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Does Disk Clone clone the unpartitioned space?

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Does this Utility actually clone the entire disk by default? If not, is there a way to make it do so?

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I am uncertain what you want to do, and thus how to respond.

We need to distinguish between doing a backup (which only backs up files, and in doing so excludes some directories (for example those containing temporary files and *.tib files - a full description is given in the product documentation). In making the backup there is user selectable compression. Multiple backups can be made to one drive. You can do backups of entire disk, individual partitions, or a files and folders backup.

Cloning reproduces the entire disk, and only one clone can be made to the target disk. However, in doing so it does not do a sector by sector reproduction unless you specify that is to be done (this includes sectors marked as empty). (You can also do sector-by-sector backup of individual partitions.) By its nature, sector-by-sector backups logically preclude compression.

Not sure if I have answered your question or not.

 

OK, got a bit confused as the text does not include the critical information in the thread title about unpartitioned space.

Since (as I understand it) cloning process is not sector-by-sector, it will not clone unpartitioned space by default.

clone defqault.jpg

If you look at the image above Automatic mode (the default) only copies partitions, so it will not copy unpartitioned space. A quick reading of section 11.1 of the User Guide suggests that free space on the drive being cloned cannot be copied to the new drive. So, sector by sector seems to be limited to disks-and-partitions backup. So you would need to do sector by sector backup to include the unpartitioned space, but even then I am not sure if it would be included. I suggest you read the user guide.

Ian 

IanL-S wrote:

OK, got a bit confused as the text does not include the critical information in the thread title about unpartitioned space.

Since (as I understand it) cloning process is not sector-by-sector, it will not clone unpartitioned space by default.

If you look at the image above Automatic mode (the default) only copies partitions, so it will not copy unpartitioned space. A quick reading of section 11.1 of the User Guide suggests that free space on the drive being cloned cannot be copied to the new drive. So, sector by sector seems to be limited to disks-and-partitions backup. So you would need to do sector by sector backup to include the unpartitioned space, but even then I am not sure if it would be included. I suggest you read the user guide.

Ian 

Thanks Ian, sorry for leaving out the bit about unallocated space in the post text, I thought I included by saying "the entire disk" but apparently that was too open to interpretation.

I've checked the User-Guide however it doesn't mention sector-by-sector for cloning the drive (it does mention it when I actually attempt to clone my drive however as a prompt occurs).

Because I can backup and recover sector-by-sector I believe that may be the best approach albeit quite a bit more time consuming. I believe, based on the user guide, that the sector-by-sector option for backups will work as it is used for unsupported filesystems (which I believe implies a lack of availability for partition tables)

Raymond.

Thanks for the update. Hopefully you will be able to get what you want this way.

It may be you are using the wrong tool; a disk management rather than backup program may be a better option. You could check out Acronis Disk Director 12 or the free version of MiniTool Partition Wizard. You can download the Disk Director User Guide here.

Ian

You may wish to take a read through forum topic: Sector by sector compression of unused space - lossless or lossy? - which was discussed in the forums a while back where a user was wanting a forensic quality backup of his drive to be able to recover deleted files etc.