[soarwitheagles]

I needed help in knowing the correct process to move all my hard drive data to a new hard drive.

Here is what I would like to do:

Create an exact copy [is this called an image or a mirror (i have no clue)] of my existing hard drive and move it to my new hard drive.

The old hard drive [the one I am presently using on my system is a Maxtor 300GB SATA II.

The new drive [still new in the anti static bag is the the WD 500GB SATA II 32 mb cache (it is called the caviar Black with model #wd5001AALS)].

Can anyone help me through this process please?

I would like to partition the new drive first if possible.

Thanks,

Soar

[c0rr0sive]

If I remember right, when you boot to the cd you have, you can go through the advanced options, and have it clone your current drive to the new one with out creating an image, if you wan't an image as a backup, you will need another drive to place the image one to read and write from with out compromising the data on the c: drive or the new drive. I have had ghost freak out a few times when trying to make the backup destination the same location as the data im trying to image...

[soarwitheagles]

Originally Posted by charles_scott

If I remember right, when you boot to the cd you have, you can go through the advanced options, and have it clone your current drive to the new one with out creating an image, if you wan't an image as a backup, you will need another drive to place the image one to read and write from with out compromising the data on the c: drive or the new drive. I have had ghost freak out a few times when trying to make the backup destination the same location as the data im trying to image...

Charles,

Thanks for the reply. I actually would like to use the new drive [WD500 Caviar Black as my new HD with the existing OS from the old drive]. So I was hoping for an exact perfect copy/transfer from the old to the new HD. I plan on reformatting the older HD I am using now. I will install a brand new OS on it and use it as the main and only HD for the computer I building for my mom [well actually, if I can understand how to do a RAID 1 I might set my mom's computer up like that, but that is a completely different story].

How might I transfer the data from my old HD to the new HD successfully?

Note: my present system is working pretty much flawlessly and I really would like this process to be sucessful.

Soar

[Mak213]

Soar you will have to read teh documentation provided by Norton with Ghost. I can almost guarantee you that in their documentation they will give you what you are looking for. Not many people here use Ghost or have used this specific version to give you the exact step by step details you are looking for.

System Restore - PC Backup Software | Norton Ghost

Right there on their page it is the very first feature that you want.

Check the CD that came with it for the documentation and read through that. It will be able to provide you with more information than we can. they dont have anything on their website for us to link to.

Maybe some of these will help:

Complete PC Backup and Restore …as easy as ABC Expertester
Step By Step Guide : How to complete backup your PC. Expertester

[soarwitheagles]

Originally Posted by Mak213

Soar you will have to read teh documentation provided by Norton with Ghost. I can almost guarantee you that in their documentation they will give you what you are looking for. Not many people here use Ghost or have used this specific version to give you the exact step by step details you are looking for.

System Restore - PC Backup Software | Norton Ghost

Right there on their page it is the very first feature that you want.

Check the CD that came with it for the documentation and read through that. It will be able to provide you with more information than we can. they dont have anything on their website for us to link to.

Maybe some of these will help:

Complete PC Backup and Restore …as easy as ABC Expertester
Step By Step Guide : How to complete backup your PC. Expertester

Mak,

Thanks again. Ok, I read the articles. I must have been misinformed. I thought Ghost 14 was suppose to be one of the best. I just paid $70 for it last night...well, I am glad because it came with a $50 and a $20 rebate and I just finished filling out the forms and placed them in the envelope.

After reading your post and the accompanying articles, I just began to down load Acronis TrueImage 11 Boot CD.iso. I also read post earlier about Clonzilla too.

What do most pros use when they want to transfer all data from one HD to another? Have you any other suggestions?

Soar

[Mak213]

I have used Ghost 9 before. Was good. I used Acronis True Image 11 before. Was good. I have not used CloneZilla as of yet. but i know of it.

Ghost took just the Used Space when it created the images. Acronis took the Used Space and Free Space.

Most people do what you are doing. They create a full image of their drive.

[soarwitheagles]

Originally Posted by Mak

I have used Ghost 9 before. Was good. I used Acronis True Image 11 before. Was good. I have not used CloneZilla as of yet. but i know of it.

Ghost took just the Used Space when it created the images. Acronis took the Used Space and Free Space.

Most people do what you are doing. They create a full image of their drive.

Ok, thanks. Will I be able to write to the free space?

[Mak213]

Of course. After you get the data transferred over it will act like a normal hard drive.

[soarwitheagles]

Originally Posted by Mak

Of course. After you get the data transferred over it will act like a normal hard drive.

Got it!

Ok, I will go the Acronis route because the Expertester's site has really, really clear directions!