Solved How to make a ready to go spare hard drive?

[moparfan]

What I mean by ready to go is I just unplug all other drives plug this drive in turn on the computer and it is just like the computer was at the time i setup the hard drive minus my personal files. I am taking out my personal files as they are saved else where anyways and this spare hard drive i have is only 160gb.

My idea here is if i have another hard drive fail and i need to get something done quick i want spare drive i can plug in and do what i need to do and not wait to install the OS and all the drivers. Being a home built machine finding the drivers again is also time consuming. Normally like last time i needed on the internet to order parts but i had to wait till everything was installed. Or setup my old junker machine. Nether is fast.

Now i suspect disk image may do this but i don't really know?

 

[Barman58]

Two options come to mind for you to research further as to which suits you best ... Windows is specifically designed not to run from an external drive (although there are some third party hacks to allow this) so would suggest more conventional options

First thing to do is to set up your system with a separate data drive for your Files, And ensure that the data is backed up regularly to an external drive - At Least once a week (more often if you generate a lot of data)

The older style would be to set up a dual drive in a mirror RAID configuration If the drive failed the second drive would automatically take over, (fallover protection), you have to be careful to use good hardware raid for this as you do not want whatever issue causes failure to be mirrored thus defeating the object of the raid the great advantage of this system is that the switch is instant the disadvantage is that there can be complex overheads in time and usage to keep things running safely, you need to understand the raid system in use or get someone else to set it up,

The other more modern way would be a regular system image, using something like Macrium Reflect or Aomei Backupper, (the reason for having the data on a seperate drive is to keep the system drive small as possible so images are quick to make and reinstall). The image should be made at least after every system or application change, updates and after any hardware changes. If the system drive fails you should be back up and running within 30 minutes and probably sooner.

External drives using USB3 are very fast these days and a large drive could be used for both your System image (or images , one before and one after a major change, for failsafe) and your data backups

The other thing to think about with backups is to disconnect them from your system when not in use and consider storing them somewhere other than with your system, this protects against fire and theft as well as failure

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Two options come to mind for you to research further as to which suits you best ... Windows is specifically designed not to run from an external drive (although there are some third party hacks to allow this) so would suggest more conventional options

First thing to do is to set up your system with a separate data drive for your Files, And ensure that the data is backed up regularly to an external drive - At Least once a week (more often if you generate a lot of data)

The older style would be to set up a dual drive in a mirror RAID configuration If the drive failed the second drive would automatically take over, (fallover protection), you have to be careful to use good hardware raid for this as you do not want whatever issue causes failure to be mirrored thus defeating the object of the raid the great advantage of this system is that the switch is instant the disadvantage is that there can be complex overheads in time and usage to keep things running safely, you need to understand the raid system in use or get someone else to set it up,

The other more modern way would be a regular system image, using something like Macrium Reflect or Aomei Backupper, (the reason for having the data on a seperate drive is to keep the system drive small as possible so images are quick to make and reinstall). The image should be made at least after every system or application change, updates and after any hardware changes. If the system drive fails you should be back up and running within 30 minutes and probably sooner.

External drives using USB3 are very fast these days and a large drive could be used for both your System image (or images , one before and one after a major change, for failsafe) and your data backups

The other thing to think about with backups is to disconnect them from your system when not in use and consider storing them somewhere other than with your system, this protects against fire and theft as well as failure

Nigel (Barman58) pretty much nailed it. I'm already doing pretty much what you are wanting on my notebooks. Each notebook has two external USB drives that are made of internal type drives I put into external USB drive enclosures. I used Macrium Reflect to clone the notebook's own drive onto each external drive using Macrium Reflect (I recommend the free version for most people; Aomei Backupper is another one that is frequently recommended). I also have my System (OS and programs) and data on separate partitions (the notebook has only one drive; on a desktop or a laptop with room for more than one drive, I would use separate drives for the System and data).

I use a slghtly more complicated (but much faster and more efficient) way of updating the backup drives, which I won't confuse you with right now, but, for this discussion, we will stick with cloning. Let's say the drive in your computer goes wonky. You can plug the backup drive into a USB port on the computer. You also plug in the rescue media you were supposed to make when you first set up Macrium Reflect (I recommend using a USB thumb drive for the rescue drive; Macrium reflect will create the rescue drive on t for you), then boot the computer. The computer will boot up from the rescue drive into a stripped down version of Windows with a stripped down version of Macrium Reflect already opned up. You can use Macrium Reflect to try to clone the backup drive back onto the computer's drive.

If the computer's drive is too far gone to fix this way, you can remove the backup drive from inside the enclosure you put it in, remove the broken drive from the computer, then install the backup drive into the computer.

I don't use this method for a desktop computer because there are more efficient ways to use but it's an ideal way to fix the notebook I take with me when I travel since my backup drives are essentially spare drives. However, it's easy to understand how to do this.

 

[file3456]

In addition to a drive clone, and if your main goal is just to boot to an OS for emergency purposes, then check out a live Linux CD like Linux Mint or something. Damn Small Linux (DSL) or Puppy Linux will do it too right from a mini CD-R or USB drive.

 

[moparfan]

I think i didn't word my post well enough or tell what i have to work with enough based on the first 2 answers i got.

Let me try again. First this is a home built desktop I put together about 6 years ago. The case is easy to open and it sits within 2 foot of me. Literally i just turn to the left pop the panel off as it has a quick latch on it and i am inside with all the wires. I laid it out so i have wires already sitting in my extra hard drive bays. Very simply to unplug and plug in drives in about 1 minute of time. So i wouldn't need to do anything with USB.

My spare drive i want to create basically just needs to get to the internet to make a order and maybe some browsing around the internet haha I probably won't need my files at that time. Even if i do they can be plugged in from my USB backup. I only need bare bones working windows 7 with the drivers needed to work, my antivirus, and firefox. Sure by the time i need it all of it will be out of date but if i need to order a new drive or search for some fix i can do that quick. Without pulling out my old junker machine unplug my screen keyboard mouse and so on just to order a new drive.

All of my most important data is backed up in about 8 places. Less needed files only about 3 places. I even have a giant safe i had to use my crane to unload and place. (yes i own a crane.) I just don't have a good ready to go operating system. F22 I am sure you remember my hard drive fail not to long ago and i wanted my bookmarks and tabs back. Well i now have a 4tb drive updated daily to handle that. bookmarks and tabs clearly less important then my kids baby pics. But I don't think i can boot from my backup drive and go can i? This time i set windows to backup everything and create a system image. This way i have a better chance of keeping my bookmarks and tabs.


I hope that makes it more clear? Or maybe i am not understanding who knows.

F22 yes linux. I actually plan to do something with that to. I keep picking up old computers and saving the drives. Next one i get I planned to do it with linux. As we talked a bit in my hard drive fail thread about me wanting to switch to linux i have been playing with linux in virtualbox. Crashed it about 11 times now haha. I simply am not smart enough with it to depend on it yet. Being windows 7 is not going to be supported much longer i think a side advantage of having a fully updated at the time they stop supporting it hard drive with windows 7 and all drivers may come in handy many years from now. Even if it is just for the kids to play on. It took me a long time before i got fully out of windows xp. In fact i still have a computer in storage with XP still on it. lucky me i mostly skipped vista.

 

[file3456]

I think what you need to do is dedicate a hard drive to a full system clone. Then place that hard dive in your safe for when you need it. I have a couple safes myself but they are the $35 fireproof versions. Is your safe fireproof? I know damn well that those regular metal safes are not and metal will melt in them.

As to your really precious stuff like kids pictures, check out the optical media called M-Disc. This optical disk is supposedly rated for 1,000 years of a life span. Of course you'll need the right burner to burn M-Disc. I have a pretty decent burner which is a Pioneer BDR209D.

 

[moparfan]

I think what you need to do is dedicate a hard drive to a full system clone. Then place that hard dive in your safe for when you need it. I have a couple safes myself but they are the $35 fireproof versions. Is your safe fireproof? I know damn well that those regular metal safes are not and metal will melt in them.

As to your really precious stuff like kids pictures, check out the optical media called M-Disc. This optical disk is supposedly rated for 1,000 years of a life span. Of course you'll need the right burner to burn M-Disc. I have a pretty decent burner which is a Pioneer BDR209D.

Yep clone it except i don't need my pics and documents on it i already put on here. Wish i would of had this spare hard drive before i put that stuff back on my new SSD. It would of made this idea simpler.

No safe is totally fire proof tho. Read the rating they are only good for so much heat for so much time. Usually a hour or less. Most cheap ones are only 30 mins. Even my $50 one is only good for 30 mins. My big one idk what its rating is i forgot. It was much better then most and cost a few grand. Also i rigged it so i know where to bust threw hook a chain and pull it out . It holds all the family air looms i can't let it get ruined. Heck it is climate controlled better then my house to. haha When we build our new house it will be a safe inside of a safe underground. We have tornadoes here. Then i will have double firewall protection. I guess it is amazing what people will go threw to save old photos. Backup plan is bring in our excavator and pull the safe out of the fire. Have i gone far enough trying to save it from fire? lol

Yep i will check into the M disc. That sounds like something worth having to. Al tho updating every so often mite be costly as the short search showed only write to it once. But thank you I had no idea something like that was out there.