Harddisk Replace Utility Suggestion

[beansoup]

I am replacing a harddrive on my laptop (a Dell). I recently had to restore the original operating system as shipped, but it still works for now. However, I was not ever able to do a full chkdsk on it, so I know it has problems.

I have ordered a replacement, but would like some suggestions on setting up the new harddrive exactly the same as the current harddrive (with a partition or logical drive for the original system, and another for backup). I can't even find fdisk on the laptop to tell me how the drive is partitioned.

Can someone recommend a utility to report on the current drive and to format and partition (if needed) my new drive and to copy over the needed files to make it function much the same as my current harddrive.

TIA

 

[acewarlock]

Just use the Restore Disk that came with the Laptop and it will do everything for you.




This is a Signature and not part of the answer, it appears on every reply.

This is an Analogy so don't take it personally as some have.

Why change the engine if all you need is to change the spark plugs.

 

[beansoup]

There was no restore disk with the laptop - essentially the "restore disk" is in the second partition.

 

[Nelviticus]

Well in this thread: thread751-1449622 I explained how I'd done something similar using Norton Ghost and an external hard drive caddy to put the second drive in temporarily. These are dirt cheap.

When I had a Dell laptop I'm sure there was an option in the restore menu to create a restore CD or DVD. If you have that option it'll save you the bother of faffing around with backup applications and drive caddies.

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[wolluf]

disk management (run diskmgmt.msc) will tell you the partition structure of the hard drive. Depending on the state of current drive you may or may not be able to image it elsewhere - but if you've managed to use the restore function it can't be that bad - Nelviticus's approach should be fine. Ghost does have some switches which enable it to ignore bad sectors if you do have problems copying.

 

[beansoup]

Thanks, I will try both of those suggestions. My new drive is on order along with a drive caddy.

So I'm taking it that there is no one "ultimate" bootable harddrive utility out there that makes this kind of thing a breeze?

 

[Freestone]

Acronis True Image, after installation, has an option to create a bootable CD that, along with its other tools, allows you to clone one drive to the other. Fairly simple and painless. Norton Ghost most likely has something similar.

 

[wolluf]

True Image and Ghost (I'm presuming newer versions will - I still use version 8, which works fine) both make this job straightforward IF they can read the source drive ok. I've had to do something like this on numerous occasions for customers, and if the source drive is damaged you can have problems. Try to clone the old disk to the new directly (by booting from a CD that has your cloning software available - True Image includes option to create such a CD - as Ithink does ghost now, but I have ghost 8 on a bartpe CD). If this works, just need to boot machine with new drive after clone. Both apps have options to ignore bad sectors - but of course you may lose data if it can't copy some sectors.