Can I make a carbon copy of my old hard disk onto a bigger HD and use that for booting a new computer?

Question

I have hundreds of programs on my computer but I want to use these on my computer abroad. The easiest way for me to have a copy of my HD would be to buy a new HD (a bigger one) and make an image copy of my old hard disk and then set up my other computer to boot from this HD (off the USB or 2nd IDE socket), so bypassing its current HD and software. I heard of a program called "Acronis" for carbon copying but this just seems to be for backing up data for the same hardware. I wonder whether this is possible for different hardware, though, as isn't operating system software hardware linked?

Hope u guys can help!

Answer 1

Just to put the record straight Acronis True Image is not just for data backup.
It will make an absolute clone of your Hdd onto another Hdd so that when you boot up on the new Hdd you would think that you were still using the old one. As well as data, all installed programs will be there working as before together with settings, configurations etc etc.

PS
I know why you would think that it only keeps the data intact....because their product description seems to put emphasis on that.Just before I bought Acronis True Image I contacted Acronis querying this point (& said they were doing their product an injustice).....I have now used it to clone & I know it makes a complete replica..incl installed programs etc

Answer 2

Making an image and reloading it on a larger (or if there is room even a smaller) hard drive is no problem with Acronis or just about any imaging software. I have done this several times on my PCs, changing the partition sizes, with both Acronis and Ghost. (On both, I was reloading the same info on the same PC, jst changing the size of the partitions).

The hardware is another issue. You can probably get around the MS licensing by, if nothing lelse, performing a repair. Applications and how the hardware aligns depends upon the application themselves, but it probably won't work.

Sorry - wish I could be more joyful, but if the info is critical, I wouldn't risk it. Either carry on your PC in a well packed box, or reload the applications on your new PC.

If you do a search from MS "Help and SUpport" they have some write ups on "cloning", which will probably tell you this won't work.

Answer 3

There is something called HDclone that works. The free version is slow but if you are only using it once s fine http://www.miray.de/products/sat.hdclone.html

Install the second hard drive and run it from a bootable CD. Once this is done swap the new hard drive in to the same position as the old one and it should boot off the new drive.

If you go to the manufacturers site for our harddrive they should also have software to download. I used data llifeguard tools from western digital.

Answer 4

Well, it will be good to have the programs, but, bad to try to load a system built for this compouter onto another entirely different system, due to conflicts with drivers.. and driver hell.

I would boot with http://pclinuxos.com and run the 5500 FREE games, programs, apps. on that system, instead!

One major caution with NTFS, is that if the drive is not running on the exact system that "built it" then the files will all break, and be gone, sometime in the future.

Also, NTFS and FAT32 really screw up hard drives!

Answer 5

You can use Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost 10. Either of these will clone/mirror your original HDD onto another.

Answer 6

There is a program where you can copy your hard drive from one computer to another, sorry to say, I don't know the name of it.

Answer 7

Norton Ghost is what we use for basic disk imaging and replication

Answer 8

i have loads of cool FREE softwere that can help you so e-mail me and i will send you some