Hard drive cloning tool

Takaharu · Nov 16, 2009, 08:11 AM

At my workplace we're starting to ramp up the amount of PCs we have so we're going to have call for hard drive duplication to speed things up a bit.

Previously, just using Add/Remove Programs > Add New Program has sufficed as it actually worked out faster but now because services need to be changed and the fact that we have a large number to roll out at once it would be beneficial to dupe the drives.
All of the systems are the same so there'll be no issues with drivers. They're all Win7 if that makes any difference.
Restoring from a DVD or USB drive would be beneficial as I don't know how much load it will put on our storage server (Win2003 Storage Server with RAID box) if restoring over the network.

Any suggestions?

ET3D · Nov 16, 2009, 09:53 AM

The only tool I tried lately was Paragon's free backup tool. There's a newer and better featured version that I haven't tried yet (but will when me and my wife move to Windows 7). It's for non-commercial use only, but the commercial tools don't cost too much. You can try it here: https://www.paragon-software.com/hom.../features.html

Al_Vampyre · Nov 16, 2009, 12:22 PM

If they are all windows 7 can't you use windows own backup image & boot cd? It's in the backup options...

Takaharu · Nov 18, 2009, 11:04 AM

I tried Paragon's backup, Dell's backup and I tried a standard backup. In the end the one that won out was Windows 7's new "restore system" option after taking a system image. I backed up the finished PC to the network using every option (backup files, create system image and backup C drive) for good measure then on the new PCs it was a case of "restoring" the systems using the Win7 tool and choosing the network location through the advanced features.
If anyone needs to know a step-by-step guide I'll be happy to prepare one.

Nov 16, 2009, 08:11 AM	#1
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,838 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Hard drive cloning tool At my workplace we're starting to ramp up the amount of PCs we have so we're going to have call for hard drive duplication to speed things up a bit. Previously, just using Add/Remove Programs > Add New Program has sufficed as it actually worked out faster but now because services need to be changed and the fact that we have a large number to roll out at once it would be beneficial to dupe the drives. All of the systems are the same so there'll be no issues with drivers. They're all Win7 if that makes any difference. Restoring from a DVD or USB drive would be beneficial as I don't know how much load it will put on our storage server (Win2003 Storage Server with RAID box) if restoring over the network. Any suggestions? __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Nov 16, 2009, 09:53 AM	#2
ET3D Hopeless Dreamer Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Dreamland, near the pool of infinite graphics cards Posts: 3,057 Rep Power: 105 System Specs	Re: Hard drive cloning tool The only tool I tried lately was Paragon's free backup tool. There's a newer and better featured version that I haven't tried yet (but will when me and my wife move to Windows 7). It's for non-commercial use only, but the commercial tools don't cost too much. You can try it here: https://www.paragon-software.com/hom.../features.html

Nov 16, 2009, 12:22 PM	#3
Al_Vampyre HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Scotland Posts: 1,532 Rep Power: 72 System Specs	Re: Hard drive cloning tool If they are all windows 7 can't you use windows own backup image & boot cd? It's in the backup options... __________________ "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad" - Brian O'Driscoll - Ireland Rugby Team 2009 Grand Slam winning Captain.

Nov 18, 2009, 11:04 AM	Thread Starter #4
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,838 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: Hard drive cloning tool I tried Paragon's backup, Dell's backup and I tried a standard backup. In the end the one that won out was Windows 7's new "restore system" option after taking a system image. I backed up the finished PC to the network using every option (backup files, create system image and backup C drive) for good measure then on the new PCs it was a case of "restoring" the systems using the Win7 tool and choosing the network location through the advanced features. If anyone needs to know a step-by-step guide I'll be happy to prepare one. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details