Clone complete original HP 4530s HDD?

[npaisnel]

Anyone know if it is possible and how you would clone the original disk, including all partitions of the original HP 4530s HDD?

there are 4 partitions, but I guess I only need to clone three.
'System"
HP Tools
HP recovery

the win partition could then be re created using the recovery partition

The original is 600gb, I want to clone down to a spare 80gb

tried CloneZilla, and multiple other clone tools ..but all seem to fail,

have been trying this for a number of days now and every time something fails

Clonezilla just refuses to copy

 

[billbrown]

Unfortunately, Most freeware will only clone a disk, including it's partitions, to a disk of equal or greater size.

I have not used this program to resize partitions prior to cloning, but have heard that it works:

http://gparted.sourceforge.net/

Also, Acronis True Image has the following guide:

It is possible to clone a larger disk to a smaller one, provided that the smaller hard disk has enough capacity to fit the contents of the larger disk.

 

[npaisnel]

Thanks..but already tried those too.

Seen this just now
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1693271/recovery-partition-hard-drive.html

and the use of ImageX


going to try tomorrow,,if I do more tonight I am just going to flip and chuck the f**&^^ing computer in to the main road, 4 floors below.... been on this since ..0900 today..it is now 1800 ..on at least the 4th or 5th day of trying to do this.

I may in fact jsut give up. only doing it to save the Win 7 partition in case i need or want to go back

 

[billbrown]

If you just want to backup the initial HP recovery partition:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01867124&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en

 

[npaisnel]

That is totally different to what I wanted to do, but it will create the same result, the ability to restore Win7 to any HDD of my choosing.

i was looking to make an exact copy of the factory partitions, so I could then re install, but the recovery option ... I had become so blinkered.. trying to do it one way, could not see alternatives

Just needed someone else to look at it from a fresh angle.


Shows the value of these forums
.

Thanks.

 

[npaisnel]

Just re read your link. Not tried it yet for real but the instructions there do highlight the fact that you can only create one media recovery set.

so if the previous owner has already done it, then that is another idea of the dozen or so different approaches I have tried that will also be doomed to failure. Just created a bootable USB from a downloaded Win PE bootable ISO.,.... But no, that crashed during boot. On the third time I quit, stopped the Win 7 boot by pulling the plug and the battery. Just can't be arsed any more tonight. Been at it for more than 12 hrs now, and that is only today... Grrrrr bloody computers

 

[RehabMan]

Thanks..but already tried those too.

Seen this just now
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1693271/recovery-partition-hard-drive.html

and the use of ImageX


going to try tomorrow,,if I do more tonight I am just going to flip and chuck the f**&^^ing computer in to the main road, 4 floors below.... been on this since ..0900 today..it is now 1800 ..on at least the 4th or 5th day of trying to do this.

I may in fact jsut give up. only doing it to save the Win 7 partition in case i need or want to go back

Just buy a spare HDD to experiment with OS X. Put the original HDD in a safe place...

 

[npaisnel]

Broke my arm in August, second operation in November, to repair broken tendon, so not worked since August...Two months full pay, two months half pay..now zero pay, thankfully some savings to pay mortgage as Social Security sickness benefit only pays half the mortgage..so killing time tinkering with the laptops.

No money at all to pay for things I don't actually need, at moment due the lack of income.
But that is still a waste of a 600gb HDD, when an 80 will do.

As much as anything it is a challenge and a learning experience too. have cloned and re sized many partitions on numerous drives over the years..that is one of my backup strategies for many scenarios where there is just a basic partition and single OS installed..but now with the advent of multiple recovery partitions, that is not so easy.

 

[npaisnel]

Thanks for the help..but all totally irrelevant now...for some reason that I am just not going to investigate, the computer won't even boot in to Win 7 or the recovery partition at all now..one of the disk clone utilities has obviously written or somehow changed the boot sectors of the original Win 7 Boot disk and screwed something..

I had forgotten all this hassle..been with Mac for 6 years..and the tonymac install of OS-X on the 4530...god Windows really does suck big time..had no hassle like this for 6 years.

Officially giving up...dont need to waste any more time trying to resurrect a crap OS 'just in case'

 

[billbrown]

Thanks for the help..but all totally irrelevant now...for some reason that I am just not going to investigate, the computer won't even boot in to Win 7 or the recovery partition at all now..one of the disk clone utilities has obviously written or somehow changed the boot sectors of the original Win 7 Boot disk and screwed something..

I had forgotten all this hassle..been with Mac for 6 years..and the tonymac install of OS-X on the 4530...god Windows really does suck big time..had no hassle like this for 6 years.

Officially giving up...dont need to waste any more time trying to resurrect a crap OS 'just in case'

If you want to recover your Bootloader you will need a Win 7 Installation Disc or burn a Win 7 Recovery Disk on a friend's (Library?) computer. Then follow the steps in:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/windows/119394-windows-boot-manager-throwing-up-error.html#post728013