Looking for (free) drive cloning software...

[ddrueding]

...that can handle chipset-based SATA ports, like those on the nForce3 250Gb I have now.

Let me now state for the record that everyone here is correct, and that Norton Ghost 2003 blows major chunks. Also, that having spare hard drives sitting around, parralel installs of XP, and partition magic positively rule.

I need to make a -one time- complete drive copy including OS on my system (swapping out a Samsung 160GB SATA for a Samsung 160GB SATA...don't ask. What software could you recommend? Free is good, but any "sure-thing" software is an acceptable answer.

 

[Mercutio]

Ghost 2003 works beautifully with SATA drives so long as you use -fNI as a command line option.

I do it all the time.

Honest. Works every time.

TrueImage also has marvelous support for SATA drives. PQMagic, not so good.

 

[sechs]

Try using the previous version of Ghost. It seems to work better.

Otherwise, if Linux supports your chipset, then you can just boot into Knoppix and use dd.

 

[ddrueding]

-fNI? Never heard of that option...interesting.

I've had good luck with Ghost 2003 using PCI-based SATA controllers in the past, but this time it really freaked out, I had to assume it was the fact that the controller was part of the chipset.

 

[ddrueding]

-fNI didn't work for me. It just freezes on the splash screen. I think I need the newer version that works from within windows...

 

[Bozo]

How about one of the free hard drive programs available From Maxtor, WD, etc. Don't most of these have a utility to transfer everything from the old hard drive to the new hard drive?


Bozo :mrgrn:

 

[sechs]

I think I need the newer version that works from within windows...

Which is, in fact, PowerQuest DriveImage, part 2. Last time I tried to use it, it mangled all of my NTFS volumes. Not very happy.

This is not to mention that anything that "makes an image" while Windows in running in the multitasking environment cannot make a true image, as some files will always be locked.

 

[Jan Kivar]

This was posted on the MSI forums. Maybe it's relevant?

Cheers,

Jan

 

[Buck]

It's not free, but I use Winhex.

 

[Mercutio]

This is not to mention that anything that "makes an image" while Windows in running in the multitasking environment cannot make a true image, as some files will always be locked.

Not true for Windows XP or 2003 Server, at least. The Shadow Copy service will dupe the file as it exists in memory and allow you to copy the copy.
Acronic TrueImage does in fact make full, complete backups while Windows is running and doing stuff.

 

[sechs]

So, either the file isn't locked or your backup isn't true. Which is it?

 

[LiamC]

-fNI didn't work for me. It just freezes on the splash screen. I think I need the newer version that works from within windows...

I've seen this _apparent_ freeze with ghost2K3. It doesn't, it just might take 5 minutes or so to come back--which looks like it has frozen

 

[LiamC]

Also, if the FNI switch doesn't work, try NOIDE--counterintuitively, this lets ghost2K3 still see IDE drives...

 

[Will Rickards]

I've used this freeware before. It worked so well it even copied the bad sector count. I didn't use it for SATA though as I don't have any yet.