Thinkpads Forum

I have recently switched back from a MacBook Pro so I can return to getting some work done. The new laptop is a T61p 4:3 that's a few weeks old and it rocks.

I also purchased a 7K200 and the Apricron HDD adapter (based on a few threads on this forum). Problem is I can't seem to get the clone drive feature to work. Apricorn tech support has not returned my call or responded to my email. My first inclination was to buy the ultrabay HDD adapter but that was a bit more expensive. I am kicking myself for not going down that path. Has anyone had any luck getting the clone drive feature to work using the Apricorn software. It looks like Apricorn OEM's the Acronis product by the way.

The clone process looks like it's working but fails during checking after a software initiated boot sequence with the error message, "partition information has changed". I then have the option of rebooting back into Windows on the original HDD.

The configuration is plain vanilla T61p with Windows XP Pro SP2. I am attempting to clone the drive with the original HDD mounted inside and the destination connected to the Apricorn adapter. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any guidance.

It is not clear to me if you use Acronis True Image to clone your XP drive (to the new HDD placed in the Apricorn enclosure), but if this is in fact so, you might want to check the thread How I Cloned My IBM ThinkPad T42 Hard Drive - Step by Step and see the post of Wed Aug 08, 2007 12:39 am (follow the links!), as this describe what I believe may be the same issue as you are experiencing.

In any case, if you want to use Acronis True Image, you may download a free, and fully usable version of it (from here) and use that to clone the drive; the trial version will function for 15 days.

Alternatively, you might want to search for help in the Official Acronis Support Forum.

Best regards,

Johan

I'm using the old Ghost 8.0 bootable CD (selfmade) and clone the entire HD from one to another through PC sata or through the removable sata enclosure for the T61.

At first, it won't boot up but after a MBR fix through gdisk it will work.

cs120ban wrote:I'm using the old Ghost 8.0 bootable CD (selfmade) and clone the entire HD from one to another through PC sata or through the removable sata enclosure for the T61.

At first, it won't boot up but after a MBR fix through gdisk it will work.

If your os is XP then adding the command line option -ib when running ghost (ghost -ib) should resolve this issue.

If you are running Vista then Ghost 11 will resolve this issue. The problem is that Vista uses a new MBR format that older versions of Ghost do not recognize.

Hi iyusaf
Check out Paul Pavlik's thread Cloning T60 With Apricorn (Update). I think if you follow his advice, especially the part about putting your original drive in the USB enclosure and the new drive in the Thinkpad it should work. Notice what he says at the end of his post in the EDIT:

Paul Pavlik wrote:"EDIT 5-4-07, Subsequent cloning experience has revealed that the "Easy" Cloning (From internal to USB) does not reliably produce a bootable clone. I haven't isolated the factors that cause this. However a "Reverse" (USB to Internal) cloning ALWAYS produces a Bootable Clone."

You are correct in that Apricorn has OEM'd the Acronis soft. Really, if you just need the cloning function, the soft that comes with the Apricorn unit will take care of your needs. Let us know if you got the process to complete and what worked.

Good luck,
DenTP4rm

Forget Ghost, Acronis, and all that stuff...at least if you're running Vista.

Just download the Windows AIK (free), and use imagex to image the drive. WIM/ImageX is by far the best way to do things, because its modular. Meaning you can slipstream drivers, or add software very easy to your image after the fact. Also meaning the same image will work on a T61..or a T61p..or an R50..or a Dell for that matter. And of course, it leverages the same WinPE technology used by Thinkvantage.

Here's what ended up working for me:

1. Left the source HDD inside and used the Apricorn HDD adapter to connect to the new HDD.
2. Booted off the CDROM.
3. Selected expert mode and resized the partitions, keeping the Lenovo service partition intact.
4. I had previously modified the ThinkPad ATA BIOS setting to "compatible".
5. Once the clone process was complete, I powered everything off, switched the drives and the OS booted up from the new drive.

Booting from the Acronis/Apricorn CDROM gives the clone program exclusive access to drive partitions. Downside is that data transfer may be slower since the CDROM boot OS may not support high-speed USB. The clone took about six hours overnight. I now have plenty of space and application response times certainly feel faster!

Thanks everyone for the links and suggestions.

steveg47 wrote:

cs120ban wrote:

not true. I used command line ghost 8.0 and I did clone vista between the t61 vista basic to a brand new 160GB 7200 without any problem. I don't have to redo MBR fix.

Only cloning from a windows xp (from another t61) gave me problem and I had to do a MBR fix.

Well YMMV.

Note: I used a desktop to do the clonning on my bootable Ghost cd disk (Dos mode)

Proteus wrote:Forget Ghost, Acronis, and all that stuff...at least if you're running Vista.

Just download the Windows AIK (free), and use imagex to image the drive. WIM/ImageX is by far the best way to do things, because its modular. Meaning you can slipstream drivers, or add software very easy to your image after the fact. Also meaning the same image will work on a T61..or a T61p..or an R50..or a Dell for that matter. And of course, it leverages the same WinPE technology used by Thinkvantage.

Interesting. Is that really possible?