Cloning Hard Drives

[pfisher]

I am not sure if this post belongs in this section or not. Please move to appropiate area.

I have an IDE 80gig drive running 10.5.8 and I would like to clone this drive to a SATA 160gb drive. I would like to copy over the OS, installed software, and files to the 160gb drive. Obviously, I would like the 160gb drive to be bootable and everything intact. Eventually, the 160gb drive will be used in a PowerMac G5 tower.

What is the best way to clone an IDE to SATA drive?

What software would I use CCC or Super Duper?

Anything I need to consider AFTER I clone?

 

[mike457]

I would use SuperDuper, though either will work. The software will look after everything automatically for you. The only thing you may need to do, if both hard drives are still going to be connected to the same computer, is to change in system preferences which drive is the start-up drive.

 

[pfisher]

Thanks for the reply. Once the clone is successful, I would only use the SATA 160gb drive. The IDE drive will be put on the shelf.

So, how do I go about cloning an IDE to SATA? I have a Lacie external enclosure with Firewire. I am guessing I would take the IDE and put it into this enclosure and boot off of this drive?

 

[eyoungren]

Both drives need to be on and connected to the Mac you are using for the clone. However you do that is up to you. Whether one is internal and the other is in an external case, or both internal, or both external, however.

Once both are mounted open up either CCC or SuperDuper. Set your options to clone from the IDE to the SATA (in CCC you want to make sure the option to bless the hard drive is set) and then click the clone button. The software will take care of the rest.

Unmount both drives and put the SATA one wherever it is you want it. Done.

 

[jbarley]

I would use SuperDuper, though either will work. The software will look after everything automatically for you..

Are you sure the software will take care of the Partition map?
I've always partitioned my drives before cloning using the Apple Partition Map, just to be safe.

 

[eyoungren]

Are you sure the software will take care of the Partition map?
I've always partitioned my drives before cloning using the Apple Partition Map, just to be safe.

I believe, although I cannot confirm, that both clone apps clone at the block level. That would thus clone over the partition map I think.

 

[jbarley]

I believe, although I cannot confirm, that both clone apps clone at the block level. That would thus clone over the partition map I think.

I too 'believe and think maybe', but as I mentioned in my post 'just to be safe", also partitioning is a simple and very quick step.

 

[eyoungren]

I too 'believe and think maybe', but as I mentioned in my post 'just to be safe", also partitioning is a simple and very quick step.

True. Can't argue with that.

 

[jbarley]

Just did a Google search for both CCC and SD, asking if they also cloned the partition map.
In both cases the info suggests you need to partition the drive correctly before cloning.
CCC will warn you after you've selected your source and destination drives that the clone will not boot.
SD does not seem to have this feature, (warning).

 

[eyoungren]

Just did a Google search for both CCC and SD, asking if they also cloned the partition map.
In both cases the info suggests you need to partition the drive correctly before cloning.
CCC will warn you after you've selected your source and destination drives that the clone will not boot.
SD does not seem to have this feature, (warning).

I was wrong then. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[blesscheese]

Just did a Google search for both CCC and SD, asking if they also cloned the partition map.
In both cases the info suggests you need to partition the drive correctly before cloning.
CCC will warn you after you've selected your source and destination drives that the clone will not boot.
SD does not seem to have this feature, (warning).

Yes, this is definitely correct, based on my (bad) experience(s) that I would like to save others from.

In my haste, I went to clone a drive, and duh! Since the brand new drive, just fresh from the store, was formatted for PC, it was a MBR partition map, and not a GUID partition map. So, of course it would not boot up.

So, back, reformat & partition, and re-clone. Not the worst thing in the world, but it did waste a number of hours.

 

[Member2010]

active boot disc reply

If you have access to a normal computer (non apple x86 machine), I recommend "Active Boot Disc". It's a bootable Windows CD with a host of great hard drive (and other) tools. You can clone, back up, upgrade, and more for your hard drives that you have connected. I'd imagine it can work for HFS+ formatted drives too.

::

 

[Swampus]

Yes, this is definitely correct, based on my (bad) experience(s) that I would like to save others from.

In my haste, I went to clone a drive, and duh! Since the brand new drive, just fresh from the store, was formatted for PC, it was a MBR partition map, and not a GUID partition map. So, of course it would not boot up.

So, back, reformat & partition, and re-clone. Not the worst thing in the world, but it did waste a number of hours.

To clarify for OP, PowerPCs require Apple Partition Map (not GUID) for bootable drives. Blesscheese is probably talking about an Intel Mac. I had to check comment history, but I assume OP is talking about his/her G5 from previous posts.

 

[blesscheese]

To clarify for OP, PowerPCs require Apple Partition Map (not GUID) for bootable drives. Blesscheese is probably talking about an Intel Mac. I had to check comment history, but I assume OP is talking about his/her G5 from previous posts.

Thanks for clarifying, yes that was an Intel Mac, and yes, PowerPC's require the partition scheme to be Apple Partition Map...and no, I don't think I lost my mind, just forgot I was in the PowerPC forum.

 

[macuser453787]

Drive Genius is also a wonderful utility that has a cloning feature. The install disk is also a boot disk which is ideal for running DG entirely separate from the source and destination drives, so that both drives can be fully accessed. I own DG and have used it many times for cloning/backing up my boot drives and it works beautifully.