Re: Partition help



"Anna" <myname@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Os#EWzRhIHA.4164@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:
Maggie:
Let me give you another point-of-view to consider...

You are certainly correct in your objective to "backup the data to
an
external hard drive every day". Not only is this a worthwhile
objective,
it really should be your *primary*, if not exclusive objective. And
when
we use the term "data" in this context, consider that this "data"
includes *everything* on your day-to-day working HDD, i.e, your XP
operating
system (OS), all your programs/applications, as well as your
user-created data.
So that by a comprehensive backup of your data you can, in effect,
have a
copy of your HDD. A precise copy whereby should your day-to-day HDD
fail
or your system becomes unbootable because of a corrupt OS, you
would
have >> >> the wherewithal to restore your system to a bootable,
functional state with
a minimum of fuss. What better backup system can one have?

You can achieve this through the use of a disk-cloning (or
disk-imaging
program). A comprehensive backup program that you could use on a
daily
basis should you want.

There are a number of disk-to-disk cloning programs available. The
program we greatly prefer as a disk-to-disk cloning program is the
Casper 4
program - see http://www.fssdev.com

It's extremely simple to use even for an inexperienced user,
reasonably
quick in operation, and quite effective. There's virtually no
learning
curve in undertaking the disk cloning process as one navigates
through
the few easy-to-understand screens with a final mouse-click on the
button on >> >> the screen which will trigger the disk-cloning
process. After undertaking one
or two disk-cloning operations it should take the user no more than
20
seconds or so to get to that point.

The significant advantage of the Casper 4.0 disk cloning program
compared
with other disk cloning programs that we're familiar with is its
ability
to create *incremental* disk clones following the creation of the
original (first) disk clone. Employing what Casper calls its
"SmartClone"
technology the program can create subsequent disk clones of the
source
HDD usually at a fraction of the time it takes to create a "full"
disk
clone. This results in a decided incentive for the user to
undertake
frequent complete backups of his or her system knowing that they
can
create "incremental" disk clones in a relatively short period of
time.
Understand that >> >> this "incremental disk clone" is a *complete*
clone (copy) of the "source" HDD.

So, for example, in your case where your interest would be in
backing
up
your system on a daily basis, following the first time you clone
the
contents of your internal (boot) HDD to your USB external HDD
(USBEHD),
it would probably take no more than two or three minutes each day
to
thereafter perform the disk-cloning operation. Again, bear in mind
that
your USBEHD would contain the *complete* contents of your internal
HDD.
While the USBEHD would not ordinarily be bootable in an XP OS, it
would
be a simple matter to clone the contents of the USBEHD back to a
internal
HDD should a restoration of the system be necessary. Again, what
better
backup system can one >> have?

The Casper 4.0 program is also capable of scheduling the
disk-cloning
process on a daily, weekly, or other time period selected by the
user
so
that should you prefer you could arrange for automatic backups at
pre-determined times.

There's a trial version available (see above link) although it's
somewhat
crippled but it will give you a good idea as to how the program
works.
And I can provide further details about using the program should
you
be
interested.

The downside to the Casper 4 program as compared with the Acronis
and
most other disk-cloning programs is the cost of the program which
comes
to $49.95 for the program + $9.95 for the "Casper Startup Disk"
(the
program to create the bootable CD containing the Casper program).
So
it's
more expensive than the others. But in our view, well worth the
additional cost considering its overall effectiveness and the fact
that
one will be using the program many, many times over the weeks &
months
ahead. AFAIK, the program is available only through download from
the
developer.

Another possible downside to the Casper 4 program (depending upon
your
interests) is that it's really not designed to create
"generational"
copies of your system. Some users like to maintain complete copies
of
their system at various points in time. To that end a disk-imaging
program is more practical since to accomplish that objective using
a
disk-
cloning program such as Casper 4 the user would obviously need a
fair
number >> >> of HDDs to
serve as the recipients of the clones at these various points in
time.
But based on our experience I would say that the vast number of
users
(and I
would assume you are one of them) are basically interested in only
maintaining a current up-to-date copy of their system and have
little
or
no interest in maintaining "generational" copies
of such. But that may be a consideration for you & others.

Anyway, all of the above is predicated on the basis that you're
seeking a
reliable program to backup your *entire* day-to-day booting HDD,
including the XP OS, all your programs & applications, and your
user-created >> >> data,
in short - everything that's on your "source" HDD. And you want an
effective
simple-to-use program to do this on a systematic routine basis and
do
so
reasonably quickly. To that end we've found this Casper 4.0 program
really
fills the bill. So I would suggest you take a look at it.

I really don't think there is any significant need for you to
multi-partition your HDD. There's no reason why you can't work
effectively with a single-partitioned HDD that includes *all* the
data
on your >> >> HDD.
And simply create the files & folders to organize your work on that
single
partition. This is especially so should you use a disk-to-disk
cloning
program such as the one I've suggested. In our experience this
supposed
additional security one gains from separating data through
partitioning
is more myth than reality in the day-to-day world of personal
computing.
While there's no terrible harm in multi-partitioning your 320 GB
HDD
should you want to go that route, I honestly do not feel it's of
any
real value to
the vast majority of PC users.

So, in summary, my advice would be to think more in terms of
establishing
& maintaining a comprehensive backup system along the lines I've
suggested rather than multi-partitioning your HDD.
Anna


"MrMachine" <invalid@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Cv6dnZ3ZvIgMn0banZ2dnUVZ_quhnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Anna,

I have a 1TB HDD and an external case for it. I want to clone the C and
D
partitions from the computer's 500GB HDD to the 1TB HDD. Of course,
there
will be some unused space on the external. Can I put additional
folders/files onto that external drive without compromising the clone?

Thanks,
LeRoy


"Anna" <myname@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uFTMD3jhIHA.1184@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:
LeRoy:
Absolutely. No problem whatsoever. I'm assuming, of course, that these
"folders/files" would be programs of one sort or another and/or
user-created
data and *not* operating system files on your C: partition.

I assume you would understand that in the event you cloned back the
contents
of your USB? external HDD to your internal HDD for restoration/recovery
purposes should that need arise, those add'l files/folders would become
part
of the cloned contents from your external HDD to the internal one.
Should,
for some reason, you not want such, it would be best to originally set up
your external HDD with an add'l third partition to store those
files/folders
and then simply clone the partitions you desire back to the internal HDD.
Anna


"MrMachine" <invalid@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:D8CdnXtK_f9VIEbanZ2dnUVZ_sudnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks for your reply. The external enclosure for the 1TB SATA HDD is USB,
and the additional files/folders would not be OS files. In the event of a
HDD failure on the computer, would I be able to replace the 500GB SATA
internal HDD with the 1TB, rather than cloning it back onto a new HDD I
would install on the computer? I checked that the MB I'm using will
support the 1TB SATA drive.

Additionally, what programs(s) would you suggest I use to accomplish the
cloning and/or adding another partition to the 1TB external? I have
Acronis TI 10 already, but you have recommended Casper for cloning.

I do appreciate your willingness to help! Thanks again.

LeRoy


LeRoy:
Yes, you could remove the HDD from its USB external enclosure and install it
as an internal HDD in your PC replacing the current internal HDD. As such it
will be bootable and completely functional. We do this all the time either
to replace a defective internal HDD or to replace it with a larger HDD as I
take it is your objective.
If the latter was your objective another way of accomplishing this (prior to
installing the HDD in its external enclosure) would have been to simply
install that HDD as a secondary internal HDD in your system and simply clone
the contents of your primary HDD to the secondary one and then connect (and
possibly jumper) the new HDD to serve as your primary HDD. Either way is
fine.

Since you already have the Acronis True Image v 10 program I really see no
reason to change assuming you're satisfied with that program. It should do
the job you want without any problem (except under the circumstances I've
detailed below). As you know we greatly prefer the Casper 4 program for
day-in day-out disk-to-disk cloning operations in order to maintain
comprehensive routine backups of one's system. But the ATI program may
satisfy your needs.

But there's a problem with your ATI program with respect to your objective
of multi-partitioning your USBEHD...

When using ATI as a routine *disk-cloning* program, it's an "all-or-nothing"
proposition. What I mean is that let's assume you've multi-partitioned your
USBEHD with three partitions, however you want to clone the contents of your
two-partitioned internal HDD to the USBEHD. Should you use ATI's
disk-cloning capability the resultant clone, i.e., the USBEHD will contain
the same two partitions of the "source" HDD, your internal HDD (the disk
space of each of the two partitions will be different because of the
different disk capacity of the "destination" drive), but you would lose the
third partition on your USBEHD. Remember, in this instance "a clone is a
clone is a clone".

Now you could get around this by using ATI's *disk-imaging* capability which
allows one to create disk images of individual partitions. But these are
disk images, i.e., files or archives that need a recovery/restore process.
They are not clones of the source drive's contents, i.e, a copy of the
source drive's contents so that the data is immediately accessible and
bootable without a recovery-type process.

(BTW, I'm not sure if the latest version 11 of ATI now has the capability of
cloning individual partitions. Perhaps someone coming across this thread
might have information on that aspect.)

On the other hand, the Casper 4 program *does* have the happy capability of
cloning individual partitions from one HDD to another HDD.

So assuming your were using that program and further assuming this doesn't
pose any problem for you because there's no present data on that external
HDD that you need (or that you couldn't copy (even temporarily) to your
internal HDD...

You could simply start "fresh" as it were and using Disk Management (Start >
right-click My Computer > Manage > Computer Management > Disk Management)
and delete the current partition(s) on that USBEHD and then create whatever
partitions you desire, presumably three as you've indicated. Then you could
clone the two individual partitions on your source (internal) HDD to the two
partitions of your USBEHD and leave the third partition free for any data
you wish to write to that partition.

Other than that if you didn't want to disrupt (lose) the data presently on
your USBEHD you would need a third-party partition management type of
program such as Partition Magic to accomplish re:partitioning the drive
without losing data.
Anna


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