Clone to new Drive
I have to run the clone 3 or 4 times and reboot every time in order for it to clone the drive. Can you please till me why I have to run it so many times?
Thank you
Grover, can you see the gaping hole in the advice you've given here?
What state is the old/source drive in after a clone operation? (Is it stated anywhere?)
I've long worked in IT and I follow a firm rule not to burn my bridges behind me whenever I do something, before I know it's safe to do so.
NOWHERE can I find you (Acronis, of course) stating what the status of the old/source drive is after a cloned operation!
I first want to experience the cloning operation and examine the after-effects. I want to read any logs, examine the drives, and satisfy myself that the operation has proceeded according to my expectations.
I may then want to do it again, differently, perhaps.
I DO NOT WANT YOU TO PRESUME THAT I WILL *IMMEDIATELY* ADOPT THE NEW DRIVE AS MY NEW BOOT DRIVE.
I MOST ESPECIALLY DON'T WANT YOU TO PRESUME TO MAKE MY OLD/SOURCE DRIVE UNBOOTABLE.
An error might have occurred that your program didn't detect and I might be left with two unbootable disks!
Nowhere do you say that the old drive is STILL USABLE, not that I can see.
If you touch my source/old drive, I want to know about it!
What state is the old/source drive in after a clone operation? (Is it stated anywhere?)
Is it still bootable?
Decadus,
Since Shaw never came returned to the forum with the results (January), we do not know what the results were or if my suggestions were even followed.
I was responding to the question asked in the first post. Shaw was having trouble completing a clone operation. I am not a mind reader and have no clue as to the status of his drive. Evidently his drive was operational otherwise he would not have completed any of his multiple passes. His question only related to why multiple passes were needed and my response showed him the multiple passes were not necessary and that a normal clone can be completed in one pass.
And since this forum is partially manned by volunteers (like me), you are welcome to post your response to him in response to his question.
Huh? I'm just expanding the conversation on a subject related to the topic. That's how conversations go.
Of course you're not a mind reader and of course I'm welcome to post a response to him. Those remarks are irrelevant, and a little impolitic, perhaps.
But, do you see the gaping hole in your and Acronis's descriptions of cloning? I'm making a general point. If you expand here under this topic people will find it, and/or we can build it into something of its own.
Any idea of the status of an old/source drive? I can't find a ref. Maybe you could point me somewhere..
Decadus,
Perhaps rethinking how your post to Grover was phrased would be a good idea. You raised my hackles just by reading it - though mine are easily raised.
It does state in the 2009 and 2010 manual that a clone will leave the donor drive in the same state - in other words unaltered. You can however elect to have TI scrub the donor drive on completion of the clone.
The clonee and clonor drive should not be in a system (electrically) at the same time as it will confuse Windows when booting. Once Windows is booted it might also confuse the user trying to work out which drive is which.
Decadus, I agree with Colin B your post was extremely rude for some one who appears to have little or no experience with TI. Grover has spent many hours contributing to this forum and your comments are totally uncalled for.
(Please check your interpretation of English expression, thomas. After my opening sentence I am addressing Acronis, not Grover - there's no reason to assume he writes the programs. No experience? That's why I'm very frustrated with information supplied, and why I have to come to here. Therein lies a problem, don't you think?)
SOURCE DRIVE STATE AFTER CLONING
Colin, thanks for your advice, but I don't have manuals for 2009 and 2010 products; I'm trying ATI Home 11. And I sure can't find a reference to the state of my source disk after cloning in its manual, or on the site. And nothing, yet, in the forum. Fairly important, IMO. Here, as close as it gets, from Help:
"On the Old Hard Disk Usage step you have to decide how to use data stored on the old disk:
• Create a new partition layout - all existing partitions and their data will be deleted (but they will also be cloned to the new disk, so you will not lose them). If you are going to keep the old disk for data storage, you can create a new partition layout on it. In this case, the disk will be ready right after cloning is complete.
• Keep data - leave the old disk partitions and data intact.
• Destroy data - delete partitions (and data!) from the old disk"
Data, not disk.
I notice that Macrium Reflect offers marking of the new drive as Active, and it seemed uncomplicated.
(I don't have your reply on this forum page.. one moment.. What section am I in..? More frustration.)
So we shouldn't have two active drives in a system (electrically) at the same time as it will confuse Windows when booting. To what effect? A prompt of choices? Inability to start? Will it confuse the BIOS too? Other dangers?
All this strikes me as crucial. A new section in Help required, I'd say, and a tagged thread of its own. Operations on disks often falter.
Indeed, what WOULD a user have to do if a clone failed and by some chance the source drive failed to boot (assuming a programming error)?
Scary.
Whilst the manual could be clearer, here is the relevant excerpt from the 2011 user guide, this and the 2009/10 user guides are all available on the Acronis website.
Yes, thanks, Colin. It says a bit about the issue, doesn't it. Although, I put it to you that it's ambiguous, at best, and arguably quite incomplete. 'Whilst the manual could be clearer,..' as you say.
"No data will be lost because the original disk is only being read.." and finishes the sentence in the context of partitioning.
"The system transfer procedure does not alter the original disk at all." Good, but same paragraph. To remove all possible doubt this really needs a feed, given the trouble with the preceding sentence. And one short sentence is a lot to hang your existing system on.
After all, it says nothing about 'electrical' presence of two active disks and the need (advisability?) of shutting down and removing one of the two.. and making the new disk a master, if an old IDE type, how to read the new disk without using it, etc, etc.
Indeed, it says nothing of WHY TI does not alter the original disk. Some people may want it to.
I say that my fear of unknown disk status is well founded: I read today that Paragon (the original culprit) does it the opposite way. See this:
"Paragon goes a bit further, trying [& usually succeeding] to make whatever you’re doing work. A great example is if you copy or clone your boot partition to another drive, Paragon will try to swap things over & set it up so it boots — EASEUS won’t. "
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/paragon-partition-manager-11se-personal/
Comment #39, par 3.
I must write this up in its own thread. It's too important IMO to leave here.
Do you have influence back at headquarters? It really needs special attention.
Too important to hang your existing system on, as I say. A gaping hole. ;)