Image your system with free Macrium


  1. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #1311

    You're overthinking it. As long as you select the correct drive before selecting "Clone", you won't reverse clone. If you were to select the empty disk to clone from, you would create an empty disk on the destination disk. Jumping through all those hoops wouldn't protect you from reverse cloning.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 161
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
       #1312

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    You're overthinking it. As long as you select the correct drive before selecting "Clone", you won't reverse clone. If you were to select the empty disk to clone from, you would create an empty disk on the destination disk. Jumping through all those hoops wouldn't protect you from reverse cloning.
    Thanks. You're right. I think it's a holdover from the "Acronis Forum" days, where numerous experienced members cautioned against the mistake of reverse-cloning.

    Regarding Gparted formatting before cloning and image-restore, it's just one of those things I choose to do to see a formatted Target HDD before the process begins.

    I think the other reason that I've formatted prior to cloning is that I'm always cloning with identical (except for the serial #'s) Seagate 1 Tb HDD's so when any tool's cloning screen/dialog is displayed, it's a fast way to differentiate between the Source and Target drives if one of them shows no data content before cloning.

    Since it only takes me about 5 minutes to do that step before using cloning/imaging tools, I'll probably stay with that decision.

    Thanks for your help with Macrium cloning setup. I just completed the 2nd cloning attempt and it worked

    Macrium is like just about any other product in that, once one goes through the setup screens the 1st time, it's a breeze after that.

    What I was doing wrong was using the "drag/drop" partition method when setting up the Destination HDD on the screen. Interestingly, that's how it's taught with some of those YouTube videos... "How to Clone with Macrium", etc.

    It's similar to Acronis's "disk signature" check-box when imaging with that tool.

    With Macrium, it was subtle for me in that when I tick the "entire disk" box on the left-hand side of the screen, that also ticks all partitions on the Source HDD and they'll remain ticked (you can't un-check the partitions and keep the "entire disk" box ticked).

    When I selected the Destination HDD on the screen, I ticked the disk icon on the left-hand side.

    That did it. I booted up the Target HDD and gave it a little exercise :).

    I wanted to pursue a 2nd option tool for cloning and imaging, along with another Rescue Media tool. Macrium provides me with this option.

    Regarding the Acronis Forum, I recently posted a question about cloning since in most of their knowledge-base documention, their is mention about the risks to the Source HDD when cloning (vs Imaging).

    I didn't receive any replies to that question. I admit that I don't see the point about risks to a Source HDD when cloning with various tools, Acronis, Clonezilla, and Macrium, as it's my understanding that the Source HDD is only being read during the cloning process.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #1313

    I'm glad you were able to get cloning working. While I still feel using Gparted is overkill, I also believe in not fixing something that's not broken and your process is now working.

    One little tip; I always give my drives distinctive names so I'm not likely to forget which one is which.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 161
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
       #1314

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    I'm glad you were able to get cloning working. While I still feel using Gparted is overkill, I also believe in not fixing something that's not broken and your process is now working.

    One little tip; I always give my drives distinctive names so I'm not likely to forget which one is which.
    Thanks :)

    That's a great idea. How do you name a HDD? I haven't looked at that since I read something a couple of years ago, about avoiding assigning a drive letter prior to cloning. Supposedly that causes a non-bootable clone because Windows will look for a "C" drive when booting but that's only what I read in a few forums/blogs back then.

    Your idea, if I'm understanding it right, isn't to assign a drive letter but to name a drive with a text string?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #1315

    Scoop said:
    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    I'm glad you were able to get cloning working. While I still feel using Gparted is overkill, I also believe in not fixing something that's not broken and your process is now working.

    One little tip; I always give my drives distinctive names so I'm not likely to forget which one is which.
    Thanks :)

    That's a great idea. How do you name a HDD?...
    Go to Computer, right click the drive you want to rename, and click on Rename.

    Scoop said:
    ...I read something a couple of years ago, about avoiding assigning a drive letter prior to cloning. Supposedly that causes a non-bootable clone because Windows will look for a "C" drive when booting but that's only what I read in a few forums/blogs back then...
    Every drive I cloned to had a drive letter so that blows that theory out of the water. When cloning a drive that is to be booted, the drive letters on the clone will be wrong while still connected to the computer because drive letters can't be duplicated on the same machine but when the drive is installed in a different machine, the drive letters will revert to the original ones.

    Scoop said:
    ...Your idea, if I'm understanding it right, isn't to assign a drive letter but to name a drive with a text string?
    I believe that you have to have a drive letter to be able to name it.

    Correction: You do have to have a drive letter to name a drive because you have to do it in Computer and you can't see it in Computer if it doesn't have a letter.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 161
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
       #1316

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    Go to Computer, right click the drive you want to rename, and click on Rename.

    Every drive I cloned to had a drive letter so that blows that theory out of the water. When cloning a drive that is to be booted, the drive letters on the clone will be wrong while still connected to the computer because drive letters can't be duplicated on the same machine but when the drive is installed in a different machine, the drive letters will revert to the original ones.

    I believe that you have to have a drive letter to be able to name it.
    I recall now, I've done that in the past but memory's not that good now

    Thanks again. I recall when I read that blog. There's a lot of misinformation out there, that's certain.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 264
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit SP1 x64
       #1317

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    I believe that you have to have a drive letter to be able to name it.

    Correction: You do have to have a drive letter to name a drive because you have to do it in Computer and you can't see it in Computer if it doesn't have a letter.
    Correction:-

    Absolutely no need for a drive letter.

    Use Windows Disk Management and select any partition, regardless of whether any letter is allocated;
    Right click Properties;
    This will show the partition properties and the System Volume Name is already highlighted and ready for change.
    I have just changed my letter-less 100 MB partition
    from "System Volume Name SAM" to "System Volume Name SAM HDD"
    (That was my primary system HDD before I had an SSD)
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #1318

    alan10 said:
    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    I believe that you have to have a drive letter to be able to name it.

    Correction: You do have to have a drive letter to name a drive because you have to do it in Computer and you can't see it in Computer if it doesn't have a letter.
    Correction:-

    Absolutely no need for a drive letter.

    Use Windows Disk Management and select any partition, regardless of whether any letter is allocated;
    Right click Properties;
    This will show the partition properties and the System Volume Name is already highlighted and ready for change.
    I have just changed my letter-less 100 MB partition
    from "System Volume Name SAM" to "System Volume Name SAM HDD"
    (That was my primary system HDD before I had an SSD)
    I stand...er...sit corrected. Thanks!
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 17
    Windows 7 x64 Home Premium
       #1319

    I just put together a new system and finished installing everything. I imaged my drives with Reflect, and went to double check that the rescue media could see it. Already there is a major issue, because the mouse and keyboard are unusable.

    - Yes legacy USB support is enabled in the BIOS.
    - Yes Fast Boot (ie, and USB skipping) is disabled in the BIOS.
    - Yes the mouse and keyboard are connected to the board's USB 2.0 port.
    - I have no PS2 port so I cannot try that.
    - I tried disconnecting and reconnecting whilst in the recovery environment: the keyboard just flashes for a second and remains unusable.

    I'm using the Windows PE 3 version. Does anyone know what's going on?
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 10,796
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bits 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #1320

    Mang Nux said:
    I just put together a new system and finished installing everything. I imaged my drives with Reflect, and went to double check that the rescue media could see it. Already there is a major issue, because the mouse and keyboard are unusable.

    - Yes legacy USB support is enabled in the BIOS.
    - Yes Fast Boot (ie, and USB skipping) is disabled in the BIOS.
    - Yes the mouse and keyboard are connected to the board's USB 2.0 port.
    - I have no PS2 port so I cannot try that.
    - I tried disconnecting and reconnecting whilst in the recovery environment: the keyboard just flashes for a second and remains unusable.

    I'm using the Windows PE 3 version. Does anyone know what's going on?
    How did you install win7 without keyboard/mouse? Or is mouse/keyboard only not working from macrium recovery dvd? If you attach an external disk or flash disk to same usb2.0 port... does macrium see it?

    Try machine's other usb2 ports
      My Computer


 

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