Specifically 2 ibm t30 laptop HDD's. Just want to clone bit for bit 1 HDD to the other, is there a program for this? I run windows. Is it possible to do using a usb to ide cable to clone 2 hdds? Here is what I mean in the picture:
It's can't be done the way that you have suggested above. If it were me I'd be doing it in a desktop PC with 2.5" IDE adapters, but then again I already have those adapters. It MIGHT be possible if you put the target drive in a USB enclosure and run something from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disk_cloning_software
driveimage xml can do a clone from a bartpe bootcd. There are also paragon drive backup express and macrium reflect but those require you to make an image from within windows than restore it from the bootcd. There are some laptops that require the clone drive to be inside the laptop when cloned. They call it a reverse clone. If the drive isn't in the laptop the hard drive CHS geometry won't be written correctly causing the hard drive not to boot. You can use a usb to ide adapter to do the clone. I've done it before many times. The only problem is you might have to do a reverse clone. More information on cloning. Below is the true image forum but the basic procedures/problems will be similar on all cloning software. http://www.wilderssecurity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=65
And instead of jumping through all those hoops it's probably easier to buy 2 adapters and mount them inside a desktop unit. Granted, it's easy for me to say this since I have enough excess hardware floating around to pull it off.
Thanks for all the replies! I can use a desktop, I just dont know which cables I would need to buy and which program to use to clone laptop HDD's..?
1 of these per hard drive: http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=906&sku=17705 standard IDE cable, though it's faster if you connect one drive per controller. (one on the primary and one on the secondary IDE controller, make sure you jumper the drives accordingly) Any cloning software should do, there is no differentiation between laptop and desktop HDDs.
