I've noticed using the "live" imaging programs is that it helps to shut down all services unnecessary for the PC to run.

Bill

[Megistal]

I think most of them must be run when the primary windows os isn't running and you must use another partition or media to store the image.

I've succesfully backup my hd from bartpe with norton ghost 8. The only thing I didn't try is to replace that backuped hd with the one who got backup.

I've also took a look at Acronis True Image and it may look like a good windows program but to get more challenge, I wanted to make it work with bartpe

I guess we've gone around the problem quite well.
Thks to all of you