T61 Reverse Cloning HD Update - Failure then Success (WinXP)

[Ken Fox]

I have had a number of successes (and failures) in disk cloning, using both True Image (plus Apricorn, same program, different versions), and with Ghost 2003.

I have tried to assign "blame" for the failures to various pieces of hardware used and whether the disk being cloned was in the drive bay or elsewhere, and whether I first made an image file and then later made the clone from the image file, vs. simply cloning directly.

My own personal observation is that successful disk cloning involves a bit of luck, and will not always happen no matter what combination of factors one uses. This assumes you are using the programs properly (such as using the -ib switch with Ghost 2003, to image the boot sector).

Don't assume that any clone or image file you make will work; most will, but some will not. It is always a good idea to check the integrity of the image file if you make an image file first, although even this does not guarantee success.

I have even had the unfortunate result, once, where the cloned disk appeared to work but I was unable to defragment the drive with Perfect Disk, getting an error message instructing me to use CHKDSK, which also refused to run on boot up. A bit later, this hard disk gave me a blue screen error or two for no apparent reason, so there was something subtle that was wrong in the clone result, but it was not obvious on initial usage. Repeating the cloning from the original source disk completely resolved these problems.

Bottom line, don't assume your clone will always work no matter what you do, and don't assume that any one image file made will work.

If you are making archival backups for restoration of your system if disaster strikes, don't assume anything. Your goal should be to have sequential image backups, so that if you run across an image file that won't work, you can hopefully go back to a slightly earlier image file and odds are that this will work.

[eecon]

Bottom line, don't assume your clone will always work no matter what you do, and don't assume that any one image file made will work.

If you are making archival backups for restoration of your system if disaster strikes, don't assume anything. Your goal should be to have sequential image backups, so that if you run across an image file that won't work, you can hopefully go back to a slightly earlier image file and odds are that this will work.

Thanks for the good advice ..... my earlier poor choice of the word "always" was presumtive on my part. I'll start keeping older backup images an extra few months

[pae77]

With regard to problems with various external enclosures, that's why I continue to recommend using the Lenovo Serial Hard Drive Ultra Bay adapter, especially for cloning. Seems to avoid those pesky external enclosure issues that frequently crop up and gives faster transfer speeds, not to mention the convenience. But the main thing is the reliability of the clones made with the ultrabay adapter seems to be very, very good, ime.

[SHSH]

why isnt Lenovo simply fixing this drive geometry issue? Problems over and over - Lenovo seems to handle harddisks here very differently compared to other manufacturers. Why is it?

[eecon]

why isnt Lenovo simply fixing this drive geometry issue? Problems over and over - Lenovo seems to handle harddisks here very differently compared to other manufacturers. Why is it?

I just bought a couple of UltraBay HDD adapters and use those exclusively now ..... hopefully no more cloning worries.

[SHSH]

I just bought a couple of UltraBay HDD adapters and use those exclusively now ..... hopefully no more cloning worries.

sure, this will fix the problem - but why is Lenovo handling drive geometry differently in first place?

[eecon]

sure, this will fix the problem - but why is Lenovo handling drive geometry differently in first place?

I had added, then deleted, a comment about my theory on this.

I had the feeling it may have been in poor taste ..... basically ranting about about Lenovo's mainland masters and their desires to simply extract more money from dumb, fat and happy Americans, like myself.