Drive duplicating

[rocky]

I've added a second hard drive to my laptop (thinkpad T61) and want to duplicate the original drive so I can swap them around in the event one of them ever goes bad.

System files are needed as well!

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by rocky
I've added a second hard drive to my laptop (thinkpad T61) and want to duplicate the original drive so I can swap them around in the event one of them ever goes bad.

System files are needed as well!

Get a USB adapter or ESATA adapter for the drive, then use any of the many drive duplication packages.
You may have to re-authenticate your windows installation.

I would not bother, and just make a good back-up to an external drive to reinstall if needed.

[byscott]

Originally posted by rocky
I've added a second hard drive to my laptop (thinkpad T61) and want to duplicate the original drive so I can swap them around in the event one of them ever goes bad.

System files are needed as well!

I back up my netbook using a 2nd hard drive in a Thermaltake docking station. My software of choice is Acronis True Image. There are certainly cheaper ways to go, but my drive failed a few months ago and it took me all of 10 minutes to crack the case and swap in the other drive.

Every now and then, because I'm paranoid, I also copy a disk image out to my home server. If I ever need to use it, True Image provides a little recovery program that will apply an image to a bare drive. At least that's their claim -- I haven't had to use it thus far.

FWIW, this approach works pretty well for me because I don't store much on the netbook. That said, network or Internet storage can also insulate you pretty effectively from data loss, if you don't mind the headache of reinstalling your applications in the event of a disk failure.

Links for the dock and software are here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153071
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832200010

[jl_ss]

I create images of all my computers using Norton Ghost and store them on an external USB hard drive. The Ghost disk is bootable, just boot to CD and it wipes the disk and reloads the image - it is so much easier than reinstalling windows, all the apps, and the updates to the apps/windows when something happens. It'll do backups, and disk copies also. I'm not a big fan of Norton software, but this program actually seems to work well.

[LChisum]

I use Maxtor "Maxblast" for drive image backup. This is freeware, made by Acronis (mentioned above) but the caveat is that at least one of your connected drives must be a Maxtor (doesn't have to be a drive involved in the capture) , or it won't run. Download available here.


Larry

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by LChisum
I use Maxtor "Maxblast" for drive image backup. This is freeware, made by Acronis (mentioned above) but the caveat is that at least one of your connected drives must be a Maxtor (doesn't have to be a drive involved in the capture) , or it won't run. Download available here.


Larry

MaxBlast will capture any drive, but I believe it will only restore to a Maxtor drive.

Be careful.

[LChisum]

N_Jay, I have used it to restore to a non Maxor drive before. It just requires a Maxtor drive somewhere in the system.

Larry

[krygny]

Both at work and at home I just periodically mirror all my data to a network drive using FullSync . If I have a catastrophic failure, I don't want all the crap that naturally accumulates on the drive over time.

[GlennD]

At work we have a drive duplicator. If you are in the long beach area and both drives are sata or pata, I would be happy to copy them for you.

It takes about 10-15 min to copy a Panasonic Toughbook MDT.