Re: Using xcopy for "cloning" your C; drive???
- From: "Pegasus \(MVP\)" <I.can@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:25:34 +0200
"Patrick Keenan" <test@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:OQA5pAwzHHA.1164@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"surface9" <davsf@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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I read on a previous post (can't find it now) that windows xp has a
command to make a bootable copy of a bootable drive if the bootable
drive is connected as a slave and the bootable copy was formatted by
xp.
Sorry, but that poster was very likely misinformed. As far as I can tell,
XCOPY just can't do this.
The closest you can come with the included tools is with ntbackup, set to
ASR. Keep in mind that this *requires* a floppy drive, and that ASR
restoration is destructive.
The command quoted was:
xcopy d:\*.* e:\*.* /s/e/y/o
I tried this but the "bootable" copy would NOT BOOT.
No kidding!
That might be because XCOPY doesn't place the boot files in the right
places, if it even notices them.
By the way, you missed the /H swith for hidden and system files. But
I've never seen that switch make this idea work, either.
I got the
following error message: NTLDR is missing.
Not surprising since that's one of the hidden files...
The bootable drive I used (mounted as a slave) is still bootable (when
I mount is as the master, 1st bootable device). When I mounted it as
a slave (and marked NOT BOOTABLE in the BIOS), and then ran the xopy /
s/e/y/o command to my e: drive I noticed that the command ended
normally but about half the data from the windows folder did not copy
over.
Is there yet more switches that I am missing?
None of the XCOPY switches allow you to create a bootable drive. So you
can't get where you're trying to go, with it.
xcopy /? at a command prompt will list the switches, but again, I think
you're digging in the wrong place.
Is there no way to do what I was trying to do?
There sure is, but it isn't with XCOPY. Use an imaging application,
like Acronis True Image, Ghost, DriveImage, etc.
Windows 98se has a nifty command that lets you make a bootable copy of
you C: drive that you can then mount as your 1st drive and it will
boot and look exactly like the orignial C: drive from which you made
the copy: it is:
xcopy32 c:\*.* d:\*.* /e/h/r/k/c/d
I have successfully done this many many times so I know for sure that
it works like a charm - and it is easy to do since you can leave your
orignal c: drive intact while you make the backup.
However, XP works differently.
I was hoping I could do something like that with XP, even if I have to
reboot from a different h/d (with xp on it) so that the original c:
drive is seen as a slave data drive that can be copied en toto
(nothing protected).
Where am I going wrong?
Where you're going wrong is using XCOPY for a task it can't perform.
All I want to do is AVOID having to re-
install windows XP along with all my favorite applications and all my
favorite settings and all my favorite shortcuts, hotkeys, etc. This
all takes way too long to have to redo whenever something goes awry
with my C: drive - it is so easy, when that happens, to just use the
backup which I will keep offline until the original C: drive goes
south.
Just image it. XCOPY isn't for imaging. Use an imaging program.
I am just now advancing from windows 98se (which I have put off for a
long time for this VERY REASON),
Well, the tools have been available for some years.
and so I need help from any guru's
out there that know an easy and surefire way to SNAP your C: drive
just as soon as you got it set up the way you want it so you can take
your clone offline and it WILL WORK when you later need it.
Thanks, littleberry
It's easy and reliable, and fast, if you use an application that can
actually create images, like Acronis TrueImage, Ghost, DriveImage, etc.
They aren't expensive; there is a 2-week free trial of Acronis TrueImage,
and it costs perhaps US$50 for the Home version.
As to speed, I regularly image 20 - 40 gig in about 20 minutes.
HTH
-pk
You can actually do what the OP wants to do if you follow
this recipe:
- Format the target boot partition with WinXP/2000. This
will create the required MBR containing some boot code.
- Mark this partition "active".
- Use xcopy.exe (or similar) to copy all files from the
source to the target partition. Note that the source
partition must NOT be the one with the curently
active Windows installation.
Under DOS, some of the boot files had to be in a fixed
location on the disk. This is no longer case (although there
may be some restrictions when dealing with large disks).
I recommend you give it a try with a Bart PE boot disk.
It's great fun and it can work miracles on disks with
slightly damaged file structures that the popular imaging
tools refuse to touch.
.
- References:
- Using xcopy for "cloning" your C; drive???
- From: surface9
- Re: Using xcopy for "cloning" your C; drive???
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