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Ghost/Clone Hard Drive?

Discussion in 'Windows Vista' started by booker, Feb 23, 2008.

  1. booker

    booker Guest

    Hi,
    Recently i bought a new HD, 320GB, i´m currently using a 80GB.
    My question is if there is any tool on vist to make a ghost/clone my
    current OS & Software on the new HD?

    If not, what program i should use?

    This will make a perfect copy 1:1 right?

    Thanks.


    --
    booker
     
  2. Malke

    Malke Guest

    booker wrote:
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    >
    > Hi,
    > Recently i bought a new HD, 320GB, i´m currently using a 80GB.
    > My question is if there is any tool on vist to make a ghost/clone my
    > current OS & Software on the new HD?
    >
    > If not, what program i should use?
    >
    > This will make a perfect copy 1:1 right?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    Most hard drives come with the software to clone the old hard drive to the
    new one. If you bought whitebox, you can always go to the drive mftr.'s
    website and download this free utility.

    Otherwise, Acronis True Image can clone hard drives - as well as doing a lot
    of very useful things like imaging and incremental backups - so it might be
    worth having in your toolbox. I'm sure other imaging programs like Ghost
    can do this, too.

    Malke
    --
    MS-MVP
    Elephant Boy Computers

    Don't Panic!
     
  3. On Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:35:51 -0600, booker
    <booker.358sx4@no-mx.forums.net> wrote:
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    >
    > Hi,
    > Recently i bought a new HD, 320GB, i´m currently using a 80GB.
    > My question is if there is any tool on vist to make a ghost/clone my
    > current OS & Software on the new HD?
    >
    > If not, what program i should use?
    >
    > This will make a perfect copy 1:1 right? <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    Several points:

    1. There is no Vista tool to do this.

    2. Most new drives either come with such a tool, or you can download
    one from the drive manufacturer's web site.

    3. If you want to buy such a tool, there are several choices. My
    favorite is Acronis true Image.

    4. Why do you want to do this at all? It's easier to just install the
    new 320GB as a second drive and keep both. Then you end up with a
    total of 400GB instead of 320GB.

    --
    Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
    Please Reply to the Newsgroup
     
  4. Augustus

    Augustus Guest

    > 4. Why do you want to do this at all? It's easier to just install the<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > new 320GB as a second drive and keep both. Then you end up with a
    > total of 400GB instead of 320GB.
    >
    > --
    > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
    > Please Reply to the Newsgroup<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    Likely because most 80Gig HDD's are now coming up on three to four years of
    age, so reliability becomes
    more of a concern, as well as the fact that most 80Gig units have a 2Mb L2
    cache whereas almost all 320Gig units have a 16Mb cache and have a
    noticeably faster "feel".
     
  5. Ghost works fine, I use it for all my PC images. You can also use Powerquest
    Drive Image

    Hope that helps

    Claudia

    "Augustus" <no_one@nowhere.net> wrote in message
    news:72_vj.40557$w57.32465@edtnps90...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> 4. Why do you want to do this at all? It's easier to just install the
    >> new 320GB as a second drive and keep both. Then you end up with a
    >> total of 400GB instead of 320GB.
    >>
    >> --
    >> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
    >> Please Reply to the Newsgroup<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > Likely because most 80Gig HDD's are now coming up on three to four years
    > of age, so reliability becomes
    > more of a concern, as well as the fact that most 80Gig units have a 2Mb L2
    > cache whereas almost all 320Gig units have a 16Mb cache and have a
    > noticeably faster "feel".
    > <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
     
  6. booker

    booker Guest

    thanks all for the answer.
    the reason why i want to do it, is because my old hd is very old, it´s
    not as fast as my new HW so i really need to move my OS to the new HW.

    I´ll try to download the app from the website (it´s samsung drive btw)
    Or i should use the original HD? (old one?)

    if i can´t find it, i´ll search for a 3rd party application then.


    --
    booker
     
  7. John Barnes

    John Barnes Guest

    Copy it over to the new one and use the old drive for backup or data.
    Acronis has good products and just make sure anything you need to run on
    Vista is Vista compatible.

    "booker" <booker.359cd3@no-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
    news:booker.359cd3@no-mx.forums.net...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    >
    > thanks all for the answer.
    > the reason why i want to do it, is because my old hd is very old, it´s
    > not as fast as my new HW so i really need to move my OS to the new HW.
    >
    > I´ll try to download the app from the website (it´s samsung drive btw)
    > Or i should use the original HD? (old one?)
    >
    > if i can´t find it, i´ll search for a 3rd party application then.
    >
    >
    > --
    > booker <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
     
  8. Nick D.

    Nick D. Guest

    Claudia,
    What version of Vista? Of Ghost? Have you done any file or complete
    restores?

    "Claudia Mumford" <cmumford@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
    news:eIiTmtldIHA.4140@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > Ghost works fine, I use it for all my PC images. You can also use
    > Powerquest Drive Image
    >
    > Hope that helps
    >
    > Claudia
    >
    > "Augustus" <no_one@nowhere.net> wrote in message
    > news:72_vj.40557$w57.32465@edtnps90...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> 4. Why do you want to do this at all? It's easier to just install the
    >>> new 320GB as a second drive and keep both. Then you end up with a
    >>> total of 400GB instead of 320GB.
    >>>
    >>> --
    >>> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
    >>> Please Reply to the Newsgroup<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >>
    >> Likely because most 80Gig HDD's are now coming up on three to four years
    >> of age, so reliability becomes
    >> more of a concern, as well as the fact that most 80Gig units have a 2Mb
    >> L2 cache whereas almost all 320Gig units have a 16Mb cache and have a
    >> noticeably faster "feel".
    >><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
     
  9. jobypolansky

    jobypolansky Guest

    I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was not
    bootable.

    To get around this, and after pulling my hair out, I first closed the
    WHOLE disk, then cloned the bootable partition from the old disk to the
    new one (again, even though it was already there).

    I then swapped the drives and the new 250GB disk worked. Ironically,
    putting the old disk back in, I got the same error message that I got
    the first time around with the new disk! Weird. After that, I took the
    unallocated space from the new 250GB (what was left) and merged it with
    the main c: partition taking advantage of all the space available from
    the new drive.

    So in summary, clone the whole disk incluiding all partitions from
    source to new drive. THEN, clone the boot partition again to the new
    drive, then swap them out.

    Unfortunately, it appears that the old c: drive won't boot so you might
    as well format it and use it for extra space.

    I don't know why Microsoft Vista does this, but having cloned Win98,
    XP, etc, I was not expecting to run into this problem. Somehow, almost
    by accident, we managed to do it. Hopefully, it will work for you too!
    PJP


    --
    jobypolansky
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    jobypolansky's Profile:
    View this thread:


     
  10. On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:05:46 +0530, jobypolansky wrote:
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    > solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    > the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was not
    > bootable.
    >
    > To get around this, and after pulling my hair out, I first closed the
    > WHOLE disk, then cloned the bootable partition from the old disk to the
    > new one (again, even though it was already there).
    >
    > I then swapped the drives and the new 250GB disk worked. Ironically,
    > putting the old disk back in, I got the same error message that I got
    > the first time around with the new disk! Weird. After that, I took the
    > unallocated space from the new 250GB (what was left) and merged it with
    > the main c: partition taking advantage of all the space available from
    > the new drive.
    >
    > So in summary, clone the whole disk incluiding all partitions from
    > source to new drive. THEN, clone the boot partition again to the new
    > drive, then swap them out.
    >
    > Unfortunately, it appears that the old c: drive won't boot so you might
    > as well format it and use it for extra space.
    >
    > I don't know why Microsoft Vista does this, but having cloned Win98,
    > XP, etc, I was not expecting to run into this problem. Somehow, almost
    > by accident, we managed to do it. Hopefully, it will work for you too!
    > PJP<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new disk not
    bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a problem. If
    you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes the old
    one unbootable, for the same reason.

    --
    Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom
     
  11. whs

    whs Guest

    Gene E. Bloch;1097008 Wrote: <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:05:46 +0530, jobypolansky wrote:<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > >
    > > > I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    > > > solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    > > > the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > not<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > bootable.
    > > >
    > > > To get around this, and after pulling my hair out, I first closed the
    > > > WHOLE disk, then cloned the bootable partition from the old disk to<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > the<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > new one (again, even though it was already there).
    > > >
    > > > I then swapped the drives and the new 250GB disk worked. Ironically,
    > > > putting the old disk back in, I got the same error message that I got
    > > > the first time around with the new disk! Weird. After that, I took<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > the<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > unallocated space from the new 250GB (what was left) and merged it<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > with<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > the main c: partition taking advantage of all the space available<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > from<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > the new drive.
    > > >
    > > > So in summary, clone the whole disk incluiding all partitions from
    > > > source to new drive. THEN, clone the boot partition again to the new
    > > > drive, then swap them out.
    > > >
    > > > Unfortunately, it appears that the old c: drive won't boot so you<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > might<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > as well format it and use it for extra space.
    > > >
    > > > I don't know why Microsoft Vista does this, but having cloned Win98,
    > > > XP, etc, I was not expecting to run into this problem. Somehow,<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > almost<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > by accident, we managed to do it. Hopefully, it will work for you<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > too!<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > PJP > > <!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new
    > disk not
    > bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a
    > problem. If
    > you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes
    > the old
    > one unbootable, for the same reason.
    >
    > --
    > Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    This is all very interesting for me. I ran into exactly the same
    problem trying to clone Vista from my HDD to an OCZ SSD using Norton
    Ghost. There was always something wrong with the boot record. But I
    never tried to clone it twice (neat trick).
    Does anybody have any references that describes this problem (and
    solution) in more detail.


    --
    whs
     
  12. On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:15:53 -0500, whs wrote:
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > Gene E. Bloch;1097008 Wrote: <!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:05:46 +0530, jobypolansky wrote:<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> > >
    >>> > I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    >>> > solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    >>> > the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was
    >>> not
    >>> > bootable.
    >>> >
    >>> > To get around this, and after pulling my hair out, I first closed the
    >>> > WHOLE disk, then cloned the bootable partition from the old disk to
    >>> the
    >>> > new one (again, even though it was already there).
    >>> >
    >>> > I then swapped the drives and the new 250GB disk worked. Ironically,
    >>> > putting the old disk back in, I got the same error message that I got
    >>> > the first time around with the new disk! Weird. After that, I took
    >>> the
    >>> > unallocated space from the new 250GB (what was left) and merged it
    >>> with
    >>> > the main c: partition taking advantage of all the space available
    >>> from
    >>> > the new drive.
    >>> >
    >>> > So in summary, clone the whole disk incluiding all partitions from
    >>> > source to new drive. THEN, clone the boot partition again to the new
    >>> > drive, then swap them out.
    >>> >
    >>> > Unfortunately, it appears that the old c: drive won't boot so you
    >>> might
    >>> > as well format it and use it for extra space.
    >>> >
    >>> > I don't know why Microsoft Vista does this, but having cloned Win98,
    >>> > XP, etc, I was not expecting to run into this problem. Somehow,
    >>> almost
    >>> > by accident, we managed to do it. Hopefully, it will work for you
    >>> too!
    >>> > PJP > > <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >>
    >> As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new
    >> disk not
    >> bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a
    >> problem. If
    >> you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes
    >> the old
    >> one unbootable, for the same reason.
    >>
    >> --
    >> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    >
    > This is all very interesting for me. I ran into exactly the same
    > problem trying to clone Vista from my HDD to an OCZ SSD using Norton
    > Ghost. There was always something wrong with the boot record. But I
    > never tried to clone it twice (neat trick).
    > Does anybody have any references that describes this problem (and
    > solution) in more detail.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    You might try looking into the PDF manuals for cloning programs, such as
    Casper (), and maybe partitioning
    software, which, IIRC, faces the same conundrum.

    --
    Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom
     
  13. whs

    whs Guest

    Gene E. Bloch;1097392 Wrote: <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:15:53 -0500, whs wrote:<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > >
    > > > Gene E. Bloch;1097008 Wrote:> > > > >
    > > > >> On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:05:46 +0530, jobypolansky wrote:
    > > > >>
    > > > >> As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new
    > > > >> disk not
    > > > >> bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a
    > > > >> problem. If
    > > > >> you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes
    > > > >> the old
    > > > >> one unbootable, for the same reason.
    > > > >>
    > > > >> --
    > > > >> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom> > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > > This is all very interesting for me. I ran into exactly the same
    > > > problem trying to clone Vista from my HDD to an OCZ SSD using<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > Norton<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > Ghost. There was always something wrong with the boot record. But<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > > I<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    > > > never tried to clone it twice (neat trick).
    > > > Does anybody have any references that describes this problem (and
    > > > solution) in more detail. > > <!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > You might try looking into the PDF manuals for cloning programs, such
    > as
    > Casper ('Online Store | Future Systems Solutions'
    > ()), and maybe partitioning
    > software, which, IIRC, faces the same conundrum.
    >
    > --
    > Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    Thanks Gene. I will have a closer look. WHS


    --
    whs
     
  14. Anna

    Anna Guest

    "jobypolansky" <jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message...
    news:jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    > solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    > the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was not
    > bootable.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    (SNIP)


    "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message ...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new disk not
    > bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a problem. If
    > you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes the
    > old
    > one unbootable, for the same reason.
    > --
    > Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    "whs" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > This is all very interesting for me. I ran into exactly the same
    > problem trying to clone Vista from my HDD to an OCZ SSD using Norton
    > Ghost. There was always something wrong with the boot record. But I
    > never tried to clone it twice (neat trick).
    > Does anybody have any references that describes this problem (and
    > solution) in more detail.
    > --
    > whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> You might try looking into the PDF manuals for cloning programs, such
    >> as Casper ('Online Store | Future Systems Solutions'
    >> ()), and maybe partitioning
    >> software, which, IIRC, faces the same conundrum.
    >> --
    >> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > Gene E. Bloch;1097392 wrote:
    > Thanks Gene. I will have a closer look.> --
    > whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    jobypolansky, whs, & Gene...
    I would strongly second Gene's suggestion to take a look at the Casper 5
    disk-cloning program. We have been using that program for about the past two
    years or so and have found it a superb program for backing up & restoring
    one's system. While we have used the program primarily in a Windows XP
    environment and have had limited personal experience with the Vista OS,
    we're aware of many Vista users who have informed us that the program works
    just as well with that OS as with the XP OS.

    As I'm sure you know, like any disk-cloning program, the program is a
    comprehensive backup program in that it creates what amounts to a precise
    copy of one's day-to-day working HDD, i.e., the "source" disk. As such the
    user has available to him or her a complete copy of one's system including
    the OS, all programs & applications, all personal data - in short,
    *everything* that's on the source HDD. So when the day comes when the system
    requires restoration because of a failed HDD or a unbootable, dysfunctional
    OS, the user has the wherewithal immediately at hand to restore his or her
    system with little fuss or an inordinate expenditure of time.

    It's difficult for me to imagine a better backup system for the great
    majority of PC users than having a
    precise copy of their day-to-day working HDD at hand. A copy where *all* the
    data on their "source" HDD is instantly available. A copy that needs no
    restoration or recovery process of any kind in order to access its data
    instantly. A copy that is completely bootable & functional (should it be
    another internally-connected HDD or an eSATA-connected external HDD) without
    the need to perform any recovery/restore process.

    We've worked with a wide variety of disk-cloning & disk-imaging programs
    over the years and have found the Casper 5 program quite superior. The
    Casper program is extremely simple to use even for an inexperienced user,
    reasonably quick in operation, and quite effective. There's virtually no
    learning curve in undertaking the disk-cloning process as one navigates
    through the few easy-to-understand screens with a final mouse-click on the
    button on the screen which will trigger the disk-cloning process. After
    undertaking one or two disk-cloning operations it should take the user no
    more than 15 - 20 seconds or so to get to that point.

    But the truly significant advantage of the Casper 5.0 disk cloning program
    compared with other disk cloning programs that we're familiar with, e.g.,
    Acronis True Image, is its ability to create *incremental* disk clones
    following the creation of the original (first) disk clone. Employing what
    Casper calls its "SmartClone" technology the program can create subsequent
    disk clones of the source HDD usually at a *fraction* of the time it takes
    to create a "full" disk clone. This results in a decided incentive for the
    user to undertake frequent complete backups of his or her system knowing
    that they can create "incremental" disk clones in a relatively short period
    of time. Understand that this "incremental disk clone" is a *complete* clone
    (copy) of the "source" HDD, *not* merely an incremental file.

    Bear in mind that the recipient of the clone - the "destination" HDD
    (internal or external) - would contain the *complete* contents of one's
    internal HDD (presumably the boot drive). Since that destination drive would
    be a precise copy of the source HDD, its contents would be immediately
    accessible to the user and potentially bootable. Naturally its contents
    could be cloned back to a internal HDD should a restoration of the system be
    necessary. Again, what better backup system can one have? And again -
    because the Casper disk-cloning operation takes a relatively short period of
    time to complete its disk-cloning operations there's a strong incentive for
    the user to more frequently keep their backups up-to-date than they might
    otherwise do. This is an extroardinary advantage and should not be
    minimized.

    Again, I want to emphasize that the main advantage of the Casper 5 program
    in comparison with other disk-cloning programs is its rather remarkable
    ability to *routinely* clone the contents of one HDD to another HDD
    (following the initial disk-cloning process) in a fraction of the time it
    generally takes for other disk-cloning (as well as disk-imaging) programs to
    complete the process. In my experience this is a strong incentive for the
    user to back up their systems on a frequent basis - perhaps even once a day
    or two or three times a week - knowing that the disk-cloning operation will
    take only a few short minutes to complete the process. And at the end of
    that process the user will have at hand a "perfect copy" of their day-to-day
    working HDD. Again, what better backup system can one have?

    The Casper 5.0 program is also capable of scheduling the disk-cloning
    process on a daily, weekly, or other time period selected by the user so
    that should the user prefer he or she could arrange for automatic backups at
    pre-determined times.

    As Gene points out there's a trial version of the Casper 5 program available
    at...
    and although it's somewhat
    crippled it should give one a good idea as to how the program works.

    The downside to the Casper 5 program as compared with the Acronis and most
    other disk-cloning programs is the cost of the program which comes to $49.95
    for the program + $9.95 for the "Casper Startup Disk" (the program to create
    the bootable CD containing the Casper program - needed to access the program
    in the event of a failed HDD when the user is unable to access the installed
    Casper program). This "Startup Disk" is really an essential piece of the
    program; I can't imagine a Casper user not having this media. It's a pity
    that this "Startup Disk" is an added-cost option; in our view it should be
    provided as part of the overall program and included in the program's $49.95
    cost. We have complained to the developer about this but alas that
    additional cost for the "Startup Disk" is still present.

    So the cost of the program is more expensive than the others. Be that as it
    may, in our view it's still well worth the additional cost considering its
    overall effectiveness and the fact that one will be using the program many,
    many times over the weeks, months, and years ahead. We've introduced the
    program to many users (including former ATI users) and I can't recall a
    single person who regretted his/her purchase. AFAIK, the program is
    available only through download from the developer.

    One final comment...
    Again, while I haven't had a great deal of experience with the Vista OS as
    compared with the XP OS, however, from the little experience I've personally
    had using Casper 5 with Vista and more importantly, the feedback I've gotten
    from Vista users of Casper, I'm comfortable with recommending this program
    with Vista.
    Anna
     
  15. olfart

    olfart Guest

    "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
    news:eKkrSSGDKHA.5092@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    >
    > "jobypolansky" <jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message...
    > news:jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    >> solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    >> the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was not
    >> bootable.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > (SNIP)
    >
    >
    > "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message ...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new disk
    >> not
    >> bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a problem.
    >> If
    >> you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes the
    >> old
    >> one unbootable, for the same reason.
    >> --
    >> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    >
    > "whs" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> This is all very interesting for me. I ran into exactly the same
    >> problem trying to clone Vista from my HDD to an OCZ SSD using Norton
    >> Ghost. There was always something wrong with the boot record. But I
    >> never tried to clone it twice (neat trick).
    >> Does anybody have any references that describes this problem (and
    >> solution) in more detail.
    >> --
    >> whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    >
    > "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> You might try looking into the PDF manuals for cloning programs, such
    >>> as Casper ('Online Store | Future Systems Solutions'
    >>> ()), and maybe partitioning
    >>> software, which, IIRC, faces the same conundrum.
    >>> --
    >>> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> Gene E. Bloch;1097392 wrote:
    >> Thanks Gene. I will have a closer look.> --
    >> whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    >
    > jobypolansky, whs, & Gene...
    > I would strongly second Gene's suggestion to take a look at the Casper 5
    > disk-cloning program. We have been using that program for about the past
    > two years or so and have found it a superb program for backing up &
    > restoring one's system. While we have used the program primarily in a
    > Windows XP environment and have had limited personal experience with the
    > Vista OS, we're aware of many Vista users who have informed us that the
    > program works just as well with that OS as with the XP OS.
    >
    > As I'm sure you know, like any disk-cloning program, the program is a
    > comprehensive backup program in that it creates what amounts to a precise
    > copy of one's day-to-day working HDD, i.e., the "source" disk. As such the
    > user has available to him or her a complete copy of one's system including
    > the OS, all programs & applications, all personal data - in short,
    > *everything* that's on the source HDD. So when the day comes when the
    > system requires restoration because of a failed HDD or a unbootable,
    > dysfunctional OS, the user has the wherewithal immediately at hand to
    > restore his or her system with little fuss or an inordinate expenditure of
    > time.
    >
    > It's difficult for me to imagine a better backup system for the great
    > majority of PC users than having a
    > precise copy of their day-to-day working HDD at hand. A copy where *all*
    > the data on their "source" HDD is instantly available. A copy that needs
    > no restoration or recovery process of any kind in order to access its data
    > instantly. A copy that is completely bootable & functional (should it be
    > another internally-connected HDD or an eSATA-connected external HDD)
    > without the need to perform any recovery/restore process.
    >
    > We've worked with a wide variety of disk-cloning & disk-imaging programs
    > over the years and have found the Casper 5 program quite superior. The
    > Casper program is extremely simple to use even for an inexperienced user,
    > reasonably quick in operation, and quite effective. There's virtually no
    > learning curve in undertaking the disk-cloning process as one navigates
    > through the few easy-to-understand screens with a final mouse-click on the
    > button on the screen which will trigger the disk-cloning process. After
    > undertaking one or two disk-cloning operations it should take the user no
    > more than 15 - 20 seconds or so to get to that point.
    >
    > But the truly significant advantage of the Casper 5.0 disk cloning program
    > compared with other disk cloning programs that we're familiar with, e.g.,
    > Acronis True Image, is its ability to create *incremental* disk clones
    > following the creation of the original (first) disk clone. Employing what
    > Casper calls its "SmartClone" technology the program can create subsequent
    > disk clones of the source HDD usually at a *fraction* of the time it takes
    > to create a "full" disk clone. This results in a decided incentive for the
    > user to undertake frequent complete backups of his or her system knowing
    > that they can create "incremental" disk clones in a relatively short
    > period of time. Understand that this "incremental disk clone" is a
    > *complete* clone (copy) of the "source" HDD, *not* merely an incremental
    > file.
    >
    > Bear in mind that the recipient of the clone - the "destination" HDD
    > (internal or external) - would contain the *complete* contents of one's
    > internal HDD (presumably the boot drive). Since that destination drive
    > would be a precise copy of the source HDD, its contents would be
    > immediately
    > accessible to the user and potentially bootable. Naturally its contents
    > could be cloned back to a internal HDD should a restoration of the system
    > be necessary. Again, what better backup system can one have? And again -
    > because the Casper disk-cloning operation takes a relatively short period
    > of
    > time to complete its disk-cloning operations there's a strong incentive
    > for the user to more frequently keep their backups up-to-date than they
    > might otherwise do. This is an extroardinary advantage and should not be
    > minimized.
    >
    > Again, I want to emphasize that the main advantage of the Casper 5 program
    > in comparison with other disk-cloning programs is its rather remarkable
    > ability to *routinely* clone the contents of one HDD to another HDD
    > (following the initial disk-cloning process) in a fraction of the time it
    > generally takes for other disk-cloning (as well as disk-imaging) programs
    > to complete the process. In my experience this is a strong incentive for
    > the user to back up their systems on a frequent basis - perhaps even once
    > a day or two or three times a week - knowing that the disk-cloning
    > operation will take only a few short minutes to complete the process. And
    > at the end of that process the user will have at hand a "perfect copy" of
    > their day-to-day working HDD. Again, what better backup system can one
    > have?
    >
    > The Casper 5.0 program is also capable of scheduling the disk-cloning
    > process on a daily, weekly, or other time period selected by the user so
    > that should the user prefer he or she could arrange for automatic backups
    > at pre-determined times.
    >
    > As Gene points out there's a trial version of the Casper 5 program
    > available at...
    >
    and although it's somewhat
    > crippled it should give one a good idea as to how the program works.
    >
    > The downside to the Casper 5 program as compared with the Acronis and
    > most other disk-cloning programs is the cost of the program which comes to
    > $49.95 for the program + $9.95 for the "Casper Startup Disk" (the program
    > to create the bootable CD containing the Casper program - needed to access
    > the program in the event of a failed HDD when the user is unable to access
    > the installed
    > Casper program). This "Startup Disk" is really an essential piece of the
    > program; I can't imagine a Casper user not having this media. It's a pity
    > that this "Startup Disk" is an added-cost option; in our view it should be
    > provided as part of the overall program and included in the program's
    > $49.95
    > cost. We have complained to the developer about this but alas that
    > additional cost for the "Startup Disk" is still present.
    >
    > So the cost of the program is more expensive than the others. Be that as
    > it may, in our view it's still well worth the additional cost considering
    > its overall effectiveness and the fact that one will be using the program
    > many, many times over the weeks, months, and years ahead. We've introduced
    > the
    > program to many users (including former ATI users) and I can't recall a
    > single person who regretted his/her purchase. AFAIK, the program is
    > available only through download from the developer.
    >
    > One final comment...
    > Again, while I haven't had a great deal of experience with the Vista OS as
    > compared with the XP OS, however, from the little experience I've
    > personally had using Casper 5 with Vista and more importantly, the
    > feedback I've gotten from Vista users of Casper, I'm comfortable with
    > recommending this program with Vista.
    > Anna
    ><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    been using Casper for quite a while and it does a great job on my Winn2000
    and WinXP boxes. However it didn't play well with my Vista or Win 7
    machines. Problems with Shadow Copy errors never gave me a clean accurtate
    cloned disc. So I use DiscCopy 2.3 for Vista and Win7 and get good results
    although it takes longer than if I were using Casper. BTW DiscCopy 2.3 is
    free,
     
  16. Anna

    Anna Guest

    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> "jobypolansky" <jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message...
    >> news:jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com...<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    >>> solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    >>> the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was not
    >>> bootable.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >> (SNIP)<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message ...<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new disk
    >>> not
    >>> bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a problem.
    >>> If
    >>> you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes the
    >>> old
    >>> one unbootable, for the same reason.
    >>> --
    >>> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> "whs" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message...<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> This is all very interesting for me. I ran into exactly the same
    >>> problem trying to clone Vista from my HDD to an OCZ SSD using Norton
    >>> Ghost. There was always something wrong with the boot record. But I
    >>> never tried to clone it twice (neat trick).
    >>> Does anybody have any references that describes this problem (and
    >>> solution) in more detail.
    >>> --
    >>> whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message...<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>>> You might try looking into the PDF manuals for cloning programs, such
    >>>> as Casper ('Online Store | Future Systems Solutions'
    >>>> ()), and maybe partitioning
    >>>> software, which, IIRC, faces the same conundrum.
    >>>> --
    >>>> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> Gene E. Bloch;1097392 wrote:
    >>> Thanks Gene. I will have a closer look.> --
    >>> whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
    > news:eKkrSSGDKHA.5092@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> jobypolansky, whs, & Gene...
    >> I would strongly second Gene's suggestion to take a look at the Casper 5
    >> disk-cloning program. We have been using that program for about the past
    >> two years or so and have found it a superb program for backing up &
    >> restoring one's system. While we have used the program primarily in a
    >> Windows XP environment and have had limited personal experience with the
    >> Vista OS, we're aware of many Vista users who have informed us that the
    >> program works just as well with that OS as with the XP OS.
    >>
    >> As I'm sure you know, like any disk-cloning program, the program is a
    >> comprehensive backup program in that it creates what amounts to a precise
    >> copy of one's day-to-day working HDD, i.e., the "source" disk. As such
    >> the user has available to him or her a complete copy of one's system
    >> including the OS, all programs & applications, all personal data - in
    >> short, *everything* that's on the source HDD. So when the day comes when
    >> the system requires restoration because of a failed HDD or a unbootable,
    >> dysfunctional OS, the user has the wherewithal immediately at hand to
    >> restore his or her system with little fuss or an inordinate expenditure
    >> of time.
    >>
    >> It's difficult for me to imagine a better backup system for the great
    >> majority of PC users than having a
    >> precise copy of their day-to-day working HDD at hand. A copy where *all*
    >> the data on their "source" HDD is instantly available. A copy that needs
    >> no restoration or recovery process of any kind in order to access its
    >> data instantly. A copy that is completely bootable & functional (should
    >> it be another internally-connected HDD or an eSATA-connected external
    >> HDD) without the need to perform any recovery/restore process.
    >>
    >> We've worked with a wide variety of disk-cloning & disk-imaging programs
    >> over the years and have found the Casper 5 program quite superior. The
    >> Casper program is extremely simple to use even for an inexperienced user,
    >> reasonably quick in operation, and quite effective. There's virtually no
    >> learning curve in undertaking the disk-cloning process as one navigates
    >> through the few easy-to-understand screens with a final mouse-click on
    >> the button on the screen which will trigger the disk-cloning process.
    >> After undertaking one or two disk-cloning operations it should take the
    >> user no more than 15 - 20 seconds or so to get to that point.
    >>
    >> But the truly significant advantage of the Casper 5.0 disk cloning
    >> program compared with other disk cloning programs that we're familiar
    >> with, e.g., Acronis True Image, is its ability to create *incremental*
    >> disk clones following the creation of the original (first) disk clone.
    >> Employing what
    >> Casper calls its "SmartClone" technology the program can create
    >> subsequent disk clones of the source HDD usually at a *fraction* of the
    >> time it takes to create a "full" disk clone. This results in a decided
    >> incentive for the user to undertake frequent complete backups of his or
    >> her system knowing that they can create "incremental" disk clones in a
    >> relatively short period of time. Understand that this "incremental disk
    >> clone" is a *complete* clone (copy) of the "source" HDD, *not* merely an
    >> incremental file.
    >>
    >> Bear in mind that the recipient of the clone - the "destination" HDD
    >> (internal or external) - would contain the *complete* contents of one's
    >> internal HDD (presumably the boot drive). Since that destination drive
    >> would be a precise copy of the source HDD, its contents would be
    >> immediately
    >> accessible to the user and potentially bootable. Naturally its contents
    >> could be cloned back to a internal HDD should a restoration of the system
    >> be necessary. Again, what better backup system can one have? And again -
    >> because the Casper disk-cloning operation takes a relatively short period
    >> of
    >> time to complete its disk-cloning operations there's a strong incentive
    >> for the user to more frequently keep their backups up-to-date than they
    >> might otherwise do. This is an extroardinary advantage and should not be
    >> minimized.
    >>
    >> Again, I want to emphasize that the main advantage of the Casper 5
    >> program in comparison with other disk-cloning programs is its rather
    >> remarkable ability to *routinely* clone the contents of one HDD to
    >> another HDD (following the initial disk-cloning process) in a fraction of
    >> the time it generally takes for other disk-cloning (as well as
    >> disk-imaging) programs to complete the process. In my experience this is
    >> a strong incentive for the user to back up their systems on a frequent
    >> basis - perhaps even once a day or two or three times a week - knowing
    >> that the disk-cloning operation will take only a few short minutes to
    >> complete the process. And at the end of that process the user will have
    >> at hand a "perfect copy" of their day-to-day working HDD. Again, what
    >> better backup system can one have?
    >>
    >> The Casper 5.0 program is also capable of scheduling the disk-cloning
    >> process on a daily, weekly, or other time period selected by the user so
    >> that should the user prefer he or she could arrange for automatic backups
    >> at pre-determined times.
    >>
    >> As Gene points out there's a trial version of the Casper 5 program
    >> available at...
    >>
    and although it's somewhat
    >> crippled it should give one a good idea as to how the program works.
    >>
    >> The downside to the Casper 5 program as compared with the Acronis and
    >> most other disk-cloning programs is the cost of the program which comes
    >> to $49.95 for the program + $9.95 for the "Casper Startup Disk" (the
    >> program to create the bootable CD containing the Casper program - needed
    >> to access the program in the event of a failed HDD when the user is
    >> unable to access the installed
    >> Casper program). This "Startup Disk" is really an essential piece of the
    >> program; I can't imagine a Casper user not having this media. It's a pity
    >> that this "Startup Disk" is an added-cost option; in our view it should
    >> be provided as part of the overall program and included in the program's
    >> $49.95
    >> cost. We have complained to the developer about this but alas that
    >> additional cost for the "Startup Disk" is still present.
    >>
    >> So the cost of the program is more expensive than the others. Be that as
    >> it may, in our view it's still well worth the additional cost
    >> considering its overall effectiveness and the fact that one will be using
    >> the program many, many times over the weeks, months, and years ahead.
    >> We've introduced the
    >> program to many users (including former ATI users) and I can't recall a
    >> single person who regretted his/her purchase. AFAIK, the program is
    >> available only through download from the developer.
    >>
    >> One final comment...
    >> Again, while I haven't had a great deal of experience with the Vista OS
    >> as compared with the XP OS, however, from the little experience I've
    >> personally had using Casper 5 with Vista and more importantly, the
    >> feedback I've gotten from Vista users of Casper, I'm comfortable with
    >> recommending this program with Vista.
    >> Anna<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    "olfart" <olfart65@excite.com> wrote in message
    news:7cu5lfF28chhjU1@mid.individual.net...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > been using Casper for quite a while and it does a great job on my Winn2000
    > and WinXP boxes. However it didn't play well with my Vista or Win 7
    > machines. Problems with Shadow Copy errors never gave me a clean accurtate
    > cloned disc. So I use DiscCopy 2.3 for Vista and Win7 and get good results
    > although it takes longer than if I were using Casper. BTW DiscCopy 2.3 is
    > free,<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    olfart:
    As I indicated in my post above I've had limited experience using Casper 5
    with the Vista OS, but the few dozen times I've used that disk-cloning
    program with various machines that had Vista installed the program worked
    flawlessly; just about the same as it has in an XP OS environment. And from
    the numerous reports I've gotten from friends & former customers who
    routinely use Casper 5 in a Vista OS environment they've informed me their
    experience parallels mine.

    Why Casper 5 didn't "play well" in your situation is obviously impossible
    for me to tell.

    As to the DiscCopy program you recommend, while I'm not familiar with that
    program by all means a user seeking a comprehensive backup program that one
    will be employing routinely should take a look at it as well as other
    similar programs available as freeware or demo versions.
    Anna
     
  17. Anna seems to be ascribing to me comments I didn't make in this thread. I
    will snip some unrelated stuff and comment inline...And please, if you read
    nothing else, at least see my remarks at the bottom, only five short
    paragraphs.

    On Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:42:14 -0400, Anna wrote:
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > "jobypolansky" <jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message...
    > news:jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    >> solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    >> the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was not
    >> bootable.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    > (SNIP)
    >
    >
    > "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message ...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new disk not
    >> bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a problem. If
    >> you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes the
    >> old
    >> one unbootable, for the same reason.
    >> --
    >> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    >
    > "whs" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> This is all very interesting for me. I ran into exactly the same
    >> problem trying to clone Vista from my HDD to an OCZ SSD using Norton
    >> Ghost. There was always something wrong with the boot record. But I
    >> never tried to clone it twice (neat trick).
    >> Does anybody have any references that describes this problem (and
    >> solution) in more detail.
    >> --
    >> whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    >
    > "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro--><!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> You might try looking into the PDF manuals for cloning programs, such
    >>> as Casper ('Online Store | Future Systems Solutions'
    >>> ()), and maybe partitioning
    >>> software, which, IIRC, faces the same conundrum.
    >>> --
    >>> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > <!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> Gene E. Bloch;1097392 wrote:
    >> Thanks Gene. I will have a closer look.> --
    >> whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    >
    > jobypolansky, whs, & Gene...
    > I would strongly second Gene's suggestion to take a look at the Casper 5
    > disk-cloning program.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    My suggestion was *only* to read the PDF manuals for some information about
    the booting problem the OP had.


    <SNIP part of a long and glowing review of Casper>
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > A copy that is completely bootable & functional (should it be
    > another internally-connected HDD or an eSATA-connected external HDD) without
    > the need to perform any recovery/restore process.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    True, except that I had to restore the boot sector of a copy I made to make
    it bootable.

    <SNIP>
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > But the truly significant advantage of the Casper 5.0 disk cloning program
    > compared with other disk cloning programs that we're familiar with, e.g.,
    > Acronis True Image, is its ability to create *incremental* disk clones
    > following the creation of the original (first) disk clone. <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    In fact, Acronis and Macrium can both do incremental (& differential)
    backups, with the added property that you can see earlier versions of files
    as well as the current version. This is not exactly an unusual property of
    backup software.

    However, these are not clones but proprietary images, requiring the
    creating program to view and restore them. BTW, in my experience, Macrium's
    images are read-only, so Vista can not take ownership of them. At least I
    couldn't figure out how to read certain directories without logging on as
    root (UNIX slang for the real administrator). Acronis also has permission
    problems, although I think that if I mount its image read/write it would be
    OK - but I haven't tested that property.

    I used a test version of Shadow Protect Desktop, similar to the above two,
    which did much better at permissions that they do. But it's expensive and
    you need to buy ten copies before you get a license discount :-(

    <SNIP>
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > Again, I want to emphasize that the main advantage of the Casper 5 program
    > in comparison with other disk-cloning programs is its rather remarkable
    > ability to *routinely* clone the contents of one HDD to another HDD
    > (following the initial disk-cloning process) in a fraction of the time it
    > generally takes for other disk-cloning (as well as disk-imaging) programs to
    > complete the process. <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    Not in my experience. I found its speed comparable to the others, or even
    slower.
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > The Casper 5.0 program is also capable of scheduling the disk-cloning
    > process on a daily, weekly, or other time period selected by the user so
    > that should the user prefer he or she could arrange for automatic backups at
    > pre-determined times.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    Hardly unique to Casper.
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > As Gene points out there's a trial version of the Casper 5 program available
    > at...<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    Not in this thread.
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    >
    and although it's somewhat
    > crippled it should give one a good idea as to how the program works.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    It won't install or run on Vista 64. IMO, that's not *somewhat* crippled,
    that's unsatisfactory. It expires after a time limit, but that's to be
    expected.
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > The downside to the Casper 5 program as compared with the Acronis and most
    > other disk-cloning programs is the cost of the program which comes to $49.95
    > for the program + $9.95 for the "Casper Startup Disk" ...<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    They have a "Casper 5.0 Value Pack" for $70 which includes three licenses
    and the Startup Disk.

    In addition, that startup disk would not run successfully on my laptop, a
    cheap HP running Vista Home Premium x64. Tech support was (as always) very
    quick to reply to my request for assistance, but they didn't provide enough
    help for me to solve the problem. It had to do with AHCI drivers (disk
    access). The suggested BIOS setting does not exist on that computer, and I
    could not determine where to get useful drivers.

    <SNIP><!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > Anna<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    READ THIS:

    FIRST: I thoroughly resent your ascribing to me things that I simply *did
    not say* in this thread.

    I even went to Google to find the beginning (Feb 23 2008, fer gosh' sake!)
    and the earlier parts of this thread, to verify for myself that indeed I
    said no such things here.

    BTW, before jobypolansky's post of July 23 2009, there were no posts in the
    thread after Feb 24 2008, i.e., before I was even reading this group.

    SECOND: I find Casper is OK, mostly because I like the fact that it creates
    bootable (or easily made bootable) clones requiring no special software. I
    like the others because they produce differential backups in which I can
    look at earlier versions of some files, but I can't be sure that I can
    restore those images to the original drive or its replacement, which is, of
    course, a no-brainer with Casper.

    But I am *not* giving my unqualified approval, or even enthusiastic
    approval, for Casper. Or for the others, for that matter.

    --
    Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom
     
  18. Anna

    Anna Guest

    "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message
    news:fno9fkz8p8ul.hrpru1m86sm9$.dlg@40tude.net...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > Anna seems to be ascribing to me comments I didn't make in this thread. I
    > will snip some unrelated stuff and comment inline...And please, if you
    > read
    > nothing else, at least see my remarks at the bottom, only five short
    > paragraphs.
    >
    > On Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:42:14 -0400, Anna wrote:
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> "jobypolansky" <jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message...
    >> news:jobypolansky.3vs67b@DoNotSpam.com...<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> I assisted a friend in cloning a Vista HDD from a 80GB disk to a 250
    >>> solid state disk. I used Spotmau Clone Genius but while the clone did
    >>> the job correctly, swapping out the hard drives - the new drive was not
    >>> bootable.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >> (SNIP)
    >>
    >>
    >> "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message ...<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> As I understand it, lots of cloning programs tend to make the new disk
    >>> not
    >>> bootable, since two bootable drives in one computer could be a problem.
    >>> If
    >>> you tell the program to make the new drive bootable, it often makes the
    >>> old
    >>> one unbootable, for the same reason.
    >>> --
    >>> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >>
    >>
    >> "whs" <guest@unknown-email.com> wrote in message...<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> This is all very interesting for me. I ran into exactly the same
    >>> problem trying to clone Vista from my HDD to an OCZ SSD using Norton
    >>> Ghost. There was always something wrong with the boot record. But I
    >>> never tried to clone it twice (neat trick).
    >>> Does anybody have any references that describes this problem (and
    >>> solution) in more detail.
    >>> --
    >>> whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >>
    >>
    >> "Gene E. Bloch" <not-me@other.invalid> wrote in message...<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>>> You might try looking into the PDF manuals for cloning programs, such
    >>>> as Casper ('Online Store | Future Systems Solutions'
    >>>> ()), and maybe partitioning
    >>>> software, which, IIRC, faces the same conundrum.
    >>>> --
    >>>> Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >>
    >><!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
    >>> Gene E. Bloch;1097392 wrote:
    >>> Thanks Gene. I will have a closer look.> --
    >>> whs<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >>
    >>
    >> jobypolansky, whs, & Gene...
    >> I would strongly second Gene's suggestion to take a look at the Casper 5
    >> disk-cloning program.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > My suggestion was *only* to read the PDF manuals for some information
    > about
    > the booting problem the OP had.
    >
    >
    > <SNIP part of a long and glowing review of Casper>
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> A copy that is completely bootable & functional (should it be
    >> another internally-connected HDD or an eSATA-connected external HDD)
    >> without
    >> the need to perform any recovery/restore process.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > True, except that I had to restore the boot sector of a copy I made to
    > make
    > it bootable.
    >
    > <SNIP>
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> But the truly significant advantage of the Casper 5.0 disk cloning
    >> program
    >> compared with other disk cloning programs that we're familiar with, e.g.,
    >> Acronis True Image, is its ability to create *incremental* disk clones
    >> following the creation of the original (first) disk clone.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > In fact, Acronis and Macrium can both do incremental (& differential)
    > backups, with the added property that you can see earlier versions of
    > files
    > as well as the current version. This is not exactly an unusual property of
    > backup software.
    >
    > However, these are not clones but proprietary images, requiring the
    > creating program to view and restore them. BTW, in my experience,
    > Macrium's
    > images are read-only, so Vista can not take ownership of them. At least I
    > couldn't figure out how to read certain directories without logging on as
    > root (UNIX slang for the real administrator). Acronis also has permission
    > problems, although I think that if I mount its image read/write it would
    > be
    > OK - but I haven't tested that property.
    >
    > I used a test version of Shadow Protect Desktop, similar to the above two,
    > which did much better at permissions that they do. But it's expensive and
    > you need to buy ten copies before you get a license discount :-(
    >
    > <SNIP>
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> Again, I want to emphasize that the main advantage of the Casper 5
    >> program
    >> in comparison with other disk-cloning programs is its rather remarkable
    >> ability to *routinely* clone the contents of one HDD to another HDD
    >> (following the initial disk-cloning process) in a fraction of the time it
    >> generally takes for other disk-cloning (as well as disk-imaging) programs
    >> to
    >> complete the process.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > Not in my experience. I found its speed comparable to the others, or even
    > slower.
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> The Casper 5.0 program is also capable of scheduling the disk-cloning
    >> process on a daily, weekly, or other time period selected by the user so
    >> that should the user prefer he or she could arrange for automatic backups
    >> at
    >> pre-determined times.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > Hardly unique to Casper.
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> As Gene points out there's a trial version of the Casper 5 program
    >> available
    >> at...<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > Not in this thread.
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >>
    and although it's somewhat
    >> crippled it should give one a good idea as to how the program works.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > It won't install or run on Vista 64. IMO, that's not *somewhat* crippled,
    > that's unsatisfactory. It expires after a time limit, but that's to be
    > expected.
    ><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> The downside to the Casper 5 program as compared with the Acronis and
    >> most
    >> other disk-cloning programs is the cost of the program which comes to
    >> $49.95
    >> for the program + $9.95 for the "Casper Startup Disk" ...<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > They have a "Casper 5.0 Value Pack" for $70 which includes three licenses
    > and the Startup Disk.
    >
    > In addition, that startup disk would not run successfully on my laptop, a
    > cheap HP running Vista Home Premium x64. Tech support was (as always) very
    > quick to reply to my request for assistance, but they didn't provide
    > enough
    > help for me to solve the problem. It had to do with AHCI drivers (disk
    > access). The suggested BIOS setting does not exist on that computer, and I
    > could not determine where to get useful drivers.
    >
    > <SNIP><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> Anna<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    > READ THIS:
    >
    > FIRST: I thoroughly resent your ascribing to me things that I simply *did
    > not say* in this thread.
    >
    > I even went to Google to find the beginning (Feb 23 2008, fer gosh' sake!)
    > and the earlier parts of this thread, to verify for myself that indeed I
    > said no such things here.
    >
    > BTW, before jobypolansky's post of July 23 2009, there were no posts in
    > the
    > thread after Feb 24 2008, i.e., before I was even reading this group.
    >
    > SECOND: I find Casper is OK, mostly because I like the fact that it
    > creates
    > bootable (or easily made bootable) clones requiring no special software. I
    > like the others because they produce differential backups in which I can
    > look at earlier versions of some files, but I can't be sure that I can
    > restore those images to the original drive or its replacement, which is,
    > of
    > course, a no-brainer with Casper.
    >
    > But I am *not* giving my unqualified approval, or even enthusiastic
    > approval, for Casper. Or for the others, for that matter.
    >
    > --
    > Gene E. Bloch letters0x40blochg0x2Ecom<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->


    Gene:
    Please accept my apology for quoting you in error with regard to comments
    that I erroneously ascribed to you in this thread. It was inadvertent I
    assure you.

    I now fully understand you were not endorsing in any way, shape, or form the
    Casper 5 program.
    Anna
     
  19. Mike

    Mike Guest

    "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
    news:uzoT$WMDKHA.1376@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    > Gene:
    > Please accept my apology for quoting you in error with regard to comments
    > that I erroneously ascribed to you in this thread. It was inadvertent I
    > assure you.
    >
    > I now fully understand you were not endorsing in any way, shape, or form
    > the Casper 5 program.
    > Anna<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    Next thing you should learn is how to trim a post!
    --

    Don't pick a fight with an old man.
    If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.
     
  20. Mike Torello

    Mike Torello Guest

    "Mike" <w@gmail.com> wrote:
    <!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
    >"Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote in message
    >news:uzoT$WMDKHA.1376@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
    >> Gene:
    >> Please accept my apology for quoting you in error with regard to comments
    >> that I erroneously ascribed to you in this thread. It was inadvertent I
    >> assure you.
    >>
    >> I now fully understand you were not endorsing in any way, shape, or form
    >> the Casper 5 program.
    >> Anna<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
    >
    >Next thing you should learn is how to trim a post!<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

    You mean how to trim a quote.

    First she has to learn to trim her OWN posts. The woman doesn't
    understand the meaning of brevity.
     

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