What is best software to copy Hard Drive to another hard drive? (vanity)

[Psycho_Bunny]

Spend a few hundred bucks to buy or build a Windows Home Server.

[Ramius]

If you just want a regular copy why not just use xcopy?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Here is a free one that works great.

DriveImage XML Backup.

Don't let the fact that it's free put you off.

[krb]

Commercial: Acronis True Image

Linux: dd

(that last one is kind of a joke. but only kind of)

[TSgt]

xcopy c:\*.* d: /E

[free_life]

Don’t have the time or money.

[KoRn]

If you are wanting an image of the drive, rather than a copy of the file system, I’d recommend the free version of Acronis. Norton/Symantec Ghost also works.

There are LOTS of good tools out there to accomplish the task, and many of them won’t cost you a dime.

If you are simply wanting to copy files, just connect the drive, boot up to a ‘Live CD’ of some kind, and simply copy/paste.

[free_life]

I remember using xcopy (xcopy32.exe I think it was) years ago, had some kind of problem (don’t remember what now) and I think that is why I got Drive Image.

[snakechopper]

Acronis True Image can do both drive copying and disk imaging. There’s also freeware available for disk drive management. Go to www.askbobrankin.com and on the left side of the page navigate to Hard Drives.

[free_life]

I was just looking at DriveImage XML Backup online. Thanks for the recommendation.

[free_life]

Acronis True Image only does images or does it do drive copying?

[A. Morgan]

http://tinyurl.com/2ed6wje

[plain talk]

acronis

[krb]

It does drives or images. I’ve used it for both.

[free_life]

I want to clone my HD so I have a bootable ready to go backup drive.

[ThunderSleeps]

Ha! I was going to suggest booting a Linux live-CD and doing something like that. The gotcha with dd is that if you mix up the in/out parameters you quickly and effectively destroy the contents of your disk.

I wonder if he booted a live CD if he could mount the XP drives/partitions, then use something like rsync to do it all at once...

[NoLibZone]

Man you are ancient.

I bet your first PC was an ‘088.

Back in the days when a 10mb HD was a big deal.

Like mine .

[krb]

You have to be clear with Acronis, though. Disk Doctor is a totally different product than True Image. OP needs True Image.

[Lees Swrd]

I have used this many times and it is free all documentation is on the web page.

www.clonezilla.org/