What usb-bootable utility should I use to copy SATA hard drives?

Posted by Steve Brown on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Steve Brown
Published on 2012-09-08T22:54:36Z Indexed on 2012/09/09 3:40 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 555

Filed under:

hard-drive

|

clone

|

bootable-media

|

disk-utility

|

utility

I have a computer that only has two SATA connections and I need to copy one SATA hard drive to another. Since I have to unplug the CD drive to copy the drives I need a USB-bootable utility.

I have an old school copy of Norton Ghost (CD based):

ghost-1 3.png

Ghost has always worked well for me in the past - I see there is a new "version 15" out but I'm not sure if it is worth buying.

A friend has Acronis True Image on a USB drive:

acronis-true-image-home-2011-14-0-0-5519 1.jpg

We tried to use that on the computer but it was unable to copy both partitions (restore partition and main partition).

Of course there may be some problem with the drive that is keeping Acronis from working (it is just exiting with a lame error about not being able to copy the disks and no error code or detailed information), but I'm interested in knowing if there is a better, more solid, or widely used solution that I should invest in.

What usb-bootable utilities can I use to copy SATA hard drives?

© Super User or respective owner

Related posts about hard-drive

Move smaller hard drive to partition on a larger hard drive

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
My parents bought a new hard drive for a laptop that I've owned for several years. It's much larger than the current one, so I plan on splitting it up to dual boot it with Ubuntu. I have no problem with partitioning a drive (I always keep a LiveCD handy), but my question is this: how can I go about… >>> More
Copy the contents of one hard drive partition to anohter hard drive partition

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I have made a C++ program which can copy the whole hardrive partition to another hardrive partition, but now I am looking forward for the program which can only copy the contents of one hardrive partiton to another hardrive partition. >>> More
Using an ATA-100 Hard Drive with a Thermaltake BlacX External Hard Drive Dock

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
Is it possible for a Thermaltake BlacX HDD Dock to connect to and recognize an ATA-100 Hard Drive? I know that the specifications for the BlacX say that it only supports SATA & SATAII, but I was hoping for one of three things: 1) for it to still work even though it isn't supported 2) for there… >>> More
backup hard drive image on external hard drive for Windows 7

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
Hello, I am looking for a backup tool for Windows 7, that will allow me to backup my laptop’s hard drive on an external hard drive as an exact image. In a case of a problem with the main hard drive, I would like just to swap the drives and to continue to work using the backup hard drive. Thanks >>> More
Copy the contents of one hard drive partition to anohter hard drive partition

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I have made a C++ program which can copy the whole hardrive partition to another hardrive partition, but now I am looking forward for the program which can only copy the contents of one hardrive partiton to another hardrive partition. >>> More

Related posts about clone

Clone behaviour - cannot set attribute value for clone?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
This code does not function as expected: // $field contains the name of a subclass of WMSInput. $fieldClone = clone $field; echo $fieldClone->getInputName(); // Method on abstract WMSInput superclass. $fieldClone->setInputName( 'name' ); echo $fieldClone->getInputName(); The WMSInput… >>> More
Clone() vs Copy constructor- which is recommended in java

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
clone method vs copy constructor in java. which one is correct solution. where to use each case? >>> More
jquery dynamic form plugin: adding nested field support

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Hi, Im using the jQuery dynamic form plugin, but i need support for nested field duplication. I would like some advice on how to modify the plugin to add such functionality. Im not a javascript/jQuery developer, so any advice on which route to take will be much appreciated. I can provide the plugin's… >>> More
Set up grub2 on cloned Ubuntu installation

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
With an Ubuntu Live Disc, I have copied my Ubuntu 10.04 installation to a new harddisk (with the same hardware). However, it doesn't boot, since I think I still need to set up grub for this new installation. How do I set up grub2 for a copied Ubuntu installation? All the tutorials for grub2 didn't… >>> More
Are there any "traps" in cloning a VirtualBox VM for concurrent use on the same Host/LAN?

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
With Ubuntu as the Host, I want to run two similar/identical(?) instances of a VirtualBox Guest on the same Host, or perhaps on another Host which is on the same LAN... I have set up a Guest as a "base" for the two clones. I have exported it as an ovf appliance. I've imported this "base" guest… >>> More