Restore image after replacing HD

Old Bloke,
Although I'm retired, I've no heart condition.

There are several clone alternatives.

With your new drive, did you perhaps receive a cd? If yes, there is probably clone software there. If not go to the manufacturer's website and see if he has a software for cloning.

You can clone with Microsoft Backup and Restore by making a System Repair Disc, making a System Image backup, swapping out drives, booting from the System Repair Disc and restoring to the new disk.

I'm going to list some links for you and also give the procedure I have used successfully.

________________________________________
CREATE A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC
START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button
________________________________________
________________________________________
CREATE AND RESTORE A SYSTEM IMAGE
CREATE A SYSTEM IMAGE BACKUP
• START | type Backup your computer | Enter key
• In left-hand pane, select Create a System Image
• select where you want to save the backup | Next
• Select the drives you want to backup | Next
• Start Backup button
• Finish button after completion


RESTORE A SYSTEM IMAGE BACKUP
• Boot from the System Repair CD you created.
• Connect the external drive with the backup image
• NEXT button (change language if desired)
• Restore your computer using a system image
that you created earlier radio button
• NEXT button
• Use the latest available system image radio button
• NEXT button
• Format and repartition discs checkbox
• NEXT button
• FINISH button
• YES button
________________________________________
________________________________________
CLONE A DISK
Yes, you can use the Create & Restore steps listed above when you want to replace your hard disk with one of same or larger size.
________________________________________


Now the majority of that info was well-covered by Brink in his tutorial:
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

________________________________________
DISK COPY/CLONE/PARTITION/BACKUP/RESTORE SOFTWARE

PARTITION WIZARD (a favorite of many SevenForum contributors)
Free download. Move/resize/delete/etc partitions.

Go down there web page and download the “bootable CD” version.
Free Download Magic Partition Manager Software – Partition Wizard Online


MACRIUM REFLECT
Macrium Reflect Backup and Hard Disk Imaging for Windows 7, Vista, XP and Server 2003/2008

Macrium Reflect. A complete hard disk image and backup software solution for your PC. Protect your personal documents, photos, music and emails. Upgrade your hard disk or try new operating systems in the safe knowledge that everything is securely saved in an easily recovered backup file

PARAGON BACKUP AND RECOVERY SOFTWARE
Free Backup Software: Paragon Backup & Recovery Free Edition - Overview
Backup & Recovery Free Edition
Total PC Protection for Serious Users! Take complete control of your PC’s safety. Based on solid commercial backup and recovery software from Paragon, the new Backup & Recovery Free Edition will give you a rich set of features that you can trust. Smart people backup; Backup & Recovery is smart backup.

EASEUS
EASEUS Disk Copy is a FREE reliable disaster recovery, hard disk copy, disk clone, partition copy, backup freeware. Support for all Hard Drive and removable drive.
EASEUS Disk Copy: Free Disk Copy, Disk Clone, Partition Copy Software. Sector by Sector for hard drive backup freeware.

Hi everyone who has replied so far.
I think this is the most responsive and helpful forum I have ever visited, irrespective of context. I am extremely grateful for the lucid and detailed information.
Today I am taking off and going for a walk. Having a minor heart attack is a great way to get fit; concentrates what's left of the mind. So I'll leave the sick PC switched off until monday and respond (positively I trust) whwn I've done the backup/restore by one of the suggested methods.
Like one of the respondents I too have seen more than one "routinised" backup - with offsite tape storage etc - prove to be useless when called upon. In one case the backup data retrieved was a few MONTHS short of the current date. Not my department fortunately!
Thanks gain to you all. This old geezer is impressed.
Roy

Enjoy your walk. I'm a great believer in daily walks.

As one who has gone on the 100km walks, my advice is only walk for yourself and at your pace. You will walk longer and always enjoy your walks.

Thanks Karl
a couple of days (several walks) later than planned I'm back on this. The drive hasn't failed completely however I'm waiting for the PCs suppliers (pcspecialist.co.uk) to confirm that I can replace the boot drive myself without violating the warranty. Not shipping it back would save us both time, inconvenience and money: or so you'd think. I just sent the 6th email asking for a response to this suggestion without getting a reply. The internet has built a wonderful barrier to protect suppliers from their obligations to their customers. I should have built it myself as I did last time.
As soon as this is resolved, one way or the other, I'll be following instructions posted here and reporting back.
Roy

Pcspecialist have responded. They haven't bothered to read my previous mails though - either about the warranty issue or about waiting until the dying drive is free before they send the replacement.. Still, that's internet shopping.

Sound of loud groaning.
Of course, predictably, this doesn't work.
I have created the system image on an external eSata drive and a boot CD, as instructed by the OS and Karl's instructions. it's hard to see what one could get wrong: I've used the default selections for the image (ie C: including system reserved). When I boot from the startup CD (and how my heart sinks whenever I see that early windows UI design) at the "chose additional restore options" dialog, the "exclude discs" option checkbox is grayed out. The saved system image is correctly identified as id the name of the external eSata drive it resides on. But what's all this nonsense about it requiring additional drivers to be installed? I thought we'd long ago moved on beyond that idiocy. FYI the outgoing disc is a Seagate 1.5TB and the newly installed (already formatted with the default allocation size) is a 2TB Samsung Spinpoint.
It's hard to overstate just how depressing I find this. it's EXACTLY what I expected.
Any help gratefully received.
Roy

karlsnooks said:

Old Bloke,
Although I'm retired, I've no heart condition.

There are several clone alternatives.

With your new drive, did you perhaps receive a cd? If yes, there is probably clone software there. If not go to the manufacturer's website and see if he has a software for cloning.

You can clone with Microsoft Backup and Restore by making a System Repair Disc, making a System Image backup, swapping out drives, booting from the System Repair Disc and restoring to the new disk.

I'm going to list some links for you and also give the procedure I have used successfully.

________________________________________
CREATE A SYSTEM REPAIR DISC
START | type System Repair | Enter key | Create Disc button
________________________________________
________________________________________
CREATE AND RESTORE A SYSTEM IMAGE
CREATE A SYSTEM IMAGE BACKUP
• START | type Backup your computer | Enter key
• In left-hand pane, select Create a System Image
• select where you want to save the backup | Next
• Select the drives you want to backup | Next
• Start Backup button
• Finish button after completion


RESTORE A SYSTEM IMAGE BACKUP
• Boot from the System Repair CD you created.
• Connect the external drive with the backup image
• NEXT button (change language if desired)
• Restore your computer using a system image
that you created earlier radio button
• NEXT button
• Use the latest available system image radio button
• NEXT button
• Format and repartition discs checkbox
• NEXT button
• FINISH button
• YES button
________________________________________
________________________________________
CLONE A DISK
Yes, you can use the Create & Restore steps listed above when you want to replace your hard disk with one of same or larger size.
________________________________________


Now the majority of that info was well-covered by Brink in his tutorial:
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

________________________________________
DISK COPY/CLONE/PARTITION/BACKUP/RESTORE SOFTWARE

PARTITION WIZARD (a favorite of many SevenForum contributors)
Free download. Move/resize/delete/etc partitions.

Go down there web page and download the “bootable CD” version.
Free Download Magic Partition Manager Software – Partition Wizard Online


MACRIUM REFLECT
Macrium Reflect Backup and Hard Disk Imaging for Windows 7, Vista, XP and Server 2003/2008

Macrium Reflect. A complete hard disk image and backup software solution for your PC. Protect your personal documents, photos, music and emails. Upgrade your hard disk or try new operating systems in the safe knowledge that everything is securely saved in an easily recovered backup file

PARAGON BACKUP AND RECOVERY SOFTWARE
Free Backup Software: Paragon Backup & Recovery Free Edition - Overview
Backup & Recovery Free Edition
Total PC Protection for Serious Users! Take complete control of your PC’s safety. Based on solid commercial backup and recovery software from Paragon, the new Backup & Recovery Free Edition will give you a rich set of features that you can trust. Smart people backup; Backup & Recovery is smart backup.

EASEUS
EASEUS Disk Copy is a FREE reliable disaster recovery, hard disk copy, disk clone, partition copy, backup freeware. Support for all Hard Drive and removable drive.
EASEUS Disk Copy: Free Disk Copy, Disk Clone, Partition Copy Software. Sector by Sector for hard drive backup freeware.

very good !!!

Yes, very good. Done it. Doesn't work for the reasons I took the time to write up carefully. Try reading it before posting something pointless mr wannabe guru.