Windows 7: Moving W7 to a new hard drive

Amelia:

I don't know the answer to your question, but for an operation that sensitive, why take any chances?

I'd put the new drive in an internal bay and avoid any external devices entirely. Keep it as simple as possible and don't introduce any new issues.

I assume you are talking about cloning as opposed to making and restoring an image.

Thank you for the quick reply. Yes, I intend to clone my current system drive to a blank new drive. So when the cloning process is finished, I put the new drive into the position previously occupied by the old system drive? Any problems anticipated with having the new drive recognised?

Try using clonezilla Clonezilla I use it to clone drives. You will be able to clone to the new drive and then pop in the new drive. Clonezilla is open source and it's free. I highly recommend it.

Amelia:

I think you have the right idea.

But beware:

Cloning, like imaging, is not foolproof and 100% guaranteed to work properly. You should be fully prepared to conduct a traditional installation if cloning fails. So backup email, bookmarks, all personal files, and locate all of your installation disks and necessary product keys. Good luck.

I have used Acronis to walk through the cloning steps right up to the point of no return, but I have never actually gone through with the procedure. Take your time and be sure you understand each of the choices in the Wizard. As I recall, it is reasonably intuitive.

Thank you, belikexp and ignatzatsonic- I appreciate your suggestions and words of wisdom!

Hi Just to add to the thread - I have used on a few occassions seagate software it's very straight forward and quick ideal for some one new to cloning, the only drawback is that it will only work if you have a seagate or w/dig drive somewhere on your system - usb external drive will do,
Currently i use Acronis it's great and very simple for backups,

The bottom line is though like all things in life understanding what you need and want, reading up asking reseaching, being comfortable before jumping in, will save a lot of heartache and pain, Just remember non of these processes are fool proof, things can go wrong,

Best regards

Peter

Many thanks for your wise advice. I have indeed read widely on the topic of cloning. I went ahead and used Acronis TI 2010,and the process seemed remarkably easy, but have been unable to test my cloned drive as I can't undo the screws which hold the hard drive which I want to remove from its bay!
A task for another day................At least I took the opportunity to clean out the dust bunnies from inside the case.
Dianne