HDD backup questions - PC Help Forum - Free Computer Help, Windows, Hardware, Software and more!

Scorpios · #1 04-07-2008

Hello, I would like to recover/and make a backup of the primary HDD from a PC that recently crashed. I am always weary of doing this and could really use some help on the best way to do this.

The PC I want to back the hard drive up on to has plenty of HDD space, and this is the best way I could think of doing this:

Take the primary HDD from my broken pc and slaving it to my current pc, then back up the entire hard drive to a partition on the PC I am currently using.

My main questions and concerns about this are 2 things:
1- Will slaving the primary HDD from the broken PC cause a problem as it has the operating system installed?

2- What is the best method for cloning the HDD? I know of some programs like Norton Ghost but have been told there are better programs to use.. - I would like to just make a perfect clone of the hard drive so it leaves all my data and programs in tact. - If it is possible to boot my current pc from a clone of the old pc's hard drive that would be great, somehow I doubt that will work though. Either way as long as I can still access the data and leave the old hard drive in tact in case I am able to repair the broken pc.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks.

Jelly Bean · #2 04-07-2008

Hello you should be fine with it set to slave as long as first boot device is set to C drive in BIOS.
However if they are IDE HDDs then the jumper settings need to be set properly.

In XP Pro there is a backup option,you can either backup just files and folders or backup your whole hard drive operating system and files.

Control panel/performance and maintenence/backup your data.

Ghost is good for this to.

Scorpios · #3 04-07-2008

Well, I slaved the old 80 gig HDD (IDE so yeah I set the jumper to slave) was able to access the data no problem, so I then Acronis True Image to clone the old hard drive to my master Sata Hard drive on free space of a partition, so I thought.

Now, the pc is booting up reading only the OS and files from the cloned HDD from the old 80 gig HDD and showing I have about 400 gigs of empty space on my 5090 gig HDD... so I am pretty sure I pulled a major screw up and lost everything on my 500 gig. All my partitions are gone, etc.

I luckily have most important data saved to another hdd, but this is really going to suck to have to reinstall the OS , programs and slowly find out what I did and didn't save/backup.

If there is any chance as to recovering any of what I lost, someone please let me know before I reinstall windows again.

I used Acronis Disk Director before this to partiton the 500 gig juust previously and Acronis True Image to clone my old 80 gig, I am wondering if I can reinstall Acronis Disk Director to recover the partitions by any chance as I saw the option in the software?!?! Though the OS that the computer is booting from was installed on a different pc, so with it running on my current PC it only works in safe mode...i.e. I will have to try installing ACronis Disk Director on this pc cloned 80 gig, if it will even allow me in Safe mode,

If anyone can help, this would be great there was a lot of things on the 500 gig hard drive I really hope I can recover somehow.

Thanks

Jelly Bean · #4 04-07-2008

Ok,when you boot up do you get a choice of OS to logon to?

Not sure on the software you used but I use bad copy pro.
Others may recommend something else to try and get your data back.

Scorpios · #5 04-07-2008

I can get to the screen to choose OS, but the only option it gives is "Windows XP"

The HDD that I am trying to recover partitions from was using WIndows XP, the drive I cloned to that same HDD was also using Windows XP.

It is only letting me boot from the OS that is installed on the cloned HDD from the old computer, and the HDD is showing there is only 80 gigs of space used on the entire SATA drive (80 gigs is just how large the cloned HDD was).

I will try to install ACronis Disk Manager again on this cloned version of windows and see what happens, any other suggestions though are highly welcomed as I am very doubtful I will even be able to get Acronis installed in Safe Mode let alone magickally retrieve the Partitions that seem to be deleted.

Jelly Bean · #6 04-07-2008

Does it give you a choice to logon to XP twice?As 2 XP are listed?

If there are 2 XP listed there logon to the other one,lets say second in the list?

As this may mean you have created a dual boot.

Scorpios · #7 04-07-2008

nope, just one XP to boot from.

And Acronis wouldnt install on the OS cloned from the old PC, it was a problem with the old PC that was saying I didnt have the admin rights to install some software, and old problem I was never able to resolve.

Jelly Bean · #8 04-07-2008

Have you tried to access the SATA drive via my computer?As if the SATA was the slave to see if any files show up?

Could you check in Disk Management to see what it says for the partitions and hard drives?Are they active?Unallocated?etc.

Scorpios · #9 04-07-2008

Yes, the SATA is the only HDD installed now, and it's only showing as Drive C: with the same folders from the old HDD I cloned, nothing else, disk manager is not showing any partitions

Jelly Bean · #10 04-07-2008

So you have 2 HDDs with exact same things on?
You have lost all that was on the SATA drive?

I would of tried bady copy pro,however this may only cause more problems and only bring partial data back.

The old drive did not need any partitioning etc.

Usaly but not always you can just connect a slave drive even if it has an OS on it and access this from main drive.As long as the IDE HDD has its jumper set to slave.

Then you can take all the files and transfere them to main drive C then just format the old drive clean via disk management so it is used for storage.