Resolved How do I maintain partition lettering on a clone?

Currently using my backup drive and want to clone it to my other (main) drive, but don't want different partition letters. How do I do this?

 

You will either have to manually edit the Mounted Devices registry key or use a cloning software that does that for you. Xxclone will swap the drive letters as needed so that everything works normally when booting either drive if you're using dual boot.

 

Dude, the other day when I changed the partition letters everything went nuts.
If I use Xxclone this definitely won't happen? (I'm still dealing w/ some music files that never found their way back home.
It's not a dual boot. The 2nd drive is my backup, but they got switched. (Don't ask.)

 

Let's be sure you understand the basics of cloning and how they relate to hard drive partition letters.

First you need to understand a couple of basic term that apply to partitions. The SYSTEM PARTITION is the first active partition on a hard drive. It is the first primary partition on the drive and must be set to an ACTIVE status. It must also contain the necessary boot files. Those are the NTLDR and the NTDETECT.COM files. It also needs to have the BOOT.INI file in order to direct the boot process to the desired partition to boot. The Master Boot Code turns the boot process over to the ntldr file and it uses the other two files to complete the boot process.

Next comes the BOOT PARTITION. It holds the program files of the operating system. It can be, and usually is the same partition as the system partition, although that isn't necessary. It is possible to have a system partition with no operating system on it and have the operating system located on some other partition. That other partition will then be called the BOOT PARTITION.

If have a typical XP installation, it will be located on the first primary partition of the first physical hard drive. In that typical installation, the C: partition is both system partition and boot partition.

If you clone that typical partition and expect to boot the clone drive, you'll have to take steps to make sure the clone drive has the same letter as the drive from which it was created. If you manage to boot it without changing the letter, the installed software will not work since all of the Registry references and shortcuts will point to the original drive letter under which they were installed.

To correct that, you have a couple of option.

OPTION 1. (The normal way) After the cloning operation completes, power down, disconnect the original drive and reconnect the clone where the original was connected. Change the jumper to Master if needed or leave it as cable select if your system was originally configured that way. Leave the old drive disconnected for the moment and boot to the clone. It will then be labeled the C: partition automatically by Windows. Check that things work properly. Close down and reboot once more and recheck for proper operation of installed software.

If all things work normally when booted to the clone, shut down and reconnect the original drive as a slave. Change jumpers if needed. Boot up and the old drive should show up with all of its files intact. You can then delete all file from the old drive and use it for data storage, backup storage, or whatever.

OPTION 2. (For advanced users) After cloning, you can leave both drives connected as they are and boot to either one you want. You will be required to edit the Registry of the clone drive so that it swaps drive letters with the old drive and becomes the C: drive when you boot it. You will also need to edit the boot.ini file so that you will be offered the menu for selecting which partition to boot. Alternately, you can use Xxclone for the cloning and it will do the preceeding two steps for you. Then you can choose to boot the clone and then delete the files from the old partiton but you must leave the three files needed for booting. Those are the ntldr, ntdetect.com and the boot.ini files. Those three files must stay on the root of the original drive because it is still the system drive, so long as it is connected in the original configuration. The boot process will look there for those files and if they aren't present, the system won't boot. I don't recommend this option for anyone who isn't at an advanced level.

There are other ways to accomplish boot drive selection but I won't go into those for now.

I hope that gives you a better idea of how cloning can be used and what to expect of a clone partition. This is far from a complete explanation since there are many different cloning softwares and many different ways to perform clones. With some, you can clone an entire drive with multiple partitions on one operation and it will reconfigure the target drive to have the same partition structure.

If you get nothing else out of this, remember that XP requires an active primary partition on the first physical drive to hold the three boot files. The actual operating system files can be located elsewhere and if so, that partition becomes the boot partition. Windows Disk Manager will designate it that way when you boot to it.

If you don't fully understand all of this, you'll end up in trouble. Experimenting like this is a great way to learn but be sure you don't risk any valuable personal files. Backups on separate media are recommended.

 

Dude, I don't get the bit about deleting the files. Why would this be preferable over keeping them, since they are the originals and this drive would not be the backup?
I've previously been using Seagate DiscWizard to clone the drive, though I assume I should use Xxclone instead, though I don't know why. Would you explain?

I did notice that Xxclone can do incrementals which DiscWizard cannot.

 

Deleting the files is your option. Generally people clone a drive to move the OS to a larger drive and they have no reason to have two systems on different drives. You can keep them if you like. If you're keeping them as a backup, there are much better ways to do that, such as disk imaging.

You can use Seagate DiscWizard if you like. I use Xxclone for the reasons I cited. I choose to run a dual-boot configuration so I have a system available to use for testing software. I use Xxclone to create my clone since it takes care of swapping the drive letters for me when I boot the clone. If you don't need that, then use any cloning software you like.

Xxclone cannot do incrementals unless you buy the full version.

 

Here's where I get lost - is it better to clone (for my application) or to image?
Side note: because I don't have cloning software that will do incrementals yet, I've been cloning to keep an up to date backup. Your thoughts?

 

I think you are saying you have previously cloned your System drive to a second drive that you are now booting. You are now wanting to clone it back to the original. That's a good idea so that you will get back to a standard installation. In that case, you could then delete the old clone files if you so choose or leave them if you like.

Is the original drive still connected and if so, how are you directing the boot process so that it boots your clone drive? If both are still connected, what is the drive letter for the drive you are now booting?

You posted while I was typing so I'll comment on that. Cloning is not a very good way to backup. Imaging is much better and will allow an in depth system that can span several months yet not occupy as much space as a clone. Cloning has its purpose, such as what you are contemplating now, moving your system from one drive to another, but it isn't normally for backups since even an incremental backup might have the same defect as the original if you didn't notice some problem soon enough.

 

Does you original drive still have all the system files on it? If so, are they corrupt and is that why you want to clone the backup drive over them? I may have made some incorrect assumptions based on a lack of information from you.

 

Exactly.

I only have one drive hooked up at a time, unless I'm cloning, and they are both bootable. It's when they are both hooked up that the partition letters get weird (on the clone). The two drives are identical. Right now I'm running the clone, and the partition letters are just as I want them.
If I understand correctly, I should clone back to the orig drive (the distinction is the orig is a brand new drive and I want to use it since the other drive has almost two yrs of usage - so I'll use that for a backup). Then do my backups by imaging, which I'll have to find out how to do. Not sure right now if DiscWizard does imaging, but I'll look.
I want to be able to hook up the backup in the event the orig drive fails.
For this application is imaging better than cloning?

 

Didn't see this before. Yes, the drive I'm using has everything. The drive that I want to become my orig now only has XP on it. It was the drive I tried to set up, but kept having issues w/ the install. After two installs I scraped the idea. Based on the other thread, I believe you suggested my XP disc is bad, so since this drive works and has the sound driver, I'll just stick w/ this setup.

 

I see. Then I agree that you should clone over the failed install so that it is identical to the drive that works properly. You should have no problems with drive letters since you're going back to where it came from originally.

I'm out of time here so if you have further questions, post them up and I'll check on my next visit here.

Regards, Dude

 

Thx Dude.
I'll pick this up tomorrow.

 

Since the 2nd drive is strictly for use as a backup in the event of a failure, am I better off imaging or cloning, as far as updating the backup drive? I want to be able to hook up the drive and go in the event of a problem.

 

Imaging is by far a better backup method since there are imaging softwares that will perform incremental images after you create the base copy. That will allow you to choose between a number of dates to go back to when the need arises.

Cloning only gives you one possibility and if the clone copy has the same malady as the system drive, you'll be up the creek without a paddle.

I've stated all that before but perhaps you haven't grasped the concept yet. I'll give you an example:

Let's say you get a virus on your system drive. It doesn't deploy its payload until you open a certain program so you are operating with a time bomb so to speak. Then you decide to update your clone copy. It will also contain the virus. Now when the virus deploys and renders your drive corrupt, you have no clean copy to rescue you.

If you had been making incremental images instead, you could return to a date when the virus wasn't present and be able to ditch it. Do you understand why incremental imaging is better now?

 

Yes, now it makes sense. I didn't realise that w/ incrementals you had more than one option (as in MS Restore). Having never had a backup before (stop laughing), it's all new.
Is there software that's free you'd suggest? I have DiscWizard and it does do imaging, and from what I see incrementals. I have only the orig hooked up right now and DiscWizard is showing:
Disc 1 all partitions
Disc 2 FAT32 (D) not sure why this shows separately.

 

I know of no free incremental imaging softwares but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I haven't needed to look since I have Acronis True Image and it works so well. I recommend it if you decide to buy. It can be had for approximately $30 if you shop around.

 

W/ one drive hooked up DiscWizard is showing:
Disc 1 all partitions
Disc 2 FAT32 (D) not sure why this shows separately.

Why does it show two discs?

 

Do you have a USB drive plugged in?

 

Very good Dude. That was it.
I guess I'll figure out the imaging when I do it. It sounds like the image is compressed, thus allowing for multiple images?