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Microsoft => Microsoft Windows => Windows Vista and 7 => Topic started by: James1431997 on December 27, 2012, 09:01:32 AM

Title: Cloning Hard Drive to a partition
Post by: James1431997 on December 27, 2012, 09:01:32 AM
Hi!

This Christmas, I added a 2TB Hard Drive to the 1TB drive already in my computer (as well as some RAM, but that is unimportant).
I wanted to reinstall Windows onto the old 1TB Drive, but keep an image of the new drive that could be booted until I was sure that all data was copied across.

I installed Disk 2 (names for simplicity's sake) and set it up with the Acronis software the drive told me to use (on the label on the physical drive) . I created two partitions, one 900GB big and the other occupied the remaining 963GB. However, each of the cloning utilities I tried to use would not allow me to clone Disk 1 onto a partition on Disk 2 - they both only showed Disk 2, not the partitions.

I have tried Acronis and EaseUS software, but both seem to have the same behavior.

Any help would be much appreciated.
James
Title: Re: Cloning Hard Drive to a partition
Post by: soybean on December 27, 2012, 09:54:26 AM
I suggest you allow Disk 2 to be treated as single, un-partitioned, drive to do the cloning of Disk 1 to Disk 2.  Then, you use Windows 7's Disk Management utility or a third party disk management tool such as EaseUS Partition Master to partition the drive.  You can do this with Windows 7's Disk Management utility; reference: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/resize-a-partition-for-free-in-windows-vista/
Title: Re: Cloning Hard Drive to a partition
Post by: patio on December 27, 2012, 12:29:48 PM
You cannot use any cloning app to clone to a partition/HDD smaller than the subject drive...
This is probably why it's balking...
Either set a larger target partition on the new HDD or take soybeans advice above...
It can always be re-sized later...
Title: Re: Cloning Hard Drive to a partition
Post by: James1431997 on December 27, 2012, 01:00:18 PM
Thankyou both for your advise.

I'll go and do it!