What is your go to Clone Software at the moment?

[DonS]

I have been using for the longest time NTI Echo. I ran across it randomly a few years ago and it has proven to been simple and flawless. Until today. Something has gone oddly south with it. It will no longer work correctly. Even installing it on a fresh load of Windows, it just will no longer work. Very upset about this. It was one of the ONLY Clone software that I could clone drives with (larger to smaller, etc) and just throw the new drive in the computer and it would work. No start up issues, no boot sectors not there, no repairing drive. Nothing. It absolutely worked.

So, until I can figure that mess out, may I ask what your recommendations would be for a cloning software that has proven to work well for you without issue?

Thank you for your time, as always.

 

[Mainstay]

Macrium Reflect

 

[britechguy]

I've used the clone feature of EaseUS To Do Backup Free, the version of Acronis that Crucial supplies, and Miray HD Clone and all have worked just fine.

 

[glennd]

Acronis True Image if I'm cloning to a Crucial SSD. Has never failed me. Aomei Backupper for fast cloning and imaging from a good drive. Ddrescue if the drive is not in good shape.

 

[Moltuae]

Another vote for Reflect.

I've been using every flavour of Reflect (Server Ed, Workstation, Free, etc) for the best part of 2 decades. Never failed me.

 

[GTP]

Macrium Reflect here too.
Never failed.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Search for previous discussions on this topic; there are many.

 

[DonS]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I did end up trying Macrium Reflect last night. It did work. Though it did give me a scare when I put the new drive in and it started with the repairing windows thing. Not sure if that was bad luck or what. But it did resolve successfully.

I have tried EaseUS To Do Backup in the past. Will give that another go. Never heard of Miray, but will test that out a well.

Thank you all again for your suggestions! Much appreciated.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Hardware cloning is our first shot...we have a couple of Drive Goblins for this....nothing faster than those.
For those that need downsizing, we still turn to the free versions of Acronis that you can download for FREE from the website of most drive manufacturers...they have their own utilities which are based on Acronis. They update it every few years too...so look for updates every year or so and get the latest. I've tried most of the other products out there...and more..and keep turning to Acronis.

 

[DonS]

Please note, the Arcronis from Crucial requires the installation of a Crucial branded drive.
I did however find an Acronis OEM from another vendor that did not have drive brand limitations.

 

[Porthos]

Though it did give me a scare when I put the new drive in and it started with the repairing windows thing.

I always Image to an external and then restore. I never use the clone feature and do not have the above issue.

 

[britechguy]

I always Image to an external and then restore. I never use the clone feature and do not have the above issue.

First, I am NOT questioning your (or anyone else's) choice regarding this. What follows is a brief report of my own experience.

I have used cloning for years and never had the previously mentioned issue. I prefer it simply because it saves a ton of time, or at least it does if HDDs are involved either as the backup or restore medium. SSD to SSD is still a pretty rare occurrence in my client demographic.

 

[Sky-Knight]

When I'm cloning I'm usually using WD's Acronis or Samsung Data Migration because I'm coming off a platter to an SSD.

That being said, if I think the platter even slightly smells bad it's Clonezilla with recovery mode enabled.

 

[AlaDes]

I personally use Clonezilla and have never had any issues. The only time that I don't use it is if I need to go from a larger drive to a smaller one: This is when I use Microsoft's imaging tools to take an image of the larger drive and apply it to the smaller drive. As a matter of fact, Microsoft's tools just saved me from having to do a complete reinstall of a small test server that, because like an idiot, I changed a simple disk to a dynamic one and could find no other solution to convert it back to a simple disk. Granted, it took hours to create an image of the 400 GB worth of data on the drive, which I saved on the new destination drive, but it worked like a charm. The Microsoft tools way takes longer because it involves several steps and the use of the command line but it works like a charm when it's necessary.

 

[computertechguy]

Aeomi backerupper absolutely the easiest to use.. free for personal use.

 

[Satman]

Macrium Reflect

 

[frase]

Anyone say Macrium lol, good as allows trim.

 

[NETWizz]

Notepad

 

[glennd]

Notepad

you have the floor...

 

[NETWizz]

you have the floor...

Well I do mostly Cisco networking.

so...

[Connects Console Cable]

Swirch>en
Swirch# conf t
Switch(config)#

[pastes config from notepad]

[changes a few setting like the management IP, Gateway, and Hostmame]

SWITCHNAME(config)# exit
SWITCHNAME# wr mem
SWITCHNAME# exit
SWITCHNAME>exit