Please help with steps needed to clone my hard drive...?

[Petros_k]

try this

xcopy source: destination: /c/h/e/r/y

in dos prompt as an admin

(Is that a joke or something?)

Why not just use Macrium Reflect? It CLONES not simply copies.

 

[silicon]

Why not just use Macrium Reflect? It CLONES not simply copies.

as the saying goes there is more than 1 way to skin a cat.

 

[ichie]

In my opinion, Boot from where depends on your BIOS setting.
Second, recovery partition can be cloned and deleted, but I wonder your computer is brand PC or not?
Last, I recommend you try aomei backupper. Tutorials please visit their website.

 

[Petros_k]

Some good news and some bad news...


Macrium Reflect is a breeze to use. I simply ran it after installation, and I cloned to the new hard drive. I unchecked the partitions that are for recovery and it cloned only the partition from the original drive that has Windows 7 and my data files, It took 12 minutes.

Problem was though, as I suspected, I could not boot from the new hard drive. The boot menu remained the same giving me only the option to boot Windows from the original hard drive. So, I installed EasyBCD.

At first, when I initially ran EasyBCD it gave me all the options available for booting from either hard drive:

1. Windows 7 from original hard drive
2. System Recovery from original hard drive
3. Windows 7 from new hard drive
4. System Recovery from new hard drive

I saved this and tried to reboot and all was working okay.

But this is what really sucks. I don't even remember how I did it, but in EasyBCD I deleted the entries to boot from the System Recovery for both hard drives (recall above I was concerned about preserving the recovery partition, which I did, but now I lost the option to boot from it). I know it was there at the boot menu when I restarted, but I was editing the entry names to make it more clear which hard drive was booting Windows 7 and somehow I deleted the options for System Recovery. I have no clue how to get back the System Recovery option as an entry for the boot menu.

I thought if you uninstall and then reinstall EasyBCD it would again detect everything, but no luck. I always manage to screw something up like this...

 

[Old Hippie]

Some good news and some bad news...

I knew there'd be trouble. LOL!

Booting from a machine with two identical OSs is nothing but a major PITA and should only be used by an advanced user..... who really wouldn't do it in the first place because, IMHO, it's just plain stupid.

I can't think of any reason to do this unless the install disc isn't available or it's a pirated OS. And even if that's the case it's still dumb.

Even if you did get it to work normally any little hiccup could possibly make the system throw a tantrum.

Do yourself a favor and get real and get right. Format the backup drive, do your bootable clone, and unhook the drive.

I'm sorry if I offended you by my blunt observations but I've been there, done that, found it to be problematic and call 'um like I see 'um.

Good Luck!

 

[silicon]

Some good news and some bad news...


Macrium Reflect is a breeze to use. I simply ran it after installation, and I cloned to the new hard drive. I unchecked the partitions that are for recovery and it cloned only the partition from the original drive that has Windows 7 and my data files, It took 12 minutes.

Problem was though, as I suspected, I could not boot from the new hard drive. The boot menu remained the same giving me only the option to boot Windows from the original hard drive. So, I installed EasyBCD.

At first, when I initially ran EasyBCD it gave me all the options available for booting from either hard drive:

1. Windows 7 from original hard drive
2. System Recovery from original hard drive
3. Windows 7 from new hard drive
4. System Recovery from new hard drive

I saved this and tried to reboot and all was working okay.

But this is what really sucks. I don't even remember how I did it, but in EasyBCD I deleted the entries to boot from the System Recovery for both hard drives (recall above I was concerned about preserving the recovery partition, which I did, but now I lost the option to boot from it). I know it was there at the boot menu when I restarted, but I was editing the entry names to make it more clear which hard drive was booting Windows 7 and somehow I deleted the options for System Recovery. I have no clue how to get back the System Recovery option as an entry for the boot menu.

I thought if you uninstall and then reinstall EasyBCD it would again detect everything, but no luck. I always manage to screw something up like this...

I believe there is a forum for BCD users..maybe post your questions there?

 

[Petros_k]

Hang on for a sec and let me explain what hell I went through to resolve this:

After I did all this cloning and assumed everything was okay except for not being able to set up the boot menu the way I wanted to, when I tried to restart after I set up the new boot entries with EasyBCD, I got a black screen and a DOS message that said "Boot MGR Missing." I tried running the Windows 7 System Repair Disc I had made just yesterday, and it could not restore the files needed to boot from the original hard drive. Obviously, I made a serious mistake somewhere.

After punching the nearest wall and shouting a few expletives, I realized I could boot from the new hard drive (which had just been cloned before any changes were made to the boot menu), but I had to switch the connections to the motherboard to do it. This got me into Windows on the new hard drive, but I had no clue how to repair the boot files on the original drive. So, I realized that I could just do another clone, but go from the new drive back to the original.

The first time I tried to do this the original hard drive failed to boot, and I believe it's because I only cloned the partition with Windows 7 and left the rest of the hard drive untouched. The boot files are not on this partition apparently (I think somewhere I read they are in the beginning of the hard drive; I don't recall.) I switched the hard drive cables again to boot with the working hard drive. When I went back and cloned to the original hard drive again, this time I did the entire hard drive (all partitions) and when I connected the cables the right way again Windows 7 was finally there ready to boot again from the original hard drive.

What's interesting to note here is that when I go to Windows Disk Manager on the original hard drive, this is what I see:

And when I boot with the new hard drive I see the drive letters change, and so does the boot partition, but it still looks okay to me:

I'm not sure which partition was marked as "active" or "primary" when I initially did the boot edit with EasyBCD, but the second time around it looks right to me. Only thing I still can't do is get the recovery partition for the Pipeline hard drive (E) to be an option at the boot menu using EasyBCD, and at this point, I'm not even sure if I need it. If anyone reads this who is familiar with EasyBCD for managing boot options, this is what it tells me now:

There are a total of 3 entries listed in the bootloader.

Default: Windows 7_Barracuda Hd Dr
Timeout: 10 seconds
EasyBCD Boot Device: C : \

Entry #1
Name: Windows 7_Barracuda Hd Dr
BCD ID : {current}
Drive: C : \
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

Entry #2
Name: Windows 7_Pipeline Hd Dr
BCD ID : {4883e8ef-2e3d-11e3-8220-002264a6b066}
Drive: E : \
Bootloader Path: \Windows\system32\winload.exe

Entry #3
Name: System Restore
BCD ID : {4883e8ee-2e3d-11e3-8220-002264a6b066}
Device: [\Device\HarddiskVolume1]\boot\boot.wim
Bootloader Path: \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe


Not so "easy" to me, but then I'm sure having to manually rewrite the necessary files (correctly) is much harder.

I know it looks like this is a big hassle, and I screwed up bad the first time around (probably a self-fulling prophecy), but I know that if I can just get it right this method of backing up the OS and my files and folders has always worked well for me when I used another computer. In one procedure you backup the OS with all the current settings, as well as all your personal data. It takes a minute or so to set up Macrium Reflect, and it took 12 minutes to clone (though the hard drive is not full). It's the boot management in Windows 7 that I'm really unfamiliar with. Windows XP was easier.

I now have the option to boot from either hard drive, both having Windows 7, and I can easily clone one hard drive to the other for OS and file backup. What I need to do now is work on some rescue CDs that will work if I can't boot.

And BTW, cloning the recovery partition still leaves it fully functional (I tested it).

 

[Petros_k]

I knew there'd be trouble. LOL!

Booting from a machine with two identical OSs is nothing but a major PITA and should only be used by an advanced user..... who really wouldn't do it in the first place because, IMHO, it's just plain stupid.

I can't think of any reason to do this unless the install disc isn't available or it's a pirated OS. And even if that's the case it's still dumb.

Even if you did get it to work normally any little hiccup could possibly make the system throw a tantrum.

Do yourself a favor and get real and get right. Format the backup drive, do your bootable clone, and unhook the drive.

I'm sorry if I offended you by my blunt observations but I've been there, done that, found it to be problematic and call 'um like I see 'um.

Good Luck!

--This is all way out of line, but I am glad you're amused by my learning experience.

Booting from a machine with two identical OSs is nothing but a major PITA

--Absolutely untrue once the boot file is written correctly.

...Even if you did get it to work normally any little hiccup could possibly make the system throw a tantrum.

--What does that even mean?

 

[jolancer]

I unchecked the partitions that are for recovery and it cloned only the partition from the original drive that has Windows 7 and my data files

when I tried to restart after I set up the new boot entries with EasyBCD, I got a black screen and a DOS message that said "Boot MGR Missing."

went back and cloned to the original hard drive again, this time I did the entire hard drive (all partitions)

due to your statments above, i would assume your only issue with trying to boot from the /recovery partition is because it no longer exists. you can also note in your picture "recovery partition" is using Zero partition space because you did not clone it.

I no nothing of EasyBCD but if my assumptions are correct from what you describe, it just modifies the win7 bootloader instead of being a standalone bootloader? If so you may want test to see if you can actually boot if you disconnect your primary HDD(simulating failure) cause sounds like it maybe all boot dependent on your primary drive at the moment, and IF so you may need to do some tinkering to get your backup to boot standalone again. I'm not sure tho just a thought, As others have said its not a standard or recommended way to backup.

 

[Petros_k]

...also note in your picture "recovery partition" is using Zero partition space because you did not clone it.

It says the size of the partition is 1.46 GB, and it was indeed cloned and tested to run.

I no nothing of EasyBCD but if my assumptions are correct from what you describe, it just modifies the win7 bootloader instead of being a standalone bootloader? If so you may want test to see if you can actually boot if you disconnect your primary HDD(simulating failure)...

That's been done already. Works perfectly, and you can see from the second image above that it becomes the primary partition that boots.

...cause sounds like it maybe all boot dependent on your primary drive at the moment...

--not true because the two hard drives are exactly the same (they've been cloned) except for the unallocated space on the larger hard drive.

...and IF so you may need to do some tinkering to get your backup to boot standalone again. I'm not sure tho just a thought, As others have said its not a standard or recommended way to backup.

Nobody is telling me that cloning a hard drive is "non-standard" (except perhaps you). In fact, there is no "standard" method for backing up both your OS in it's present state and your data, unless you mean imaging tools provided by Windows. There's nothing "standard" about using these tools. Plus, if you image your system, you've still got to back up your personal files and folders. Cloning the hard drive is a one step procedure that does both, and it keeps your system ready to boot in the event that your primary hard drive fails. Recall from my original post that's my main concern at the moment.

Benefits of cloning (from http://dpbestflow.org/Clones_and_bootable_clones ):

Restoration of your computer after a crash
A clone of your boot drive is an essential tool for recovery from a crash of your startup drive. Without a clone, recovery can take from a few hours to a few weeks, even if you have everything backed up. Your boot drive contains your operating system, your programs (typically), and many updates, user settings, passwords, software customizations, and more. Even if you have all your programs on readily-available optical disc, it can take days to reload, update and configure everything. If you have an up-to-date bootable clone, it may take you only a matter of minutes to swap hard drives and be back in business.

Restoration of older OS or programs after a failed upgrade
Every now and then, the upgrade of the operating system or a critical application goes horribly awry, and your computer may no longer perform vital functions. Sometimes this is because a vital piece of hardware is not supported by the new OS or program. Sometimes a program may be incompatible with the new OS. And sometimes the upgrade of the OS may simply fail, rendering the computer unusable. Once again, if you have a clone of the system made immediately prior to the upgrade, it can be quick and simple to return to the properly functioning configuration.

Upgrade of the OS drive to a bigger drive
This is particularly important for laptop computer users. Drive capacity is increasing at a rapid pace, and cloning can help you upgrade your internal drive cheaply and quickly. In most cases, it’s as simple as cloning from the existing internal drive to a newer one in an external enclosure. Once that’s done, simply swap the drive into the internal drive bay in the computer and restart.

Restoration of a “clean” system
Over time, a boot drive can become clogged up with registry problems, invisible background applications, junkware and other malware that can really slow it down. (This is typically more of a problem on Windows than on Mac.) Some people like to create a clone of a freshly installed and configured system, and do a periodic format and clone to their boot drive, in order to get back to a leaner and faster computing experience. This is a particularly popular method for people who administer classroom computers, company-wide systems or anywhere else where multiple computers share identical configurations. Often these clones are compressed rather than bootable clones.


Here's another good article on the topic of cloning: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10330083-263.html

 

[jolancer]

I unchecked the partitions that are for recovery and it cloned only the partition from the original drive that has Windows 7 and my data files

unless you missworded that sentence, the recovery partition is gone. It cloned your drive including the partition table for the recovery partition but you selected to not copy the data for that partition. i believe you tested the recovery partition before the point when you modfied and ran into issues with EasyBCD, so i suspect it was actually booting the Original Recovery not the clone at that point.

your miss understood my other comments, perhaps because you havn't yet looked at a imaging or cloning tutorial from a legit source such as the software provider itself or its help file. i don't blame you tho i do the same thing with lots of other things, bad habbit i know but makes the lesson that much harder to forget lol

its not the cloning thats not recommended its the dual booting part. I dunno win7/8 so i personally wouldn't make any assumptions on what it may or maynot do to a secondary cloned bootloader after they have been dual booted, but it would be easy to temporarily power down and unplug the primary just to check.

 

[Petros_k]

I unchecked the partitions that are for recovery and it cloned only the partition from the original drive that has Windows 7 and my data files, It took 12 minutes.

This was the first attempt that worked as far as cloning with Macrium Reflect but the boot file was not functioning properly after I attempted to edit using EasyBCD. Macrium Reflect lets you do two things a) leave a partition untouched and only clone another partition, and b) NOT delete a partition on the hard drive you are cloning to. I had unchecked the recovery partitions on both hard drives so that they would both be left untouched on each hard drive. Like you see here:

The second time around I cloned the whole hard drive, including the recovery partition (with the box checked for this partition this time), and it was still functional on the cloned drive. It's not just the partition table because I tested it and it runs.

If the recovery partitions were wiped out they would not appear in Windows Disk Management (unlike what you see in post #32 above, which clearly indicates the partition is there and is 1.46 GB).

I don't even know why I should be so concerned about preserving the recovery partition. It's like a last resort because it wipes out the original install of Windows and resets everything. It's like using a reinstallation disc. I think a repair disc is much more valuable.

 

[jolancer]

I did make a mistake ill clearify down bellow, however doesn't change the fact the recovery partition is gone.

OEM Recovery partitions are usually much larger than ~2Gb, IIRC old xp oem's may average ~10GB, would make me assume win7/8 oem recovery partitions maybe anywhere from 20~50GB. Im not familiar with win7/8 so didn't realize it would even show you the boot partition, i thought that would be completely hidden even in Diskmanager, unless its only showing because you didn't originaly clone it the standard way.. so made me original think maybe it was a custom recovery partition for only core system files, tho thats clearly wrong. That partition is your win7 boot partition, Not the Recovery partition. you can see apposed to Diskmanager, Macrium displays the used space of that partition as only ~160mb.

The MBR, win7 boot partition, and win7 OS partition, are three seperate things. If you clone only one partition, your MBR is not cloned unless Macrium has a special option for it. And once you Dual boot, the MBR and or win7 boot partition on your clone maybe modified by your primary win7 bootloader. I would highly suggest you test the disk with the primary unplugged, instead of assuming it will boot when the time comes.

 

[Petros_k]

I did make a mistake...[Confusing information]... I would highly suggest you test the disk with the primary unplugged, instead of assuming it will boot when the time comes.

Thanks, but again, I am 100% sure the System Recovery partition is cloned and functioning. I am not 100% sure I would ever use it anyway. As I said, this partition is a last resort if a rescue disc fails. I much prefer either a rescue disc or just reinstallation from the Windows install disc. But note the cloning process is it's own safety measure to insure there's never a need to use something like a recovery partition.

 

[Petros_k]

I wanted to go through the routine of cloning today to test the procedure, and I discovered that after cloning, the new hard drive will not boot properly unless an edit is made in the Master Boot Record using EasyBCD. So, in the event anyone reads this, here's the steps that successfully clone the original hard drive and then allow for the option of booting from the original or the new hard drive:

Two applications are required for this:

Macrium Reflect (for cloning)
EasyBCD (for boot record editing)

Steps to clone primary hard drive (easy enough so that screen shots are not required):

1. Launch Macrium Reflect

2. Select the drive to be cloned. Leave checkmark at each partition.

3. Select the drive that is being cloned to (there's only one other one in my case). Delete the existing partitions on this secondary drive.

4. Click "finish" and Reflect begins the cloning process.

5. When cloning is done, go to Start > Computer and change the name of the new hard drive (I do this to make it clear and so the boot menu at startup reflects the same name). *Note the drive letter that was assigned to the new hard drive.




Although it will appear in the boot menu at startup, you can't yet boot from the secondary hard drive that you cloned to until you edit the Master Boot Record. At this point, if you open EasyBCD you will see the previous entry for the new hard drive says "Device: Unknown"

Steps for being able to boot from new hard drive:

1. Launch EasyBCD

2. Select "Edit Boot Menu."

3. Highlight the previous entry that was for the hard drive you clone to and delete it. Notice the default boot drive is still the original.

4. Click "Add New Entry"

5. (Screen shot above) Select the Operating System at "Type," edit the Name of the entry if you want to change how it will display in the boot menu, and select the correct Drive letter that was assigned to the new hard drive.

6. Click "Add Entry" and you're done. You see now that instead of "Device Unknown" the drive letter appears in the screen shot below:

If you want, you can change the order that the boot options will be displayed by going back to "Edit Boot Menu," selecting the new entry and using the arrow keys to place it where you want it to appear. Click "save settings." I like to also backup the setting at this point by clicking on the "BCD Backup/Repair" and clicking on the Backup button.

Now, restarting the computer I get a boot menu with the option to boot from the original hard drive, the System Recovery on the original hard drive, and the new hard drive (which is a clone of the original). When I boot from the new hard drive the names of each drive are correct and the drive letters are switched so that the new hard drive is C.

 

[jolancer]

nothing personal dude, but you do not and should not use a boot manager to boot a clone. The only reason the clone didn't boot for you on this last test run was because your original cloning procedure had mistakes which ended up getting cloned since you lost the original win7 bootloader and or mbr in the process. and or also, because your last cloning attempt was sourced from your secondary which had already been dual booted with its clone, logic suggests win7 must have modified one or both of the win7 bootloaders inorder to do this.

unless you never even tested the clone by itself originally i forget. if so theres another possibility the mbr was never even cloned to begin with since you played around with the settings, and your original tests were ALL booted from the original primary hdd win7 boot loader.

any which way whatever happened, i don't recommend anyone do any of that IF the purpose is for the subject of the title of this thread. If your just messing around or want an iffy way to dual boot win7 then its fine watever.

re your last post, I'd assume most people trying this would probably have a win7 install disk, in which case thy can just boot to Recovery Console, and i dunno win7 but im sure it has a similar mbr command like xp which was simply >"fix mbr" im sure google could verify proper win7 commands.

 

[Petros_k]

...you do not and should not use a boot manager to boot a clone...

A boot editor, such as EasyBCD, is used to edit a Master Boot Record, and you edit a MBR as necessary to serve your needs, in this case to have dual boot options after cloning a hard drive. It's simply a tool to get the job done.

...your original cloning procedure had mistakes which ended up getting cloned since you lost the original win7 bootloader and or mbr in the process. and or also, because your last cloning attempt was sourced from your secondary which had already been dual booted with its clone, logic suggests win7 must have modified one or both of the win7 bootloaders inorder to do this.

( ? )


The procedure I outlined in post #40 above is relatively simple and it works 100%. I have repeated the procedure several times and there are no glitches.