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hard drive backup

B

bk3000

Flightless Bird
I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
which I'll have to self-install.

I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
manually?
 
M

Mark Adams

Flightless Bird
"bk3000" wrote:

> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
> which I'll have to self-install.
>
> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
> manually?

If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB USB
hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore that
image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but it
is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
 
A

Alias

Flightless Bird
Mark Adams wrote:
>
>
> "bk3000" wrote:
>
>> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
>> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
>> which I'll have to self-install.
>>
>> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
>> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
>> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
>> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
>> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
>> manually?
>
> If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB USB
> hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
> computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore that
> image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but it
> is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.

You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can download
from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.

--
Alias
 
B

Bob

Flightless Bird
WD offers a free copy of Acronis if you own one of their drives.
http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp?swid=119&type=download&wdc_lang=en

"Mark Adams" <MarkAdams@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:FB3A0D66-8006-4018-B87E-CD66EFDDDAA0@microsoft.com...
>
>
> "bk3000" wrote:
>
>> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test,
>> got
>> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new
>> one,
>> which I'll have to self-install.
>>
>> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
>> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
>> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it
>> all
>> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should
>> I go
>> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do
>> stuff
>> manually?
>
> If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB
> USB
> hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
> computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore
> that
> image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but
> it
> is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
 
S

SC Tom

Flightless Bird
And so does Seagate/Maxtor. Seagate/Maxtor Disc Wizard by ATI:
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=d9fd4a3cdde5c010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD

You have to own one of the manufacturer's drives, but it doesn't have to be
an internal drive; it can be an external USB/Firewire/eSATA drive. I use an
external WD My Book for my images, and my internal drive is a Hitachi. By
booting from the CD that's created with the program, the WD version works
just fine.
--
SC Tom

"Bob" <bob@nowhere.net> wrote in message
news:htgq4j$v9r$1@news.eternal-september.org...
> WD offers a free copy of Acronis if you own one of their drives.
> http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp?swid=119&type=download&wdc_lang=en
>
> "Mark Adams" <MarkAdams@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:FB3A0D66-8006-4018-B87E-CD66EFDDDAA0@microsoft.com...
>>
>>
>> "bk3000" wrote:
>>
>>> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test,
>>> got
>>> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new
>>> one,
>>> which I'll have to self-install.
>>>
>>> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is,
>>> how
>>> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current
>>> hard
>>> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it
>>> all
>>> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should
>>> I go
>>> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do
>>> stuff
>>> manually?
>>
>> If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB
>> USB
>> hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of
>> your
>> computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore
>> that
>> image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way,
>> but it
>> is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
>
 
B

Big_Al

Flightless Bird
Bob said this on 5/25/2010 11:25 AM:
> WD offers a free copy of Acronis if you own one of their drives.
> http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp?swid=119&type=download&wdc_lang=en
>
>
> "Mark Adams" <MarkAdams@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:FB3A0D66-8006-4018-B87E-CD66EFDDDAA0@microsoft.com...
>>
>>
>> "bk3000" wrote:
>>
>>> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic
>>> test, got
>>> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a
>>> new one,
>>> which I'll have to self-install.
>>>
>>> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is,
>>> how
>>> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current
>>> hard
>>> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put
>>> it all
>>> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use?
>>> Should I go
>>> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do
>>> stuff
>>> manually?
>>
>> If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1
>> TB USB
>> hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of
>> your
>> computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell,
>> restore that
>> image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way,
>> but it
>> is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
>

IIRC Acronis offers a free trial too for 15 days. You can use that
and if you like it buy it later.
I own Acronis now and use it regularly to make images on a 1TB usb and
feel good that I've got all my work backed up and can reset my machine
at any time in 20 minutes or so.
 
M

Mark Adams

Flightless Bird
"Alias" wrote:

> Mark Adams wrote:
> >
> >
> > "bk3000" wrote:
> >
> >> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
> >> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
> >> which I'll have to self-install.
> >>
> >> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
> >> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
> >> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
> >> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
> >> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
> >> manually?
> >
> > If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB USB
> > hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
> > computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore that
> > image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but it
> > is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
>
> You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can download
> from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
>
> --
> Alias
> .
>

Alias, Bob.

It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten Acronis
I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can they make an
image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be installed at
the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new drive.
This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external hard
drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could replace the
failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more, but now he
can backup everything all in one shot.
 
D

Db

Flightless Bird
if that dysfunctional hard
drive has bad sectors and
or other mechanical issues

then it highly likely that your
back up will be corrupted


--
--
db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

DatabaseBen, Retired Professional

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This NNTP newsgroup is evolving to:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx


"bk3000" <bk3000@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:4F1681BB-8C1A-4F73-B71E-A20ED021EB1B@microsoft.com...
> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test,
> got
> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new
> one,
> which I'll have to self-install.
>
> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it
> all
> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I
> go
> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do
> stuff
> manually?
 
A

Alias

Flightless Bird
Mark Adams wrote:
>
>
> "Alias" wrote:
>
>> Mark Adams wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> "bk3000" wrote:
>>>
>>>> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
>>>> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
>>>> which I'll have to self-install.
>>>>
>>>> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
>>>> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
>>>> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
>>>> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
>>>> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
>>>> manually?
>>>
>>> If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB USB
>>> hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
>>> computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore that
>>> image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but it
>>> is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
>>
>> You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can download
>> from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
>>
>> --
>> Alias
>> .
>>
>
> Alias, Bob.
>
> It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten Acronis
> I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can they make an
> image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be installed at
> the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new drive.
> This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external hard
> drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could replace the
> failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more, but now he
> can backup everything all in one shot.

The one from Seagate will do an image. It's even powered by Acronis. I
don't have a Western Digital but I assume it's the same with them.

--
Alias
 
B

bk3000

Flightless Bird
Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably crash at
any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a few
flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.

How about my internal backup HD? Would it be smart to backup anything
(documents, for instance) on there or even possible to use that as a
mirror/image location of some sort?

Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making the point
about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.

"Mark Adams" wrote:

>
>
> "Alias" wrote:
>
> > Mark Adams wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > "bk3000" wrote:
> > >
> > >> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
> > >> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
> > >> which I'll have to self-install.
> > >>
> > >> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
> > >> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
> > >> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
> > >> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
> > >> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
> > >> manually?
> > >
> > > If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB USB
> > > hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
> > > computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore that
> > > image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but it
> > > is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
> >
> > You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can download
> > from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
> >
> > --
> > Alias
> > .
> >
>
> Alias, Bob.
>
> It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten Acronis
> I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can they make an
> image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be installed at
> the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new drive.
> This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external hard
> drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could replace the
> failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more, but now he
> can backup everything all in one shot.
 
B

Bob

Flightless Bird
"bk3000" <bk3000@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:B23A8AF6-D783-4752-88AA-2850EDE3F13E@microsoft.com...
> Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably crash
> at
> any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
> considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a few
> flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.
>
> How about my internal backup HD? Would it be smart to backup anything
> (documents, for instance) on there


***No.

or even possible to use that as a
> mirror/image location of some sort?
>
> Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making the
> point
> about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.
>
> "Mark Adams" wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> "Alias" wrote:
>>
>> > Mark Adams wrote:
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > "bk3000" wrote:
>> > >
>> > >> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic
>> > >> test, got
>> > >> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a
>> > >> new one,
>> > >> which I'll have to self-install.
>> > >>
>> > >> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question
>> > >> is, how
>> > >> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current
>> > >> hard
>> > >> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put
>> > >> it all
>> > >> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use?
>> > >> Should I go
>> > >> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or
>> > >> do stuff
>> > >> manually?
>> > >
>> > > If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1
>> > > TB USB
>> > > hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of
>> > > your
>> > > computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell,
>> > > restore that
>> > > image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this
>> > > way, but it
>> > > is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
>> >
>> > You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can download
>> > from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
>> >
>> > --
>> > Alias
>> > .
>> >
>>
>> Alias, Bob.
>>
>> It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten
>> Acronis
>> I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can they make
>> an
>> image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be installed
>> at
>> the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new drive.
>> This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external hard
>> drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could replace the
>> failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more, but now
>> he
>> can backup everything all in one shot.
 
M

Mark Adams

Flightless Bird
"bk3000" wrote:

> Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably crash at
> any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
> considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a few
> flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.
>
> How about my internal backup HD?


You said this was a laptop. Laptops only have one hard drive. You certainly
don't want to save anything to a separate partition of a hard drive that you
already know is failing.


>Would it be smart to backup anything
> (documents, for instance) on there or even possible to use that as a
> mirror/image location of some sort?
>

Backup images are saved as one large file. The flash drives would have to be
big enough to hold the whole file, or it won't work. You could manually copy
your documents, pictures, music, and export your email and browser bookmarks
to the flash drives if you have enough of them (I doubt it.) Cheaper to get a
USB hard drive. Alias says Seagate's utility will make an image; I assume it
can restore one to a new hard drive also. If so, you won't need the Acronis.

> Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making the point
> about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.
>

The bad sectors won't be recreated on the new drive, but any data on those
sectors is probably lost and won't copy to the new drive. This could include
critical operating system files and could crash or cause instability to the
OS.

> "Mark Adams" wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > "Alias" wrote:
> >
> > > Mark Adams wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > "bk3000" wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
> > > >> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
> > > >> which I'll have to self-install.
> > > >>
> > > >> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
> > > >> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
> > > >> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
> > > >> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
> > > >> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
> > > >> manually?
> > > >
> > > > If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB USB
> > > > hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
> > > > computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore that
> > > > image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but it
> > > > is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
> > >
> > > You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can download
> > > from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Alias
> > > .
> > >
> >
> > Alias, Bob.
> >
> > It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten Acronis
> > I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can they make an
> > image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be installed at
> > the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new drive.
> > This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external hard
> > drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could replace the
> > failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more, but now he
> > can backup everything all in one shot.
 
P

Percival P. Cassidy

Flightless Bird
On 05/25/10 10:53 am, bk3000 wrote:

> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
> which I'll have to self-install.
>
> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
> manually?

Others have recommended Acronis True Image. I have used the free version
of Macrium Reflect, which seems to work well. The paid version does
more, but the free version is fine for most people.

Perce
 
A

Alias

Flightless Bird
Mark Adams wrote:
>
>
> "bk3000" wrote:
>
>> Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably crash at
>> any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
>> considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a few
>> flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.
>>
>> How about my internal backup HD?
>
>
> You said this was a laptop. Laptops only have one hard drive. You certainly
> don't want to save anything to a separate partition of a hard drive that you
> already know is failing.
>
>
>> Would it be smart to backup anything
>> (documents, for instance) on there or even possible to use that as a
>> mirror/image location of some sort?
>>
>
> Backup images are saved as one large file. The flash drives would have to be
> big enough to hold the whole file, or it won't work. You could manually copy
> your documents, pictures, music, and export your email and browser bookmarks
> to the flash drives if you have enough of them (I doubt it.) Cheaper to get a
> USB hard drive. Alias says Seagate's utility will make an image; I assume it
> can restore one to a new hard drive also. If so, you won't need the Acronis.
>
>> Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making the point
>> about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.
>>
>
> The bad sectors won't be recreated on the new drive, but any data on those
> sectors is probably lost and won't copy to the new drive. This could include
> critical operating system files and could crash or cause instability to the
> OS.

Sounds like his best bet would be to back up his data to external media
and reinstall XP when the new hard drive arrives. Course if all he has
is a recovery partition, he should ask the folks at Dell to provide him
with a CD/DVD.

--
Alias
 
B

bk3000

Flightless Bird
Mark, Alias, et al -

Really appreciate the feedback. I like the idea of having an at-the-ready
backup with an external hd, but it appears I could simply use the
Acronis-powered free download/trial version utility from WD or Seagate to
image the current hd and restore it to the new drive upon its' arrival. I'll
definitely take a peek at the current going rate for external hds, also
Acronis itself if I can't access the free version. I'm really not even going
to inquire further about cloning, which seems to be a more intensive
alternative/for different purposes than the imaging...?

My apologies about the mistaken identification of my separate PARTITION of
the hd as a second drive - confusing it with my older desktop, though I had
always thought they weren't part of the same hardware piece. Thanks for
catching it.

- Brian

"Mark Adams" wrote:

>
>
> "bk3000" wrote:
>
> > Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably crash at
> > any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
> > considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a few
> > flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.
> >
> > How about my internal backup HD?
>
>
> You said this was a laptop. Laptops only have one hard drive. You certainly
> don't want to save anything to a separate partition of a hard drive that you
> already know is failing.
>
>
> >Would it be smart to backup anything
> > (documents, for instance) on there or even possible to use that as a
> > mirror/image location of some sort?
> >
>
> Backup images are saved as one large file. The flash drives would have to be
> big enough to hold the whole file, or it won't work. You could manually copy
> your documents, pictures, music, and export your email and browser bookmarks
> to the flash drives if you have enough of them (I doubt it.) Cheaper to get a
> USB hard drive. Alias says Seagate's utility will make an image; I assume it
> can restore one to a new hard drive also. If so, you won't need the Acronis.
>
> > Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making the point
> > about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.
> >
>
> The bad sectors won't be recreated on the new drive, but any data on those
> sectors is probably lost and won't copy to the new drive. This could include
> critical operating system files and could crash or cause instability to the
> OS.
>
> > "Mark Adams" wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > "Alias" wrote:
> > >
> > > > Mark Adams wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > "bk3000" wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
> > > > >> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
> > > > >> which I'll have to self-install.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
> > > > >> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
> > > > >> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
> > > > >> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
> > > > >> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
> > > > >> manually?
> > > > >
> > > > > If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB USB
> > > > > hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
> > > > > computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore that
> > > > > image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but it
> > > > > is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
> > > >
> > > > You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can download
> > > > from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Alias
> > > > .
> > > >
> > >
> > > Alias, Bob.
> > >
> > > It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten Acronis
> > > I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can they make an
> > > image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be installed at
> > > the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new drive.
> > > This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external hard
> > > drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could replace the
> > > failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more, but now he
> > > can backup everything all in one shot.
 
N

Newman

Flightless Bird
First things first...

Go here:

http://www.grc.com/sr/spinrite.htm

Buy SpinRite6. Download the ISO, and burn a bootable CD.

Boot your laptop, and run SPinRite6. Let it do its magic.

It *will* identify all bad sectors and, if at all possible, recover
information. This is all done underneath Windoze, so there will be no
interference from Micro$haft. SpinRite6 will also detect secors which
hare about to go bad, but which have not yet gone bad! :)

Since some files may be damaged beyond repair, I highly recommend that
you to a clean install on your new hard drive.

Since your drive is not in good shape, once the diagnostic is
completed, be aware that other sectors may go bad. Failure is measured
as MTBF - mean time between failure. So... the more power-up hours,
the greater the probability of failure. In non-vulcan English - don't
run this drive unless you absolutely have to! It's condition is likely
to deteriorate. Run it to correct existing errors, to copy data off
of, and to wipe clean.


Once your clean install is up and running, buy one of these:

http://www.a-power.com/product-9403-817-1

or something similar.

Plug it in, and copy your data directly onto your new hard drive from
your old hard drive.

Once you have everything, and you are sure all is well, I would use
the drive manufacturers utility and zero-fill the drive to erase all
your personal files. THEN return the drive to Dell. Remember, you have
to return the old drive or they will bill you for the new drive.

When all is again running properly, you can buy a regular 5 inch drive
for cheap, likely 1.5 TB for less than $150) and you can plug it in to
the usb adapter. You can then use all manner of freeware to create
back-up images galore so that the next time this happens, you wont be
between a rock and a hard data bit.

Good luck.





On Tue, 25 May 2010 07:53:00 -0700, bk3000
<bk3000@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
>error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
>which I'll have to self-install.
>
>I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
>should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
>drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
>there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
>to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
>manually?
 
N

Newman

Flightless Bird
You can download a program from the Dell web site which allows you to
re-create the diagnostic partition.

Talk to Dell, they will walk you through it.

:)

On Tue, 25 May 2010 20:53:52 +0200, Alias
<aka@maskedandanymous.org.invalido> wrote:

>Mark Adams wrote:
>>
>>
>> "bk3000" wrote:
>>
>>> Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably crash at
>>> any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
>>> considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a few
>>> flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.
>>>
>>> How about my internal backup HD?
>>
>>
>> You said this was a laptop. Laptops only have one hard drive. You certainly
>> don't want to save anything to a separate partition of a hard drive that you
>> already know is failing.
>>
>>
>>> Would it be smart to backup anything
>>> (documents, for instance) on there or even possible to use that as a
>>> mirror/image location of some sort?
>>>
>>
>> Backup images are saved as one large file. The flash drives would have to be
>> big enough to hold the whole file, or it won't work. You could manually copy
>> your documents, pictures, music, and export your email and browser bookmarks
>> to the flash drives if you have enough of them (I doubt it.) Cheaper to get a
>> USB hard drive. Alias says Seagate's utility will make an image; I assume it
>> can restore one to a new hard drive also. If so, you won't need the Acronis.
>>
>>> Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making the point
>>> about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.
>>>
>>
>> The bad sectors won't be recreated on the new drive, but any data on those
>> sectors is probably lost and won't copy to the new drive. This could include
>> critical operating system files and could crash or cause instability to the
>> OS.
>
>Sounds like his best bet would be to back up his data to external media
>and reinstall XP when the new hard drive arrives. Course if all he has
>is a recovery partition, he should ask the folks at Dell to provide him
>with a CD/DVD.
 
S

SC Tom

Flightless Bird
The ATI versions from WD and Seagate are not trial versions; they are
working versions to create and restore images with no time or file size
restrictions. They do NOT have all the features of the retail version such
as incremental backups, and I don't believe they have scheduling either. I
have used the free WD version a few times now on my desktop and different
notebooks with no problems at all. I create an image, at the least, once a
month, and it has saved me personally twice- once on my desktop, and once on
my notebook after it took an uncontrolled flight off the end table. I've
tried two other imaging programs, and was not nearly as satisfied with them
as I am with Acronis. Of course, that's just me, but I love simple, easy,
and free :)
--
SC Tom

"bk3000" <bk3000@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1B45603E-6356-4B99-BB8D-965F214C137F@microsoft.com...
>
> Mark, Alias, et al -
>
> Really appreciate the feedback. I like the idea of having an at-the-ready
> backup with an external hd, but it appears I could simply use the
> Acronis-powered free download/trial version utility from WD or Seagate to
> image the current hd and restore it to the new drive upon its' arrival.
> I'll
> definitely take a peek at the current going rate for external hds, also
> Acronis itself if I can't access the free version. I'm really not even
> going
> to inquire further about cloning, which seems to be a more intensive
> alternative/for different purposes than the imaging...?
>
> My apologies about the mistaken identification of my separate PARTITION of
> the hd as a second drive - confusing it with my older desktop, though I
> had
> always thought they weren't part of the same hardware piece. Thanks for
> catching it.
>
> - Brian
>
> "Mark Adams" wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> "bk3000" wrote:
>>
>> > Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably
>> > crash at
>> > any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
>> > considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a
>> > few
>> > flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.
>> >
>> > How about my internal backup HD?
>>
>>
>> You said this was a laptop. Laptops only have one hard drive. You
>> certainly
>> don't want to save anything to a separate partition of a hard drive that
>> you
>> already know is failing.
>>
>>
>> >Would it be smart to backup anything
>> > (documents, for instance) on there or even possible to use that as a
>> > mirror/image location of some sort?
>> >
>>
>> Backup images are saved as one large file. The flash drives would have to
>> be
>> big enough to hold the whole file, or it won't work. You could manually
>> copy
>> your documents, pictures, music, and export your email and browser
>> bookmarks
>> to the flash drives if you have enough of them (I doubt it.) Cheaper to
>> get a
>> USB hard drive. Alias says Seagate's utility will make an image; I assume
>> it
>> can restore one to a new hard drive also. If so, you won't need the
>> Acronis.
>>
>> > Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making the
>> > point
>> > about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.
>> >
>>
>> The bad sectors won't be recreated on the new drive, but any data on
>> those
>> sectors is probably lost and won't copy to the new drive. This could
>> include
>> critical operating system files and could crash or cause instability to
>> the
>> OS.
>>
>> > "Mark Adams" wrote:
>> >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > "Alias" wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > Mark Adams wrote:
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > > "bk3000" wrote:
>> > > > >
>> > > > >> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a
>> > > > >> diagnostic test, got
>> > > > >> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending
>> > > > >> me a new one,
>> > > > >> which I'll have to self-install.
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my
>> > > > >> question is, how
>> > > > >> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the
>> > > > >> current hard
>> > > > >> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should
>> > > > >> put it all
>> > > > >> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I
>> > > > >> use? Should I go
>> > > > >> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option
>> > > > >> or do stuff
>> > > > >> manually?
>> > > > >
>> > > > > If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and
>> > > > > a 1 TB USB
>> > > > > hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an
>> > > > > image of your
>> > > > > computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell,
>> > > > > restore that
>> > > > > image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this
>> > > > > way, but it
>> > > > > is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
>> > > >
>> > > > You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can
>> > > > download
>> > > > from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
>> > > >
>> > > > --
>> > > > Alias
>> > > > .
>> > > >
>> > >
>> > > Alias, Bob.
>> > >
>> > > It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten
>> > > Acronis
>> > > I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can they
>> > > make an
>> > > image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be
>> > > installed at
>> > > the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new
>> > > drive.
>> > > This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external
>> > > hard
>> > > drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could replace
>> > > the
>> > > failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more, but
>> > > now he
>> > > can backup everything all in one shot.
 
M

Mark Adams

Flightless Bird
"bk3000" wrote:

> Mark, Alias, et al -
>
> Really appreciate the feedback. I like the idea of having an at-the-ready
> backup with an external hd, but it appears I could simply use the
> Acronis-powered free download/trial version utility from WD or Seagate to
> image the current hd and restore it to the new drive upon its' arrival. I'll
> definitely take a peek at the current going rate for external hds, also
> Acronis itself if I can't access the free version. I'm really not even going
> to inquire further about cloning, which seems to be a more intensive
> alternative/for different purposes than the imaging...?
>


If you do not buy the external hard drive, you will have to clone the old
hard drive to the new one. You will have to buy a 2.5 inch USB hard drive
enclosure to do this. Download the utility from the website of the maker of
the new drive to your desktop machine and burn a bootable CD from the
download file. Put the new hard drive in the USB enclosure and connect to the
laptop. Boot the laptop to the CD you just made and clone the old drive to
the new one. When done, remove the CD from the drive and shut the laptop
down. Remove the old hard drive from the laptop and replace it with the new
one, and you should be good to go. Keep the old drive for awhile until you
are satisfied that all is well with the new installation.

If you do buy the external drive, use the bootable disk to save an image of
the old drive to the external drive. Then, put the new hard drive into the
laptop and use the CD to restore the image to the new drive. You will now
have a backup image safely stored on the external drive, and the laptop
should be good to go.

Acronis can do both of these functions and can also be installed to your
machine and make incrimental backups to the USB drive while Windows is
running. You can schedule those backups to be made at night while you are
asleep. A very useful program.


> My apologies about the mistaken identification of my separate PARTITION of
> the hd as a second drive - confusing it with my older desktop, though I had
> always thought they weren't part of the same hardware piece. Thanks for
> catching it.
>
> - Brian
>
> "Mark Adams" wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > "bk3000" wrote:
> >
> > > Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably crash at
> > > any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
> > > considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a few
> > > flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.
> > >
> > > How about my internal backup HD?
> >
> >
> > You said this was a laptop. Laptops only have one hard drive. You certainly
> > don't want to save anything to a separate partition of a hard drive that you
> > already know is failing.
> >
> >
> > >Would it be smart to backup anything
> > > (documents, for instance) on there or even possible to use that as a
> > > mirror/image location of some sort?
> > >
> >
> > Backup images are saved as one large file. The flash drives would have to be
> > big enough to hold the whole file, or it won't work. You could manually copy
> > your documents, pictures, music, and export your email and browser bookmarks
> > to the flash drives if you have enough of them (I doubt it.) Cheaper to get a
> > USB hard drive. Alias says Seagate's utility will make an image; I assume it
> > can restore one to a new hard drive also. If so, you won't need the Acronis.
> >
> > > Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making the point
> > > about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.
> > >
> >
> > The bad sectors won't be recreated on the new drive, but any data on those
> > sectors is probably lost and won't copy to the new drive. This could include
> > critical operating system files and could crash or cause instability to the
> > OS.
> >
> > > "Mark Adams" wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > "Alias" wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Mark Adams wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > "bk3000" wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a diagnostic test, got
> > > > > >> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending me a new one,
> > > > > >> which I'll have to self-install.
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my question is, how
> > > > > >> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the current hard
> > > > > >> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I should put it all
> > > > > >> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I use? Should I go
> > > > > >> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup option or do stuff
> > > > > >> manually?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image and a 1 TB USB
> > > > > > hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an image of your
> > > > > > computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from Dell, restore that
> > > > > > image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it this way, but it
> > > > > > is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
> > > > >
> > > > > You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can download
> > > > > from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > Alias
> > > > > .
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > Alias, Bob.
> > > >
> > > > It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten Acronis
> > > > I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can they make an
> > > > image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be installed at
> > > > the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new drive.
> > > > This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external hard
> > > > drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could replace the
> > > > failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more, but now he
> > > > can backup everything all in one shot.
 
R

Roy Smith

Flightless Bird
One comment that bears mentioning about these free backup programs from
Seagate/Maxtor and Western Digital... these programs have one stipulation
in that you are required to have a drive from the respective manufacturer,
or the program won't run. The program is basically Acronis True Image Home
with several of the retail features removed such as incremental backups,
scheduling, and the ability to mount a backup archive as a drive to name a
few. The programs are available at:

Maxtor:
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=7add8b9c4a8ff010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD
Seagate:
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=d9fd4a3cdde5c010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD
Western Digital:
http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp?swid=119&wdc_lang=en

(The Maxtor and Seagate lines may be word-wrapped)


"Mark Adams" <MarkAdams@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6848B6CE-6428-4307-B780-3F8508662E12@microsoft.com...
>
>
> "bk3000" wrote:
>
>> Mark, Alias, et al -
>>
>> Really appreciate the feedback. I like the idea of having an at-the-ready
>> backup with an external hd, but it appears I could simply use the
>> Acronis-powered free download/trial version utility from WD or Seagate to
>> image the current hd and restore it to the new drive upon its' arrival.
>> I'll
>> definitely take a peek at the current going rate for external hds, also
>> Acronis itself if I can't access the free version. I'm really not even
>> going
>> to inquire further about cloning, which seems to be a more intensive
>> alternative/for different purposes than the imaging...?
>>
>
>
> If you do not buy the external hard drive, you will have to clone the old
> hard drive to the new one. You will have to buy a 2.5 inch USB hard drive
> enclosure to do this. Download the utility from the website of the maker
> of
> the new drive to your desktop machine and burn a bootable CD from the
> download file. Put the new hard drive in the USB enclosure and connect to
> the
> laptop. Boot the laptop to the CD you just made and clone the old drive to
> the new one. When done, remove the CD from the drive and shut the laptop
> down. Remove the old hard drive from the laptop and replace it with the
> new
> one, and you should be good to go. Keep the old drive for awhile until you
> are satisfied that all is well with the new installation.
>
> If you do buy the external drive, use the bootable disk to save an image
> of
> the old drive to the external drive. Then, put the new hard drive into the
> laptop and use the CD to restore the image to the new drive. You will now
> have a backup image safely stored on the external drive, and the laptop
> should be good to go.
>
> Acronis can do both of these functions and can also be installed to your
> machine and make incrimental backups to the USB drive while Windows is
> running. You can schedule those backups to be made at night while you are
> asleep. A very useful program.
>
>
>> My apologies about the mistaken identification of my separate PARTITION
>> of
>> the hd as a second drive - confusing it with my older desktop, though I
>> had
>> always thought they weren't part of the same hardware piece. Thanks for
>> catching it.
>>
>> - Brian
>>
>> "Mark Adams" wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >
>> > "bk3000" wrote:
>> >
>> > > Machine is still running, though theoretically it could irreparably
>> > > crash at
>> > > any second, I've been told. It seemed close yesterday, in fact. Was
>> > > considering spending the $ for a USB or external hard drive; I have a
>> > > few
>> > > flash drives but they won't be enough for the whole operation.
>> > >
>> > > How about my internal backup HD?
>> >
>> >
>> > You said this was a laptop. Laptops only have one hard drive. You
>> > certainly
>> > don't want to save anything to a separate partition of a hard drive
>> > that you
>> > already know is failing.
>> >
>> >
>> > >Would it be smart to backup anything
>> > > (documents, for instance) on there or even possible to use that as a
>> > > mirror/image location of some sort?
>> > >
>> >
>> > Backup images are saved as one large file. The flash drives would have
>> > to be
>> > big enough to hold the whole file, or it won't work. You could manually
>> > copy
>> > your documents, pictures, music, and export your email and browser
>> > bookmarks
>> > to the flash drives if you have enough of them (I doubt it.) Cheaper to
>> > get a
>> > USB hard drive. Alias says Seagate's utility will make an image; I
>> > assume it
>> > can restore one to a new hard drive also. If so, you won't need the
>> > Acronis.
>> >
>> > > Also curious about commenter Db at the bottom of the thread making
>> > > the point
>> > > about any bad sectors being recreated in any of these scenarios.
>> > >
>> >
>> > The bad sectors won't be recreated on the new drive, but any data on
>> > those
>> > sectors is probably lost and won't copy to the new drive. This could
>> > include
>> > critical operating system files and could crash or cause instability to
>> > the
>> > OS.
>> >
>> > > "Mark Adams" wrote:
>> > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > "Alias" wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > > Mark Adams wrote:
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > "bk3000" wrote:
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > >> I've got a Dell laptop running XP, and after running a
>> > > > > >> diagnostic test, got
>> > > > > >> error code 0146 that hard drive was corrupted. Dell is sending
>> > > > > >> me a new one,
>> > > > > >> which I'll have to self-install.
>> > > > > >>
>> > > > > >> I can't remember backing up my entire system ever, so my
>> > > > > >> question is, how
>> > > > > >> should I go about saving all my settings and programs on the
>> > > > > >> current hard
>> > > > > >> drive? I've got a backup drive of 20gb, so I'm guessing I
>> > > > > >> should put it all
>> > > > > >> there, and also a few flash drives, but what method should I
>> > > > > >> use? Should I go
>> > > > > >> to the C:/ drive system properties and select the backup
>> > > > > >> option or do stuff
>> > > > > >> manually?
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > If the machine still runs, Go out and buy Acronis True Image
>> > > > > > and a 1 TB USB
>> > > > > > hard drive. Boot the machine to the Acronis disk and make an
>> > > > > > image of your
>> > > > > > computer to the USB drive. When the new drive arrives from
>> > > > > > Dell, restore that
>> > > > > > image to the new drive. It might cost a little more to do it
>> > > > > > this way, but it
>> > > > > > is so much easier than reinstalling everything, it's worth it.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > You can also do the same thing for free with the CD you can
>> > > > > download
>> > > > > from Seagate, Western Digital, etc.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > --
>> > > > > Alias
>> > > > > .
>> > > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > Alias, Bob.
>> > > >
>> > > > It's been awhile since I've used these utilities. Since I've gotten
>> > > > Acronis
>> > > > I've not had to use them. I know they can clone drives, but can
>> > > > they make an
>> > > > image? The OP has a laptop and since two hard drives cannot be
>> > > > installed at
>> > > > the same time, a USB enclosure would be needed to clone to the new
>> > > > drive.
>> > > > This would also eliminate the necessity of purchasing the external
>> > > > hard
>> > > > drive. But, by buying Acronis and the USB drive, the OP could
>> > > > replace the
>> > > > failing drive and also have a reliable backup system. Costs more,
>> > > > but now he
>> > > > can backup everything all in one shot.
 
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