How to clone a physical drive?

Hi, I have been trying to figure out how to clone my MacBooks hard-drive. It has OSX, plus Bootcamp and XP Pro partitions. My destination drive is an exact duplicate physical drive in an external USB enclosure. I want to clone the entire internal drive to the external drive, including all partitions and boot data. The DiskUtility, even when booted from CD, only supports cloning individual partitions. SuperDuper and other utilities seem to work the same. I tried the linux tool, G4L, and it did not recognize the external USB drive. I am trying to clone so that if the internal drive ever croaks, I can just drop in the drive thats currently in the external case - and have no down time. I only need to backup my machine this way once a month, so it doesnt matter how long the process takes - as long as it works! Any suggestions?

Hi wh31415,
You can clone both your OS X and Windows partitions from within OS X. Partition your external so that the Windows portion is large enough to hold a disk image of the Windows installation on your main drive. Leave the rest for OS X. You can do this with Disk Utility.
Once you have the external partitioned, use WinClone to clone the Windows drive. You run it right from OS X. It creates a compressed disk image that can be restored from OS X also. It's free and works great.
For OS X, use either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner. Both can be run right from the OS X installation you're booted from. Just don't do anything else while it's cloning. Both are free, though the paid version of SuperDuper! is worth every cent for updating your backup.

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How to detect which physical drive a given file is on

Given a file that exists, is there a way within Java to detect what physical drive that file is on? I don't care how that drive is denoted, as long as it is uniquely specified. This can be through a hard drive serial number, or any other way. The specifics of the drive do not matter, I only care about uniquely identifying physical drives. If it matters, I'd like to also be able to determine if said drive is a flash drive, however programmatically I won't care that it is a flash drive, just that it is a separate drive itself.
If this isn't possible through Java, could someone point me in the direction of how to determine this through another language, possibly using JNI?

mgolowka wrote:
Given a file that exists, is there a way within Java to detect what physical drive that file is on?
Check if this helps you, I'm not sure the effects when this is executed in a Unix based environment.
     public static void main(final String[] args) {
          final String fileName = "my_file.myext";
          final File file = new File(fileName);
          final File roots[] = File.listRoots();
          final String rootOfTheFile = file.getAbsolutePath().substring(0,
                    file.getAbsolutePath().indexOf(File.separator))
                    + File.separator;
          System.out.println("File is present in - " + rootOfTheFile);
          for (final File file2 : roots) {
               System.out.println("Root in system - " + file2.getPath());
     }And the output for the code is as follows, of which Y and Z are network mapped drives.
File is present in - D:\
Root in system - C:\
Root in system - D:\
Root in system - E:\
Root in system - F:\
Root in system - Y:\
Root in system - Z:\

How to Clone my Hard Drive

I just bought a new internal hard drive for my macbook (2006)
I have an enclosure and am ready to install the new one.
I've read through the discussions on cloning my old drive, but I'm still nervous about this process. (one of the most helpful so far was this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp47AQinUM8)
I just downloaded the free Super Duper software.
But some suggest just using Disc utility?
Do I need to format my new drive?
I don't think I want to go through the trouble of re-installing OS X.
(maybe next time).
I've backed up almost all I can on another external drive.
Scary stuff.

Jack, not scary stuff at all ...really. Super Duper will do a fine job of the clone. Yes you will need to format your new drive and you should do that with disk utility. Here are the steps I would follow.
1. Install your new drive in the external enclosure and format it with DU.
2. Use Super Duper to clone your existing drive onto the new drive. Be sure to check the make bootable option in SD.
3. Remove the new drive from the enclosure and install it into your MacBook.
4. Install the old drive into the enclosure. DO NOT ERASE YET!!!
5. Start your MacBook with the new drive and use it for awhile before you erase the old drive. That way IF anything goes wrong, and I suspect that nothing will, you've always got your existing drive with all of your data and programs intact. Once your sure that everything is fine then you can erase the old drive and use it for whatever you'd like.
Post back and let us know how it goes.

How to clone the hardware driver?

Is it possible to clone the hardware driver files from one (installed) linux distribution to another?

OK, so you've got one of those funky PowerVR GPU's.
The wiki page states that the driver you're talking about won't work with Arch, have you read it?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Intel_GMA3600
Last edited by slithery (2014-08-23 11:49:33)

How to clone a hard drive

Hello,
I am about to install a 2nd hard drive, a hitachi 7k1000 sata II 1 terabyte, and ideally i would like it to be my start up disk. i am comfortable with the installation and formating, but would appreciate advice on how to transfer existing files across. Or is it easier to store music and photographs on the new drive and leave the existing drive as the start up?
thanks and regards

I'm a bit confused re cloning. I want to buy an external firewire HD to backup important info- either my username folder and all contents, or just individual folders like iTunes, iPhoto,etc. I tried reading about super duper and don't understand, does it copy all in a folder I choose like my user folder to external drive or what?
Also, when I look inside FINDER for ex, if I had to choose which area to copy from; when I choose a folder like HD/Users/~username and choose GET INFO, it shows the KIND as an ALIAS- so how do I know exactly where to find my REAL userfolder to copy from and not an ALIAS? Or does this matter?
-Can Super Duper copy from internal drive and save to someplace on same drive,or do you have to use Disk Utility and Partition then save to other partition you made?
What's the difference in using Super Duper or using Disk Utility, choosing RESTORE, and choose my HD for SOURCE then choose external HD I buy for DESTINATION?

How to find out web-inf path from the physical drive?

How to find out web-inf path from the physical drive?
I have some user profiles in web-inf directory.SO I want to know the path from root directory like
d:/program files/allaire/jrun/appname/web-inf/profiles/username like that.
Presently I am able to get the path upto the application directory and from that I am concatinationg web-inf/profiles/username .
But it is giving problems when it is deployed under unix or linux.Because web-inf there it treats as WEB_INF
SO I want to get the path of web-inf directory with out hard coding.
Thanku

String path = application.getRealPath("/WEB-INF/profiles/username");
Note sure why you need this, but you don't need the real path to read the file - you can get an InputStream using the relative path. See ServletContext getResource() and getResourceAsStream().

Question about installing a SSD drive and how to clone

Greetings,
I have a 2007 white macbook w/ 80GB HD. I have been thinking about installing a 60 GB SSD drive from OWC as the price has come down tremendously and honestly just to see how it improves boot time, launch, applications etc. I don't keep much stuff on this macbook as it is purely a "browsing" computer but I was wondering how to best clone the hard drive to the new one?
From what I understand, I use an application like Carbon copy cloner and backup "all data". Then, I turn the macbook over and follow the instructions for installing the new drive. Then, I guess I boot up and format the new drive with Snow Leopard.
When do I actually tell the recently formatted computer to transfer the data from the backup clone? Do I do this during the opening migration screen? I know how to import data from another computer using Firewire and a cable, however, does the new SSD formatted computer understand how to boot from the carbon copy cloner backup without installing this software on the new drive?
Cheers.

Julie:
I am no expert on SSDs. Here is how I would do it with a regular HDD. Note: You will need an external 2.5" enclosure.
Clone Old HDD to new HDD using SuperDuper
• Install new HDD in enclosure
• Connect to the computer and boot from internal HDD.
• Launch Disk Utility and format new HDD in enclosure (post for step by step directions, if needed)
• Download and launch SuperDuper
• In the Copy field select your internal HDD
• To is your newly formatted HDD in enclosure
• Using *backup all files*
• Click Options button
• Check *Repair Disk Permissions on Source*
• During copy Erase Destination HDD then copy from Source
• On successful completion Quit SuperDuper
• Shut down computer and with external still connected
• Option boot from external HDD to check clone.
• If everything checks out, remove new HDD from enclosure and install in computer.
• Install old HDD in enclosure (if desired)
cornelius

How do I clone a hard drive, replacing 1TB HD with 4TB SSHD?

I have an HP Envy 700-215xt and need faster and more storage so I purchased a 4TB SSHD to replace the 1TB HD. But I could not copy the original HD to the SSHD by using Seagate DiscWizard. Acronis Cloning Software could not too because the main hard drive is not detected (inactive), it may be blocked by something? How to clone the drive? Thank you!
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hello @sle056,
I understand you are putting a SSD in your HP ENVY 700-215xt Desktop PC and you are needing help getting it cloned and installed. I am providing you with a guide titled How to Install an SSD (Solid State Drive) that provides all the steps needed to install an SSD. If you are still having issues with getting it cloned I would recommend you contact the SSD manufacturer and see if they can assist with the cloning process.
I hope I have answered your question to your satisfaction. Thank you for posting on the HP Forums. Have a great day!
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How to clone external drive to time capsule drive

My previous set up was TM running on the TC drive with a USB drive that has my iTunes library. Because my TC ran out of space for two computers doing backup I had to buy a larger USB drive and swap their purposes. So I got the TM backups archived to the new USB pretty easily. But I am at a loss for how to transfer the old USB with my iTunes library to the TC disk. It doesn't show up in Disk Utility or Carbon Copy Cloner as an available drive. I'm worried that it won't accurately transfer the data if I just do a drag and drop in Finder, screwing up my library. So:
1) Is there a way to clone a USB drive to the TC drive?
2) If not, will I be facing a huge iTunes mess if I just copy the files using Finder?

Just drag and drop the iTunes library from the USB drive to the Time Capsule.

How to Clone Primary Drive prior to, or after, adding a second drive in Ultrabay

Alright, I have a T510 with a single internal drive. I wish to add a SSD drive and make it my primary drive. I have an Ultrabay and know about the drive adapter for it and plan to use it as the new drive location.
My question is how to perform the cloning of the primary drive. I can install the new SSD in the Ultrabay and use software, previously copied to the primary(or backup) drive since the Ultrabay is now used for the SSD so I can't run a CD. The issue is how to clone. I don't wish to buy another external drive just for the cloning software CD.
I have an external hard drive that I use for backups. Has anyone cloned a copy of a drive(A) to another drive(B) and then copied it to a new drive(C)? If this is a good idea, it is easy since the CD drive is still available using this method.
The end result would be to swap locations of the drives making the SSD the new primary internal drive and the old drive goes to the Ultrabay.
Just looking for input.
Thanks for taking the time,
Pete

Hi RePete,
Cloning Hard Drive
How to install Windows on the Solid State Drive
Hope this helps.
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How do I clone my Hard Drive?

I have a MacBook Pro HDD that is maxed out and will not boot. So I've bought a larger HDD to clone to.
I can't use SuperDuper because I can't get in to the OS. The MacBook Pro is my only Apple computer. I do have a Windows 7 PC and a Linux box though.
Can I use either of those to clone the Apple HDD properly? (I already tried using Symantec Ghost on from Hiren's and that was a miserable failure)
Thank you for your help

No, yo can't clone a Mac drive with Windows or Linux. The filesystem format is totally alien to them, hence the failure. I'm supposing you have the shiny new drive in an external enclosure for cloning purposes.
If you're using Lion, get into Lion Recovery Mode (press Command-R prior to the startup chime) and use Disk Utility. Since the new disk will probably come preformatted for Windows systems, use DU to first remove the NTFS partition, repartition in GUID partition scheme (see Options...) and MacOS X Extended format. Next, in the Restore tab choose the internal drive's Macintosh HD volume as Source and your new drive as Destination. Let'er rip, go get a cuppa Joe, will take awhile. After it finishes, test it out by booting: press Option prior to the chime and pick the new boot volume from the list. Once satisfied, swap drives and be done.

G5, 2.7 using OSX10.4.11: I want to clone the hard drive. Instead of housing the new hard drive in an external case could I put it into an idle G5 that currently has no hard drive (an elaborate external case, so to speak)? If so, how then to connect the 2

G5, 2.7 using OSX10.4.11: I want to clone the hard drive. Instead of housing the new hard drive (during the cloning process) in an external case, could I simply install the new hard drive into an idle G5 that has no hard drive in it thus using the idle G5 as an elaborate external case? What cables would I use to connect the 2 computers? Ethernet? USB? Could I use the firewire cable that is normally used by my Apple camera (the camera that is an aluminum tube, I forget the name of that thing). The idle G5 is a 1.6 model,would that matter? Thanks

I personally can think of two options.
1. Mount the drive in which the copy of the first hard drive will go to inside of the 2.7gHZ G5's case. There is room for two hard drives in there. See Link for Help
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/PMG5_HD_DIY.pdf
Once it is installed, simply boot off of your Mac OS Install media (CD, DVD, USB) it can be any version that supports the PowerPC platform. You need to boot holding the "C" key. Then choose Disk Utility and hit the restore tab. Drag the old partition to the "Source" field and the new hard drive to the "destination" field.
2. Put the second hard drive into the second (idle) G5. You will need a copy of the Mac OS install DVD as again you cannot clone a drive when it is in use (running the operating system). Hold down the "T" key at boot up and then a firewire logo will bounce on the monitor. then plug the cable into the 2.7 g5 and start it up
I hope that this is helpful.
Long Live the PowerPC G5

How do you clone a hard drive with boot camp?

My daughter got a new 13" Macbook pro in July. She is still running Lion. Se started to exerience system freezes. She called Applye support which had her reset the PRAM(?). The the system would no longer boot. When she went away to college, I sent her off with an external usb drive partitioned for Tme Machine and also with a partition of a copy of her system from that date. She was able to boot into that and continue her work. The internal hard drive did not show up as a boot option, but was accessible one she had booted to the external drive. This morning the internal drive was an option when she did the boot to external. My son had a similar situation a few years ago with a Mac mini and it turned out to be a failing internal hard drive. We have decided to continue from the external HD until she comes home for Thanksgiving and can go to the local Apple store. In addition to OSX she also has bootcamp with Windows 7. Now to my question. Is there a way to clone her internal hard drive including the Windows bootcamp? I would like to create a clone we can use for a restore as we expect the internal drive will be replaced. Time Machine can replce the OSX system, but I am thinking if we can do an exact copy of the internal drive, then we would not have to reinstall or recover the Windows system. Any ideas? Would Carbon Copy or Super Duper work better? I believe one of them has a family license so that I could use it for the other kids cloning as well.

You can't clone the entire drive. You can clone the OS X partition and the Windows partition separately.
Cloning OS X should be done with Disk Utility or Carbon Copy Cloner. The Windows volume can be cloned using Windows software, Winclone 3.5, or Volume Snapshot.

How to determine physical drive mapping?

Hi,
after selecting a file using the FileChooser dialog, i would like to convert the file path like "H:\index.htm" into a form like "\\filer01\dir\index.htm", where \\filer01\dir corresponds to the physical drive mapping.
On my system, the logical device name H:\ is mapped to a directory on a file server "filer01".
Is there any possibility to do this conversion by getting the physical drive mapping from the systems environment?
Thanks in advance.

I've got a book called Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API, by Dan Appleman, where I look up things like that. But it's all available online on MSDN.

Installed a 2nd HD, how do I clone the orig. drive onto the new one...

Hi All,
just bought and installed a 700Gig second internal hard drive. i'd like to clone my orig. HD onto this new one, what do i use to do that?,

Hi-
If you haven't, first, use Disk Utility to format the new drive.
Once formatted, download SuperDuper! and clone the old drive to the new drive.
Then, change the Startup Drive selection in System Preferences, and restart. All done.
Before you erase the old drive, though, make sure everything on the new clone works as it should.
One thing that is good to do before a clone, is to boot to the OS install disk, and use Disk Utility to repair the hard drive (old drive) using the "Repair Disk" command. This is to correct any directory errors. Any errors on a drive that is cloned, will also be cloned, so this is good to do before a clone is performed.

How to clone a physical drive?

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