Posted on 05/13/2015 10:43:14 AM PDT by Maceman
OK. So my Dell Vostro 3550 laptop (Windows 7) – which I bought in 2011 – has crashed for good. After three frustrating weeks that included hours on the phone with Dell tech support, 3 on-site technician visits (fortunately I paid to extend the on-site repair warranty) to install 3 new replacement motherboards (one of which was DOA), 2 replacement daughter boards, new speakers and other assorted hardware, Dell finally threw in the towel and is sending me a “new” (obviously refurbished) computer.
I told them I want a technician to come and transfer the hard drive from the current computer into the new one when it arrives, but they have said that they won’t do that. They told me to call tech support when the new one arrives, and they will talk me through the process of transferring the hard drive.
Dell has written me to say: "The hard drive of the computer is actually considered as a Customer Replaceable Unit(CRU) which means it can be easily replaced. We can walk you thru on this process."
OK, so here’s my concern. I'm looking for an easy and inexpensive way to save the data that's on my current hard drive so that if the it fails in the process, I will still have the ability to put the data on the new hardrive that will come with the new computer.
I do have a current back-up of my content files on an HP SimpleSave™ external drive, but it really only has my documents, pictures, sound files, Outlook files, etc. But it doesn’t have all the other software that I have added over the years (like Wondershare, SnagIt, Paint.net, Band-in-a-Box and other stuff. Also, I don’t think it has all my specialty fonts, such as Jazz Extended which is an integral part of a for-profit music project I have been working on for months.
So my question is: What is the best (and cheapest) way, and the best (and cheapest) medium, on which to make a complete image of my hard-drive so that if it crashes during the transfer, or for any other reason, it will be relatively easy for me to put the this data on a new hard-drive and get back up to speed without any real headaches.
As always I will very much appreciate helpful Freeper input. The new computer should be here in a few days, and I’d like to have a solution ready to address my stated concerns.
Thanks in advance.
Clonezilla (free) or a good commercial product called Acronis
Use Acronis True Image.
I did an image using a USB hard drive. You can buy 2 TB for under $100 now. It came in handy when my computer was running really slow. Instead of starting from scratch I just downloaded the image from the portable HD.
If it is a different model, cloning will be difficult. The motherboard drivers are all different. The best you can do sometimes is copy everything over and then do a Windows install to install the right drivers.
Bookmark.
When mine crashes I just live without or reinstall software. Or buy new. Unless it is very expensive. Often the software is as dated as the computer anyway. These greedy companies just try to find ways to squeeze you for more money. I’m sure Obama would be taxing them more if they didn’t give their donations to democrats already.
Anyway, I want to see with the techies tell you.
I agree:
Acronis True Image
Also provides excellent backup - dynamic. Simple. And reliable.
It sounds tome like Dell is telling him to put the old HDD into the new system, so if this is correct, then Dell knows that the drivers will not be an issue.
Invest in a USB-to-SATA or USB-to-IDE adapter, depending on you old hard drive. When you get your new computer, simply plug in the old hard drive with the USB adapter and run the Windows Easy Transfer tool. This will run you through a serious of questions, ask you where to find your old data, and it will copy over all of your personal files, settings, etc.
When complete, your desktop will look and feel like your old machine. Barring any specific applications on the old system, everything will be copied over from the old system. At that point, I would find a static bag and store the hard drive for a few months until you know you got everything you needed.
No need for third-party solutions. Thanks Microsoft!
I use the freeware version of Macrium Reflect to image my hard drive partitions.
It works within Windows and as a standalone (on a start-up disk you create from within Macrium Reflect).
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
==
I used it to image a new disk I had to put in a Dell laptop a couple of years ago.
Hmmm... That really depends upon a few things.
First, if your replacement machine is the same as the old one, it is quite likely that you can just switch hard drives and not move your stuff at all - That is REALLY only possible if the two machines are a near perfect fit hardware wise... Exact model for model - That isn't really perfectly true, but it can be an harrowing experience otherwise, so for your sanity, assume what I am saying only for a model to model replacement.
Secondly, an image, as you are using the term, is not much good for anything except a full on restoration of a machine that the image was taken from - An image is a file or set of files that take a 'picture' of your drive in order to make an exact replica if needed. While certainly recommended as a good practice, for your purpose, an image set is hard to navigate if your desire is to pick a file here and there to transfer into the new system...
Another more viable option would be to retain the old hard drive, acquiring an empty USB external hard drive case... It is a pretty simple matter to install the old hard drive into the USB 'can', whereupon, the live drive would be accessible in it's pristine state, just by plugging the USB external hard drive into your new machine and browsing for files normally...
Are you following all this or am I talking too much geek?
I’ve always used Acronis. They used to have a 30 day demo version that did cloning, which I’ve used in the past. I’m not sure if they still offer that since I now own the full version.
To make the clone you need a new disk that is at least as big or bigger than the old disk with respect to memory. You also need some way to access both the old and new HDDs with data and power cables. Usually you are making a clone from a mounted HDD, but it sounds like you don’t want to mount it until you make the clone. So if that is the case, it complicates everything. You will then need to somehow attach both drives to a second computer that can see them and allow the new drive to be formatted to accept the cloned image.
I don’t trust some Dell script reader to know something like that. We exclusively buy Dells and we do our own tech support.
Use PC Wizard to get the motherboard info on both machines and compare the two.
ping for your list
As roamer_1 stated, if the machines are identical you can install an image, authorizations and all. Clonezilla is free open source and reliable for this. Youtube search “Clonezilla” for instuctions on how to do this. If the machines are NOT identical....
Sounds like you’ve backed up all your documents on an external usb drive already - and that’s good. When the new machine arrives you’ll have to reinstall all your authorized programs and email the companies that made them, tell them you’re moving to a new machine and you need a new authorization code. Yes, for each program requiring authorization. It’s a process, it’s not gonna happen overnight and be pain free. Sorry.
If you don't have a lot of programs to install and only want to move files Windows Easy Transfer might be worth a look. I've never used it but I've heard others say it works as advertised.
I have also used the free Macrium Reflect mentioned by TomGuy to do a pure disk clone and it worked very well although I seem to recall it did require a bit of partition adjustment (easy to do) afterward.
Every system that Dell sells is registered with a service tag ID. All of the drivers needed can be downloaded by the user by entering the service tag number at the Dell website, or the system can be upgraded remotely if there is a service contract.
Yes they can but you have to boot the machine into Windows to get those drivers. Depending on how different the chipsets are between the machines, that can be daunting.
I have two Dell laptops. One uses a Intel Haswell ULT Northbridge chipset . The other uses a Intel Sandy Bridge Northbridge. Southbridge is also different.
If they send the exact same computer, it may be a no brainer.
Build your own pc.
It is easy and will be better then the name brand pc’s and will last longer. Mine is 5 years old and still does not need replacing (I am thinking of building a new one this year anyways :)
Use google to search for best motherboard then the lowest price. There is not a big difference in performance. Get a Intel i5 cpu over the i7 as the micro second difference may not be noticed by you. I think I overpaid with the i7 I got years ago. Look for number of usb ports for your gadgets to plug into.
Get the best video card and monitor you can. Get a card for the future with display port 1.2 even if you do not get a 4k monitor (I don’t recommend 4k at this time).
ASUS monitors are real good (I have one).
Some how to’s
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-build-your-own-computer/
List of things to get
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/572817/building-pc/
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