Solved Clone Hard Drive

[sharkd442]

how do you clone the OS disk on to another hard drive. so when it goes bad i have a backup of it thanks

 

[gregrocker]

You can save a Win7 backup image externally so that if Win7 ever fails beyond repair, you can reimage the HD or its replacement in 20 minutes from the DVD and backed-up image: Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup. Another popular app is free Macrium - Image your system which I believe can also clone.

If you have WD or Seagate HD in the mix, they offer Acronis' free Premium imaging and cloning app which is perhaps the best option of all.

 

[sharkd442]

my computer has a Western Digital 320GB hard drive

 

[gregrocker]

WD Acronis free cloning app

The manual is on the same downloads page, and easy to understand.

 

[sharkd442]

thanks i am downloading it

 

[Mark Phelps]

I would advise against doing the cloning. Why? Because one of the pieces of information that is involved in activating Win7 is the serial number of the drive -- which will change when you stick a different drive in the PC.

I had a similar situation when I migrated to an SSD, but I was able to reactivate online very quickly.

Also, if you just make one clone, that is a static snapshot of your install. To me, a better solution is to periodically image off the setup to an external drive. (I also use MR to do this). That way, if your PC fails, you have a choice of several restores, not just one.

 

[sharkd442]

how do you crate a image

 

[gregrocker]

Read the Acronis' manual also on the Downloads page. It's easy to understand.

To use the WIn7 tool: Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

I also previously linked you to Macrium - Image your system which is popular freeware.

 

[sharkd442]

k i will