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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Software Issues and Discussion => Topic started by: Xanxi on August 21, 2010, 09:06:23 AM

Title: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 21, 2010, 09:06:23 AM
Hi.

I wish to copy all my A1200 hard-drive (10 GB IDE drive, with 3 SFS partitions) onto a 8 GB CF card with CF2IDE adapter.

I thought of connecting both on the same IDE cable for partitioning, formating and copying, but i can't do that because of drives names: if i partition the CF, i can't name the partitions DH0, DH1 and DH2 as i need because the first disk get the same names.
I though also of copying through a cf-pcmcia adapter, but it seems too slow and unreliable.

Any advice on this problem? I would love a tool like Acronis True Image i use on the PC.

Thanks.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Thomas on August 21, 2010, 09:13:43 AM
Quote
if i partition the CF, i can't name the partitions DH0, DH1 and DH2 as i need because the first disk get the same names.


You can use the same names, the driver will change them automatically if it encounters duplicates. But you can as well use different names and change them later.

And you can as well keep the different names. Why do you think you would have to use the same names on the new HDD? Names are completely irrelevant.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 21, 2010, 09:34:43 AM
Quote from: Thomas;575547
You can use the same names, the driver will change them automatically if it encounters duplicates. But you can as well use different names and change them later.

And you can as well keep the different names. Why do you think you would have to use the same names on the new HDD? Names are completely irrelevant.


Well, i am speaking of logical names as DH0:, not Workbench: or anything else.

I can't type in a CLI copy all DH0: to DH0: without any confusion.

I could also give the logical name HD0: instead to the new disk, but i prefer to clone properly to not confuse paths and assigns.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Cammy on August 21, 2010, 09:38:50 AM
I would LHA the whole drive into one file on the CF card rather than try copying every single file, it seems to take less time when I do that and it makes it easier to move the whole system around on PCs and other filesystems without losing all the important metadata.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: sledge on August 21, 2010, 11:24:00 AM
Quote from: Cammy;575549
I would LHA the whole drive into one file on the CF card rather than try copying every single file, it seems to take less time when I do that and it makes it easier to move the whole system around on PCs and other filesystems without losing all the important metadata.


I do the same. Lha the entire drive to a file. Works great.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: doctorq on August 21, 2010, 11:25:59 AM
Quote from: Xanxi;575548

I can't type in a CLI copy all DH0: to DH0: without any confusion.

I could also give the logical name HD0: instead to the new disk, but i prefer to clone properly to not confuse paths and assigns.


Well, Copy all DH0: to DH0: wouldn't give you anything good anyways. If you keep the same names for the drives one of them will still be called DH0: and the other will be called DH0.0:

As for confusing paths; what's there to be confused about? As long as you can load to Workbench one time, you can change the drive name and reset, and you are all set. You could even to it with the Install disk if needed.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Karlos on August 21, 2010, 11:38:43 AM
Quote from: Xanxi;575548
Well, i am speaking of logical names as DH0:, not Workbench: or anything else.

I can't type in a CLI copy all DH0: to DH0: without any confusion.

I could also give the logical name HD0: instead to the new disk, but i prefer to clone properly to not confuse paths and assigns.


The last time I put two hard disks with a conflicting device name (DH0:, as it happens) into an amiga, the second disk ended up automatically assigned the device name DH0.1:, and that was in the OS3.1 days.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: nOw2 on August 21, 2010, 12:47:16 PM
In addition to what has been said, do a 'copy all clone dh0: dh0.0:'

'Clone' ensures that file comments and timestamps are copied also.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 21, 2010, 02:23:31 PM
What about a clean and painless copy through pcmcia?
My CF adapter comes from the finnish fine guy who sells them on EAB and is triangular shaped with female adapter. Thus, it is not simple to plug it on the ide cable along with the original hard drive. Of course i also have a pcmcia-cf adapter.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: amigakit on August 21, 2010, 05:47:57 PM
EasyADF (http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=440) will allow you to backup whole partitions or directories easily into a LHA file with a few clicks.  Here is the tutorial:

http://www.amigakit.co.uk/support/easyadf-backup.php

This may be useful for users that want to backup their entire System partition to another hard disk or Compact Flash card for safekeeping.

(http://www.amigakit.co.uk/support/images/easyadf_backup_03.jpg)
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Thorham on August 21, 2010, 09:49:37 PM
Quote from: Xanxi;575546
i can't name the partitions DH0, DH1 and DH2 as i need because the first disk get the same names.
Simple:

1) Name the partitions on the CF card DH00, DH10, DH20.
2) Copy all partitions.
3) Use partition software to change the device names to DH0, DH1 and DH2 (this will not destroy any of the data, regardless of what the partitioning software says).
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: AmigaEd on August 22, 2010, 03:40:42 AM
I thought that Xanxi was asking for suggestions of tools and advice on how he could clone his hard drive. It seems to me that cloning is somewhat different from copying everything on the hard drive into an archive such as an LHA file.

I've never looked into cloning my hard drives on an my Amigas (never felt insecure enough about it, I guess), but I regularly use Acronis and Norton Ghost in the evil PC world and DD with Linux.

Regards,
Ed
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: spirantho on August 22, 2010, 06:49:31 AM
A clone of a hard disk is only useful if you want to store the actual structure of the files on the hard disk - something you very rarely need to do. On a PC it does guarantee that you're getting what you expect (Windows is so complicated it'd probably get confused with file copies) but on an Amiga you really don't need it.

Connect source HD0: to IDE bus (or anywhere else)
Connect target HD0: to IDE bus (or anywhere else)
Boot HD0:
Newshell
Copy HD0: HD0.1: all clone quiet
Remove source HD0:
Done. This will also defragment your hard disk in the process (not that helps much if it's solid state, but still....)

If you really want to clone your disk, you'll need any disk-imaging program which allows variable device names and specifications - I think Quarterback Tools would do it, and there will be others.... but it's really not necessary except in very special circumstances.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 22, 2010, 10:02:02 AM
Well, i am stuck anyway, as i can't connect either my IDE-CF nor my IDE-SDHC adapter as slave on the same IDE cable than the hard drive (no jumper at all).

I guess i am going to copy/LHA all through PCMCIA adapters if i can get the CF or the SDHC properly partitionned and formatted in SFS, but i'm afraid it will take a long time (DH0: is only 100 MB but the two other partitions are several GB).
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: fitzsteve on August 22, 2010, 10:16:53 AM
Why not connect your HDD to your PC and do all your work in WinUAE?
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 22, 2010, 12:01:39 PM
Quote from: fitzsteve;575625
Why not connect your HDD to your PC and do all your work in WinUAE?

Because i only have PC laptops, so no IDE messing, and it doesn't not seem to work with Amikit over USB.

On the 1200, it seems i can't partition and format my 8GB CF, it always fall back on FAT.
I would like to create 3 partitions in SFS. I have of course installed the SFS filesystem with HDInstools and compact-flash.Device.


EDIT: i have partitionned the CF on the PCMCIA using pccard.device instead of compactflash.device, then copied files to the new partitions, but all the datas disappeared on the next reset.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 27, 2010, 06:08:02 PM
If anyone got an idea, i am still stuck.

Summary of what i have:
-10 GB internal IDE hardrive with 3 partitions
-IDE female CF adapter with 8 GB CF
- PCMCIA CF adapter

I can' t connect the hardrive and the CF adapter on the same IDE cable but i need to move evrything from the HD to the CF. Partionning the CF with the PCMCIA adapter does not give reliable results, as everything disappear on the next boot.

And i can't use WinUAE as i only have PC laptops.

What sould i do??
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: kolla on August 27, 2010, 08:00:10 PM
get a longer cable with three plugs on it so you can plug in both disk and CF at once
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 27, 2010, 08:17:22 PM
Quote from: kolla;576535
get a longer cable with three plugs on it so you can plug in both disk and CF at once


I can't. The CF adapter is a female plug and do not have any jumper to set it as slave. It is the special triangular shaped adapter made by a finnish guy from EAB.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Cammy on August 27, 2010, 10:26:27 PM
To solve this riddle you need a second Compact Flash card!
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: mousehouse on August 28, 2010, 02:14:28 PM
Quote from: Xanxi;575639
Because i only have PC laptops, so no IDE messing, and it doesn't not seem to work with Amikit over USB.


I also only have a laptop and it worked perfectly... It's even a weirder setup because I run OSX with VMware on it with Windows7. In Windows7 I connect my SanDisk CF reader with CF disk in it. Start WinUAE as "Administrator", add the disk as a physical disk.

Voila ;-)
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 28, 2010, 02:39:04 PM
Quote from: mousehouse;576607
I also only have a laptop and it worked perfectly... It's even a weirder setup because I run OSX with VMware on it with Windows7. In Windows7 I connect my SanDisk CF reader with CF disk in it. Start WinUAE as "Administrator", add the disk as a physical disk.

Voila ;-)


You mean you connect your CF with USB? Could you be more specific in how to add the disk? I'm not really familiar with winuae and only use amikit.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 28, 2010, 02:39:59 PM
Quote from: Cammy;576554
To solve this riddle you need a second Compact Flash card!


Yes, if i can't succeed otherwise i will have to buy another IDE-CF adapter that can be connected together with the HD.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: Xanxi on August 28, 2010, 05:45:13 PM
People, you were all right about WinUAE, it is very easy to add hard-drives, even on USB. I have messed a bit with the settings and succeedded in cloning my HD with Amikit.

Bad luck, all that was only to found the Mika's CFangled adapter is faulty.
I'm going to redo all the process for my SDHC and IDE-SDHC adapter.
Title: Re: How should i clone my hardrive?
Post by: mousehouse on August 28, 2010, 06:47:50 PM
Good to hear you solved the puzzle ;-)

If I'm not mistaken you have the option in WinUAE to convert an attached Amiga disk to a diskfile or hardfile. Nice option IMHO to clone your disk (as per your original question!).