28 replies to this topic

[Spider]

Just wondering if some of the proficient IT guys can help me out.

 

My faithful (hand me down ) lap top has finally spat the dummy and more or less, gone to PC Heaven.

 

I have another hand me down lap top to use, but the Hard Disc is only about 300 Gb - not nearly enough to hold all the Mini stuff let alone all my other files and programs.

 

I've purchase a new 1Tb HDD for this laptop but I need to now copy the current Operating system etc from this 300 Mb disc to the new one, then I can load up all my files etc. Being a Laptop, I think / suspect it needs some OEM Software in Windows specifically for this new laptop.

 

So, can someone help me make a direct copy of this 300 Mb disc on to the new 1Tb disc so I can then straight swap them?

 

I hope that makes some sense, I'm not at all a computer person.

 

 

 

 

 

[hhhh]

Hi Moke, this site looks like a good step by step way to do it. In short you'll need a USB to SATA cable and you can use free software for a simple cloning of one drive to the other.

 

https://www.howtogee...-under-an-hour/

[Spider]

Cheers.

 

I found that one last week and tried it, but sorry to say, while the 'cloning' appeared to check out, it didn't work when I swapped the drives. Appreciate your help here and not wanting to come across as ungrateful for that.

 

I've formatted the new disc and having another go, 'cloning' as we speak.

[Spider]

Hmmmm,,,, that came up with an error message after about 20 minutes that it 'failed to clone' but as always no clues!

 

If there's another option for doing this, I'm all ears

[JBW]

I have used Easus basic free app on several occasions with total success,

 

http://www.todo-back...me/download.htm

[xrocketengineer]

I have been using Macrium Reflect free for while and it has worked very well. It allows you to clone a drive, create disc images and a rescue CD to rebuild your hard drive from an image. It also checks for updates automatically.

If you are having errors during the cloning, your source disc might have errors that need to be corrected. Run the disc check in Windows.

 

https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

[greenwheels]

Why don't you put the 1Tb drive in an external drive case and store your data external to the laptop, then you will have the internal 300 still to use. Put the commonly used stuff internal and the rarely used external. OK you will have to carry an external drive around but it will fit in the bag.

[Spider]

JBW, I'll register for that when I get in to the office a little later. Cheers.

 

Thanks for the suggestion Greenwheels, however, while probably lazy I just don't find that at all convenient with stuff I access often. I'm finding there's not enough disc space in the C: Drive to load and run all the programs I need !  I currently can't even load up an email program (or that's what this contraption is telling me.)

 

 

. Run the disc check in Windows.

 

 

I recall seeing this years ago in an earlier version of Windows. I'm currently using Windows 7 (Yes, I'm slow to move with the times). I've just had a look and even a search but can't find it. Any hints?  (and yes, I can hear you all laughing at me - that's OK - I am a total noob with this IT stuff).

 

I have heard of this being also being done with a 'Image' rather than a 'Clone', I think a Rescue or Back Up disc is also needed (which I think I've made), Are these the same things (Image / clone) and can this be done? Or am I best to forget that?

[xrocketengineer]

For the disc check: Double click on My Computer, Computer or This PC (depending on the version of Windows) then find the hard drive icon and right click on it. Select properties and then select the Tools tab. There will be the Error Checking option. Select that one, it make ask you to restart the computer.

 

A clone is a copy of the hard drive that will be fully functional when installed in the same computer that it was copied from. An image is a single file (or several files) that contain all the data from a hard drive. It is not functional by itself and requires a rescue disc to rebuild the hard drive. It is mainly used for backing up hard drives on a regular basis. Not all images are compatible with each other nor with the other rescue discs. I.E. Microsoft image uses a MS rescue disc, Acronis, Easus, Macrium they all use their own stuff.

[Spider]

OK Cheers for that, under way now.

 

Some small / possible success with cloning from the Macrium Cloning. Clone completed, HDDs swapped it asked for a Rescue Disc, put that in, let it do it's stuff, then after a while comes up with a Screen 'Loading Desktop', a little while later again, comes up with a blank blue screen but down the bottom right corner a few words to say that 'This Version of Windows is not Genuine'. Nothing else what so ever on the screen and could only shut it down with the power button.

 

So, I'm guessing that for what ever reason there's a file(s) that's not 'cloning' for some reason.

 

Open for suggestions here and thanks for all those so far.

 

Upon swapping the HDD back, boots up and runs like a sewing machine, only a small one.

Edited by Moke Spider, 13 May 2017 - 09:37 PM.

[xrocketengineer]

So, the laptop runs fine with the original hard drive but when the cloned one is installed, it claims that 'This Version of Windows is not Genuine'. I remember that supposedly with Windows Vista, after cloning a hard drive, the original Windows installation disc that came with the computer was required to ensure that the installation was genuine.  I have never experienced that myself in any of the many clonings and upgrades that I have done.  

Maybe there is an option. Check to see if the computer lets you make a "Rescue Disc". This is a cheap way for manufacturers to provide a "Windows" disk at the owners expense. It create a disc that will rebuild the computer OS to the configuration when the computer was new. It might require more that one DVD but you have to follow the instructions to the letter. However, on certain computers like HP computers, the manufacturer allows the creation of the "Rescue Disc" only once. So, if the previous owner already did that you are out of luck.

So, after the cloning, this is the "Rescue Disc" that it would be looking for, a Windows factory installation disc. In summary, there are rescue discs and there are rescue discs, different animals according to their creators.   

[Ethel]

Do you have a computer you can put both drives in? I think copying a whole disc is easier if it's not involved in booting the OS. You can install minimalist Linux systems to run off a usb stick. Clonezilla or Puppy Linux may be worth a look.

 

Having Linux Mint on a CD or USB stick has been really useful on many an occasion when I've done something stupid and trashed my system drive. Takes the pressure off trying to sort the mess in a blind panic if you can get online etc.

[Spider]

OK, I've gotten myself in to a bit of a muddle, I've been able to work out, and this I suspect maybe a bit part of the problem and errors etc I'm seeing.

 

When I view the new disk on 'Computer Management'  it appears to have been split in to three partitions. There's a small (now empty) 1st section, about 280 Mb (off hand), a 'System' Partition, which is about 100 Mb, then a further empty section for the balance of the new disc space.

 

It seems the error maybe that when attempting to clone it's attempting to do so in to that first 280 Mb partition section. The balance of the sick is not visible in Windows Explorer.

 

I've tried formatting the disk in an attempt to 'wipe it clean', but this too does not seem the way forward, as the three partitions sections still remain.

 

How do I remove these partitions and wipe the slate clean so I can go again?  I've googled it but there seems little I can find on doing this.

 

Do you have a computer you can put both drives in? I think copying a whole disc is easier if it's not involved in booting the OS. You can install minimalist Linux systems to run off a usb stick. Clonezilla or Puppy Linux may be worth a look.

 

Having Linux Mint on a CD or USB stick has been really useful on many an occasion when I've done something stupid and trashed my system drive. Takes the pressure off trying to sort the mess in a blind panic if you can get online etc.

 

Ethal, thanks for the suggestion and I think this maybe part of the problem in the first place. In my very limited knowledge, I'm suspecting that there's some bit of software that runs when the laptop is on that's playing havoc here. Turns out the good wife does have a SATA to USB cable too, so I'll try this once I get out of the current muddle I've gotten myself in to!

 

So, the laptop runs fine with the original hard drive but when the cloned one is installed, it claims that 'This Version of Windows is not Genuine'. I remember that supposedly with Windows Vista, after cloning a hard drive, the original Windows installation disc that came with the computer was required to ensure that the installation was genuine.  I have never experienced that myself in any of the many clonings and upgrades that I have done.  

Maybe there is an option. Check to see if the computer lets you make a "Rescue Disc". This is a cheap way for manufacturers to provide a "Windows" disk at the owners expense. It create a disc that will rebuild the computer OS to the configuration when the computer was new. It might require more that one DVD but you have to follow the instructions to the letter. However, on certain computers like HP computers, the manufacturer allows the creation of the "Rescue Disc" only once. So, if the previous owner already did that you are out of luck.

So, after the cloning, this is the "Rescue Disc" that it would be looking for, a Windows factory installation disc. In summary, there are rescue discs and there are rescue discs, different animals according to their creators.   

 

Yeap, I hear you load and clear on this!

[xrocketengineer]

I would first try using the old hard drive to make the "factory rescue CD/DVD". Look in the factory installed software under the computer brand for a "recovery or rescue" CD/DVD creator. Run that and follow the directions as stated. Be ready to feed the computer several blank DVD's and label them as instructed. If this happens successfully, then you would have your very own Windows OS load specifically for you computer. If needed, you can install any hard drive in you computer and start the computer with these DVD's and rebuild the computer to the way it was when new.

If that does not work, let me know.

 

The factory hard drive might have three to four partitions. One is tiny,hidden and empty (a Windows thing). Another is the recovery partition where the Windows load to repair the computer is hidden. Then there is the largest visible partition with the operating system (your C: drive). There might be another hidden small partition with a boot loader that orchestrates what to do when the computer starts such as run Windows or go in to a repair mode.

[Black.Ghost]

I am by no means an IT expert. However, I don't see the point in cloning a laptop. If there is anything wrong on it, or there are viruses etc., the whole lot will go across. When I last upgraded a laptop HD (due to a virus basically killing it), I simply downloaded the Windows OS install disc on to a blank CD. When you install the new HD (which should be completely blank), hit F2 when you turn it on and you can change the BIOS settings. It depends what the default setting is, but you can change it to boot from CD drive before looking for a HD boot sequence. The install disc will then run, and you will have a completely fresh install of Windows. You will however need a Windows Key for this. You should be able to get your current key from the settings on your old HD. If you are running a version of Windows that you bought outright, I believe you can run up to 3 instances of it. if it came pre-installed on the laptop (as is usually the case) then I believe you are limited to just the one. If you de-register it from your original laptop, I believe you should then be able tore-register it for the new install. 

 

You then use the SATA-USB to read your old HD as an external HD and just copy across the files that you want. It will take a while, but you get to pick and choose exactly where everything goes. Leave it running over night. 

 

You are going to have some other problems as well. HD performance drops dramatically when it has less than 10% remaining, and the closer that gets to 0%, the worse it performs. Second, I believe if you clone, you may also need to defray it as well. When data is saved, it is just put into the next free slot. As you create and delete files, this creates a lot of gaps in the data. A defray will basically shift everything along so it is all in order again. This can give the impression of speeding up the HD as it reads the data quicker.

 

You mentioned Windows Vista. I am not sure if you are aware, but MS support for Vista ceased as of April 2017, which means no more security updates, no more patches, no more bug fixes etc. Add that to it being a pretty lousy OS anyway, and it's really not worth the time or effort to make it run smoothly. If you have all the 'graphics' turned on, it is also pretty resource hungry as well. To be honest, if the spec of the laptop will allow it, you are better off biting the bullet and installing Windows 7 - but don't go to 10. 7 is a good balance of a decent OS, without being too hard on the machine. 8 was lousy (for the short time I had to use it), and I haven't had much use out of 10 yet but on older hardware, it's really not worth the hassle. 

 

Running old laptops for as a long as possible is a bit of a false economy to be honest. You can pick up a moderately decent machine for £300 (especially if you get something in the sale that is last year's model) that will do 95%, if not more, of what almost everyone will ever need it to do. You obviously aren't gaming, video or photo  editing etc (on a large scale), so most use will be email, internet, music, media and looking through your mini files (a large amount of which may be PDFs?). You'd have been better off selling the old one on eBay for £50 quid, using the money you spent on the HD and putting it towards a new machine.