Help me clone my OS Partition

archonwarp

I bought a Momentus XT 500 GB Hybrid HDD, and I'd like to clone my existing partition over to it. I don't want to re-install my OS and all my programs, because of this Charlie Foxtrot I ran into when I last tried to install Windows 7 .

I'd like to find some type of free-software that I can use to totally clone my existing hard drive -- boot information and all -- onto the new disc. I tried using an old copy of Acronis that I had, but it didn't successfully copy the boot information. Any suggestions on what I should use? Please note that I don't have a working DVD drive, nor my windows 7 DVD, so I'd prefer something that doesn't require either of those (though I can probably use one of my roommate's DVD drives if need be). Any help is much appreciated!

Tamin

I used HDClone, and beyond one minor registry issue, it worked like a charm.

No extra equipment needed, as far as I can remember - I had both HDDs plugged in, and simply pointed it in the right direction.

The only worry I had was longevity (I have trust issues), but that ended up being a moot point, as I installed Windows 7 a couple of months later.

archonwarp

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm giving it a try now. I purchased one of these on the cheap, just in case it doesn't work. I'll let you know how it works.

archonwarp

Totally borked my hard drive. xD Working on getting ahold of my Windows 7 pro disc now so I can reinstall. Thanks for the recommendation though.

Tamin

Noo

Dark Shroud

In Win7 you can use the back up tool to make an image of your drive. You make the image and either save it else where or burn it. Then you install the new drive and load the image of the old os onto the drive. You can then use the windows partition manager to resize the drive to what you need/want.

electricitylikesme

Yeah the easiest way to move Win 7 is to take a System Image with it's backup tool and then restore it to another computer/drive. Worked great when I upgraded my laptop's HDD.

archonwarp

Eh, it wasn't totally gone, just all of the boot information. It's for the best though, as it's been almost a year since I've formatted and I rarely even cleaned out my system. Runs smoother than before now!