Cloning down from an image?

[pcpete]

Since you said you can do it from a drive, but not an image, just restore the image to a drive, then use the clone feature in any of the programs that do a file based clone like macrium. When clients come in with a failing drive we will make a bit by bit image of a hard drive, then clone the bit by bit image to a smaller SSD

 

[TazUk]

Have a look at Active Disk Image, just did a quick test and it popped up a warning saying the destination was smaller but restored fine with the volume resized.

http://www.disk-image.com/

 

[Diggs]

Since you said you can do it from a drive, but not an image, just restore the image to a drive, then use the clone feature in any of the programs that do a file based clone like macrium. When clients come in with a failing drive we will make a bit by bit image of a hard drive, then clone the bit by bit image to a smaller SSD

There are ways to get around the limitation of not being able to downsize from an image but double and triple imaging a 1TB drive (especially sector-for-sector) is putting way too much time/money into something that should be quick and simple.

Have a look at Active Disk Image, just did a quick test and it popped up a warning saying the destination was smaller but restored fine with the volume resized.

Looks interesting - Since I'm sampling various options I'll give it a try. Thanks!

 

[Diggs]

Reflect should do this, assuming of course the target drive capacity is greater than the amount of data in the source image. It usually just states that the last partition has been resized to fit. You can manually add/resize partitions too though.

Bumpity- Bump

I've been alternating between Aomei and Macrium Reflect for cloning lately. I'm tending towards Reflect as it seems to handle UEFI better than Aomei. But, I don't like the fact that it installs a service and has 3 processes always running. I may be whining a bit but I don't like software always running that I'm not using and for the life of me (lack of skillz?) I can't stop it on startup. It should be selectable in its settings but that's not a choice Macrium offers. Pffft!

 

[GTP]

But, I don't like the fact that it installs a service and has 3 processes always running. I may be whining a bit but I don't like software always running that I'm not using and for the life of me (lack of skillz?) I can't stop it on startup. It should be selectable in its settings but that's not a choice Macrium offers. Pffft!

Have you had a sqiz at startupreg in Regedit?
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg

Just remove the entries here and it should stop farting in church!

System Ninja shows all startup items and allows you to remove them.
CCleaner will do it as well.

 

[Markverhyden]

Have you had a sqiz at startupreg in Regedit?
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg

Just remove the entries here and it should stop farting in church!

System Ninja shows all startup items and allows you to remove them.
CCleaner will do it as well.

Should show up in msconfig as well.

 

[GTP]

Should show up in msconfig as well.

"Should" being the operative word! Lol
IME I have had programs autostart in the past that don't show any entry in msconfig. When you run a tool like System Ninja they are suddenly revealed.
On other occassions, not even tools can show them so a trip to the registry is required.

 

[Your PCMD]

It doesn't work that way for me. Once I ask for it to copy down the image I get a fail notice.

View attachment 7939
View attachment 7938

Your using it incorrectly. This will help. Skip to 8m 37s

 

[Diggs]

Your using it incorrectly. This will help. Skip to 8m 37s

I have no problem cloning down with it any more. Reflect works well and as I said seems to handle the 5 partition UEFI drives well. I just didn't want it's three processes always running when I haven't used it in days.

@Barcelona - I was trying to avoid a registry hack as it shouldn't be needed. If I have to hack the registry to tame a program that's being a twit I'll just uninstall it and move on. @Markverhyden - I turned Reflect off in Task Manager Startup (Win10-there is no msconfig for startup control) and it didn't change a thing. Hmmm.....

 

[Larry Sabo]

I just didn't want it's three processes always running when I haven't used it in days.

Why not just turn them off using Autoruns?

I must say, I'm impressed with Macrium Reflect's ability to repair BCDs. I have been using AOMEI Backupper to clone HDDs to SSD but it seems to break BCD every time. Neosmarts instructions for fixing that normally work but didn't yesterday so I used the Free version of Macrium Reflect's PE to fix boot, which it did in seconds. I'll try Macrium for future HDD->SDD clones and see if it's my new best friend.

 

[Your PCMD]

I have no problem cloning down with it any more.

Yeah, sorry. I realized after posting that this was originally posted last year.

 

[Diggs]

Why not just turn them off using Autoruns?

Thanks @Larry Sabo as I had forgot about Autoruns. I'll give it a try.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

We still use the FREE version of Acronis that just about all drive manufacturers offer for download from their website. For us, with each Crucial SSD purchase, you get a license key. Nice thing about this, as Acronis comes out with newer versions and the drive manufacturers update their downloads with this new version...you get it.

It works wonderfully well and easily. Boot from CD....doesn't molest the OS image as far as injecting services or anything. Clones nice and quick...auto sizing down for you. We do many a week...larger spindle to smaller SSD.

I've used all the others mentioned above..and many many more, I always go back to Acronis, for us...reliability and speed are king..and Acronis wins for us.

 

[ComboZom]

It doesn't work that way for me. Once I ask for it to copy down the image I get a fail notice.

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You have to edit the restored partitions properties and change the size to allow all partitions to fit on the drive. I have done this successfully in the past imaging a 1TB HDD to a 240GB SSD through a NAS.