Cloning HDD - Software

[MrR]

Hoping the community can help on my questions:

I have a 500GB hard drive with 3 partitions, which I now want to clone over to a 1TB hard drive (both are mechanical). I'm hoping for it to be a simple a once off drive-to-drive clone. What software (Win 7 based) would you recommend, also taking below into consideration:

1. The existing disk has 3 partitions and is 90% utilised. I essentially want to resize/double up the partitions, e.g. 100 -> 200GB; 2x200 -> 2x400GB partitions. Would I need to create the partitions on the new disk first (manually), or do I do this via the recommended software?
2. (Out of curiosity) Can the software clone a drive if the source and destination file systems are different, e.g. FAT32 vs NTFS?

I'm also going to use this as a test case when replacing a SSD with a larger one later this year. Would there be any differences?

Anything else I need to take into consideration?

 

[wolverine_dcp]

Try acronis

 

[catman37]

We use this at work...works like a dream. Might not be able to clone from Fat32 to nrfs though.

http://www.backup-utility.com

/disk-clone-software.html


Once the cloning is done you can extend the partitions via disk manager

 

[gfmalan]

Acronis True Image does all that, and more

Free option Clonezilla

Get Hiren's CD

 

[Dion Disco]

Did a SSD clone on laptop last weekend - worked flawless

Followed this vid
https://youtu.be/Jh4uRhWwZT0

Software
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

 

[WAslayer]

Acronis True Image does all that, and more

I will stake my life on Acronis.. It just works and works works and works....

 

[Solarion]

Just remember cloning and imaging are not the same thing. Cloning goes right down to the fat level so if anything is corrupted on that level you are simply going to copy all that nastiness along with it.

Edit: +1 to Acronis.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

I will stake my life on Acronis.. It just works and works works and works....

same with me, will do the resizing for you, best option out there....

 

[OCP]

acronis /thread

 

[MrR]

Thanks for all of the responses.

Is there a freeware version of Acronis? Looking at the price and the frequency at which I'll be using such a tool, the $40 price tag is a bit much. I don't mind paying for a tool, but there's a price point for using it once or max twice every other year.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Thanks for all of the responses.

Is there a freeware version of Acronis? Looking at the price and the frequency at which I'll be using such a tool, the $40 price tag is a bit much. I don't mind paying for a tool, but there's a price point for using it once or max twice every other year.

do what all of us do, torrent.....

 

[WAslayer]

Thanks for all of the responses.

Is there a freeware version of Acronis? Looking at the price and the frequency at which I'll be using such a tool, the $40 price tag is a bit much. I don't mind paying for a tool, but there's a price point for using it once or max twice every other year.

Dont think of it as a once off or once in a blue moon tool.. Use it as a backup solution as well.. You can schedule backups to take place and it supports incremental and differential.. Great thing is, it is image based backups.. So if your drive crashes today, you roll your latest backup out onto a new drive and your system is back to the way it was right before the drive died..