How to Clone a Hard Drive in Windows XP
You will need to obtain and install Ghost on your system., But here is an important caveat!, Clone your boot-drive?, There is no question that earlier versions of Ghost could effortlessly clone Windows XP boot-drives., Shut down the system and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: You will need to obtain and install Ghost on your system.
If you can't or don't want to install it on the system with the drive to clone you can install it on another system and make a Ghost boot Disk. (see Ghost documentation for how to make the disk) -
Step 2: But here is an important caveat!
Symantec has de-powered Ghost to such an extent that cloning your boot drive seems no longer possible.
In typical Symantec fashion, they are cute and then evasive on the subject.
Try going to symantec.com and entering the query "clone boot drive".
The Symantec website greets that question with an answer to the effect that "they have never heard that question before". , Huh? Why do you want to do that? We know that when we sold you Ghost that we promised that you could safely infer that you could clone your boot-drive: but in the interim we have forgotten exactly how to do that.
Symantec's evasions typically have a criminal purpose: to sell expensive software which simply does not work. , So why the change
- why do recent versions of Ghost put the user through hours of work creating images that when restored simply will not boot.
Do you suppose that Uncle Billy might have had something to do with that? , They both need to be in the system to clone.
Most likely this will be a temporary arrangement if you want to remove the old drive or rearrange the connections later. , Select clone under ghost advanced and follow through the screens.
Select old drive as source and new as the destination.
See ghost documentation or help if you're not familiar with all the steps.
The system will reboot and run the clone operation , Use your mouse or keyboard to select clone from the menus and then run the operation. , If your old drive is still connected booting to windows on the new drive will cause problems.
You need to remove the old drive from your system or delete the partitions BEFORE you boot windows on the new drive.
If your in doubt if the ghost operation worked.. just physically disconnect the old drive.
Once you confirm the new drive is working reconnect the old drive.
Use a windows setup boot disk to delete windows off the old drive.
Simply start setup from the boot disk and get to the partition screen to delete the partition (make sure you do this on the OLD DRIVE!) then exit setup without going any further (you don't actually want to install windows). , -
Step 3: Clone your boot-drive?
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Step 4: There is no question that earlier versions of Ghost could effortlessly clone Windows XP boot-drives.
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Step 5: Shut down the system and either temporarily or permanently connect the new hard drive.
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Step 6: If you installed ghost on the system where you're cloning the drive
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Step 7: boot to windows on your old drive and go into ghost.
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Step 8: If you made a ghost boot disk boot the system from the disk and ghost will load directly.
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Step 9: IMPORTANT: ONCE THE OPERATION IS DONE DO NOT BOOT WINDOWS RIGHT AWAY!!
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Step 10: Connect the new (and old if keeping it in the system) drive permanently and close up your PC.
Detailed Guide
If you can't or don't want to install it on the system with the drive to clone you can install it on another system and make a Ghost boot Disk. (see Ghost documentation for how to make the disk)
Symantec has de-powered Ghost to such an extent that cloning your boot drive seems no longer possible.
In typical Symantec fashion, they are cute and then evasive on the subject.
Try going to symantec.com and entering the query "clone boot drive".
The Symantec website greets that question with an answer to the effect that "they have never heard that question before". , Huh? Why do you want to do that? We know that when we sold you Ghost that we promised that you could safely infer that you could clone your boot-drive: but in the interim we have forgotten exactly how to do that.
Symantec's evasions typically have a criminal purpose: to sell expensive software which simply does not work. , So why the change
- why do recent versions of Ghost put the user through hours of work creating images that when restored simply will not boot.
Do you suppose that Uncle Billy might have had something to do with that? , They both need to be in the system to clone.
Most likely this will be a temporary arrangement if you want to remove the old drive or rearrange the connections later. , Select clone under ghost advanced and follow through the screens.
Select old drive as source and new as the destination.
See ghost documentation or help if you're not familiar with all the steps.
The system will reboot and run the clone operation , Use your mouse or keyboard to select clone from the menus and then run the operation. , If your old drive is still connected booting to windows on the new drive will cause problems.
You need to remove the old drive from your system or delete the partitions BEFORE you boot windows on the new drive.
If your in doubt if the ghost operation worked.. just physically disconnect the old drive.
Once you confirm the new drive is working reconnect the old drive.
Use a windows setup boot disk to delete windows off the old drive.
Simply start setup from the boot disk and get to the partition screen to delete the partition (make sure you do this on the OLD DRIVE!) then exit setup without going any further (you don't actually want to install windows). ,
About the Author
Mark Ferguson
Committed to making hobbies accessible and understandable for everyone.
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