Copying Vista to a new partition:

Ok, I know this isn't technically a Win7 question but I'd imagine the procedure would be quite similar. I have 4 drives in my machine (hot swappable, so I usually have the one boot drive and the storage drive in at any one time):

1. Windows 7 x64 500GB
2. Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 500GB
3. Windows Vista x86 160GB
4. Samsung 2TB storage.

Basically the 3rd drive with Vista on is very long in the tooth and slow, whereas the one with 2008 R2 on is quite speedy and has loads of space to accommodate them both. I've shrunk the partition and now need to copy the contents of Vista over to the new partition. How exactly do I go about this to ensure it works correctly?
All the drives have their own bootloaders, so I'd imagine I use something to EasyBCD to add an entry so I can boot into Vista.

Server 2008 isn't critical or anything. I'm a student and using the MS Dreamspark license to test things out on it and the like.

I'd use free Paragon Backup 11 or Macrium Reflect which give you the flexibility to reimage to the partition of your choice, whereas Win7 backup imaging requires the same offset.

If you have a WD or Seagate HD in the mix, you qualify for their free premium Acronis cloning/reimaging app from their SUpport Downloads webpage for your model.

After reimaging to the target partition, add Vista from Server using EasyBCD 2.02 Add OS tab.

All of this can be accomplished from the Server Desktop using Acronis/EasyBCD so that you restart into the Dual Boot menu on that HD.

Cheers, I'm going to give Acronis a proper go in the morning. Tried copying all files over with robocopy from the Vista install DVD to the new partition which worked to an extent, but wouldn't log on properly. Got a light blue Windows 2000 esque screen and had to type explorer.exe from the task manager to get anything to appear - then nothing worked for me to try and fix it.

Other issue I have is that neither Windows 7 or 2008 see the Vista drive and tell me the drive needs to be initialised in Disk Manager. When booting into Vista, either it sees the drives for a few minutes before they disappear or it doesn't see them at all. Odd.

Oh and Acronis doesn't allow to be installed into a server environment. So I'm reckoning to solve all the above issues I'm going to have to do use Acronis in Vista and backup it to an external drive. Then boot into Windows 7 (with the Server 2008 drive in as well), install Acronis to that, and pull the image off the external drive onto the second partition on the Server 08 drive.

Sounds convoluted - have fun.

Doesn't Acronis have a boot disc you can use for this job?

Browsing the WD Acronis app's Manual on Download page, it says you need to buy it before downloading a Rescue Disk.

But I don't see why you couldn't reimage from any OS on the System as long as a Seagate/WD HD are involved to use the free edition.

Once you do this run EasyBCD from the Server if possible or it will place Win7 boot files on another HD.

Really? How are you supposed to restore.

Maybe they changed it then - with the Seagate acronis you do at least get a Linux based boot disc.

Sadly, the new seagate\acronis doesn't have a bartpe plugin - so you can no longer make a winpe1,2,or 3 disc yourself.

Shame - I dumped it for that reason.

Actually just browsed the WD app's Manual Table of Contents online Si and this is all I could find about boot disk:

1) If you purchased the program after downloading it, you absolutely must create a bootable rescue CD (or other rescue media, for example, a USB stick) following the recommendations given in the User's Guide

so I'll install it and see now.

OP can apply the image without MBR from OS then add it using Easy and it should start. I did one like this last week via TeamViewer.

It would be very odd if they didn't have some kind of bootable media included.

Just installed WD Acronis free edition and it let me make a boot disk:

There you go - I expected it would.

Op can use that - assuming it allows making images - or is it restore only?