Cloning Entire Partions for Recovery?

[brianosaur]

I just got through reformatting my HD, partitoning, reinstalling a fresh XP and installing my bare 'basic requirement' software. ...oh joy!

Anyway, my two partitions used about 7gb (boot w/ XP) and 3gb (data) of the total 140gb HD#1. My other 200gb HD#2 is now empty.

In the past I have only imaged my partitions, b/c they were using alot of space, and I've used Norton Ghost -- to image but not to clone. At this point I want to clone the two partitons on HD#1 to HD#2 and use them as an emergency recovery drives.

Is this as simple as creating three partions on HD#2, cloning the existing two partitons from HD#1 - each to their own partition on HD#2, and leaving the third partion on HD#2 available for other storage?

Will the copied bootable drive mess things up?

Or as long as I tell bios to boot HD#1 first it should be OK?

[glc]

as long as I tell bios to boot HD#1 first it should be OK?

Yep.

[brianosaur]

And if I have a problem with the o/s on HD#1, I can always switch bios to make it boot to the o/s on HD#2 instead?

...I could then reclone HD#2 BACK to HD#1?

....man, if so, that would save alot of aggrevation in the future. All at the cost of a meezley 10gigs on a 200gig spare drive.

[glc]

Sounds good in theory, it should work that way. If you do that, make sure you lock down the drive letters for your data partitions to the same letters booting to either drive. I'd do a thorough test before deciding on the final configuration so you don't have any surprises.

[brianosaur]

lock down the drive letters for your data partitions to the same letters booting to either drive.

Umm... now you threw me for a loop. How do I go about that?


I'd do a thorough test before deciding on the final configuration

....same umm.


THANKS

[glc]

Drive letters are assigned in Disk Management. You can change the letter of any drive except the boot/OS partition. Having different letters for the same partition between the OS loads can cause problems finding programs and data. I'm suggesting you experiment before entrusting any critical data to the setup.

[brianosaur]

Drive letters are assigned in Disk Management. ......Having different letters for the same partition between the OS loads can cause problems finding programs and data.

I realize the ability to change drive letters in disk management and o/s finding software problems, but you are not suggesting assigning the SAME drive letter to the cloned partittion on the second HDD - are you? I didn't think that was possible.

I thought I would HAVE to assign different letters to keep all the drives going.

...sorry, perhaps I just don't understand your post.

Anyway, I thought if I had to reclone (...reclone? Is that a term?) back to HHD #1 in an emergency, I could always change the drive letters back to their original one's and just run remap program (ie. Partition Magic) so XP would recognize all the software locations.

Whaddaya Think?

[glc]

I'm saying do this - for example, look at the 3rd partition on your second drive. Assign it a specific drive letter. Do your cloning, then boot to the SECOND drive. Note carefully what the 3rd partition drive letter is - follow my logic?

[brianosaur]

Thanks glc. Got it. I will try that

........however, now I opened up a whole 'nother can of worms. See new thread. Damn, I hate it when I screw up!