Xcopy

OK I'm stoopit.

It's been a LONG time since I messed about with DOS, but I want to copy the ENTIRE contents of HD#1 to a backup HD and be able to make it a master and have it run as the new master if necessary.

I know there's a plethora of backup programs that can be used to do this, but - just so I remember how - how does one do this in DOS? I've forgot.

 

Whuf!

Thanks a bunch, Pete. Dummy me, I shoulda thought of MS' website, but I'm used to running here for solv-ation.

Now I gotta do some studying on that one.

 

Xcopy will do the first part, i.e., copy everything to the new HD. However, I don't think it will make the new HD bootable. You need an image maker such as Ghost or True Image to do that.

 

OK. Talk to me a bit more about this.

Assume (you won't be wrong) that I'm a total pillock at this stuff.

 

Ah! Good point. I had planned on copying from the command prompt without starting Windows, but the drive being copied to is on an USB connexion. Will that make it not findable since the USB drivers will not have been loaded?

(Sorry, not near the computer in question or a 30 second look would make that obvious, wouldn't it?)

Suppose then I'll have to go find out about these "image" programs.

 

These are the web sites: discounts may be available elsewhere, so look around. And you don't need the very latest edition.

Ghost
True Image

Prefer Ghost 2003 if you can find it.