Hard Drive clicking sound!!!

[hastyle]

Hey guys when I boot my pc my main hd is making a clicking sound, and won't detect the HD. After a few tries I can get into windows. But it seems it's on it's last leg. I would like to make an image of this drive for another hd before it completely dies, any recomdations for software that can do this?

Thanks

 

[Brink]

Hello Hastyle,

You could use Windows 7's built-in feature to create a system image on another hard drive, then do a system image recovery later to the new hard drive.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[hastyle]

wow i didnt know windows 7 had such a thing! will look into it.

thanks you.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome. I just hope it's not to late yet.

 

[madtownidiot]

all you have to do is hit the windows key and type backup into the search bar, then select create a system image, and while you're at it, create a system repair disk.. then buy a new HDD. You'll have to reactivate windows afterwards... KB971033 is automatically downloaded and installed whenever you restore from a system image, and almost always gives you a "windows not genuine" message, regardless of the original source used to install windows

 

[hastyle]

Hey guys so i've looked around online for a tutorial of it. Im on my pc right now, got it too boot again, the clicks are getting longer on every boot, so this could be my last chance to do it. I wanna make sure i get it right. So i have an external drive hooked up, i back up the image to the external hd, make a system repair disk.. I was just gonna use the drive in my external drive as my new Boot drive now,

so does the image have to be on a different drive then the one you want to install the image on??

thanks.

all you have to do is hit the windows key and type backup into the search bar, then select create a system image, and while you're at it, create a system repair disk.. then buy a new HDD. You'll have to reactivate windows afterwards... KB971033 is automatically downloaded and installed whenever you restore from a system image, and almost always gives you a "windows not genuine" message, regardless of the original source used to install windows

 

[madtownidiot]

The backup image has to be on a separate partition at the very least, but definitely use the external hdd for your backup

 

[hastyle]

I do have a external hdd, and its the one i plan to back up the image on, but i also wanted to use this external hdd as the new hard drive. So my option is to get a another hd, to put this image on. in the page where do u want to save the backup, i can select the external hd but there is also a one or more dvds option.

The backup image has to be on a separate partition at the very least, so if you don't have an external HDD, it would be a very wise investment.

 

[madtownidiot]

You can't install windows to an external HDD. When windows boots, it tests all the connections including USB and eSATA, and you will get BSODs. you will have to get a new HDD, but they are pretty cheap on newegg.com. I've seen 500 GB WD caviar blacks for less than $50 on sale

 

[Petey7]

When you say you want to use the external as your new hard drive, I hope you mean you plan to take it out of the enclosure and use it as an internal drive, because it won't work otherwise. I believe what you want is something more like HDClone: Miray Software - HDClone - Hard disk copy, hard disk backup, hard disk rescue!

Keep in mind, the new HDD must be the same size or lager than the old one.

 

[hastyle]

Sorry for the miss understanding, but yes, take the external with the image, and install it as the internal, but i guess ill just have to get another HD.

When you say you want to use the external as your new hard drive, I hope you mean you plan to take it out of the enclosure and use it as an internal drive, because it won't work otherwise. I believe what you want is something more like HDClone: Miray Software - HDClone - Hard disk copy, hard disk backup, hard disk rescue!

Keep in mind, the new HDD must be the same size or lager than the old one.

 

[madtownidiot]

that would probably work.. good luck

 

[hastyle]

Hey, Im trying to backup the image on this external hard drive, its telling me i have to format it first? i have a lot of important stuff on it. I cant format it!

So if i go out and get a 1.5 TB drive, can i partition it, dump the image on one side of the patition, then install windows on the other side of the partition?

thanks.

that would probably work.. good luck

 

[Petey7]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you want to do, so before doing anything else, run all by me one more time. I don't want you doing the wrong thing.

 

[hastyle]

Ok I got a hard drive that's barely functioning, and need to image it. So can I go out and get a 1.5 tb drive, install it internally, partition it, put the backup image on one side of the new HD and then load the recovery cd to install the image on the other side? Or do I need to get two HD?

 

[Brink]

Hastyle,

Yes, you can do that. Be sure that you format the new 1.5 tb drive using the NTFS files system. I would recommend that you save the image to the second partition.

 

[Petey7]

If you plan to, which seems like you do, make an image to the external, but a new internal, and restore the image to the new internal, you can do it with almost any imaging software.

 

[hastyle]

I tried making an image to the external drive i currently have, but it keeps telling me i need to format my external first, but i got a lot of important data on it, so thats not an options, thats why i ask if i can partition the new hard drive im gonna get.

thanks guys.

If you plan to, which seems like you do, make an image to the external, but a new internal, and restore the image to the new internal, you can do it with almost any imaging software.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome. Please let us know how it went.

 

[madtownidiot]

yes, format it to ntfs