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Windows Forum / Windows XP / Basics / June 2008Formatting a bootable Hard Disk
Hello! Friends: My OS is WinXP-Pro. I wish to create an identical disk (a new hard disk) to my C drive (bootable) so that when drive C crashes, I would have a back up to it. The drive letter to the new hard disk is D. I can format it with Disk Management, but was unable to make it a bootbale drive. Had tried in DOS with the command: FORMAT D: /s, but failed. Any helps? If it is impossible to do it this way as Windows prohibits to format D as a system drive, then what other ways to achieve this? Thanks. sengke > Hello! Friends: > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > a > system drive, then what other ways to achieve this? Thanks. You don't do this from within Windows. You get an imaging program like Acronis True Image (my preference), BootIT NG, or Symantec Ghost and you clone your drive from outside of Windows. Then you put the cloned drive on the shelf in an anti-static bag for safekeeping. Malke  SignatureMS-MVP Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic! FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ Hello! Malke Thanks for the advice. Two more questions: 1. If I partition the new hard disk into two parts, can I clone two different PCs on each of these partitions with bootable systems? 2. If one of the partition crashes, can I still use the other partition, or does it mean the whole hard disk is gone? sengke > > Hello! Friends: > > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Malke > Hello! Malke > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > 1. If I partition the new hard disk into two parts, can I clone two > different PCs on each of these partitions with bootable systems? No. Use imaging instead of cloning. You can image a system and store as many images as you have room for on an external hard drive. After you install Acronis True Image (for example), you create a bootable CD. If you need to restore the system onto the current hard drive or onto a new hard drive, you boot with the CD you made which has the imaging program on it and restore from there, pointing the restoration process to the desired image stored on the external hard drive. For further information about cloning, imaging, etc. go to www.acronis.com (or to the website of the imaging program of your choice) and read all about it. > 2. If one of the partition crashes, can I still use the other partition, > or does it mean the whole hard disk is gone? If the hard drive physically fails, the whole hard drive fails! Malke SignatureMS-MVP Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic! FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ Hi! Malke If one of the partition fails, then the whole hard disk fails, so what other reasons to partition a hard disk, other than having a shorter time during searching? Thanks. sengke > > Hello! Malke > > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Malke > Hi! Malke > > If one of the partition fails, then the whole hard disk fails, so what > other reasons to partition a hard disk, other than having a shorter time > during searching? I usually don't partition hard drives (unless it is for a server). The only advantage to keeping the operating system and programs on one partition and the data on a separate partition is that this makes it very easy to quickly replace just the operating system. Most of my desktop computers have at least two hard drives. I don't bother partitioning the laptops at all. But I back up my data separately and image all my machines regularly. So it's your choice based on how you use your machines. If you continually mess up Windows, then put your data on a separate partition or, even better, a separate internal hard drive if you've got a desktop machine. If you use Linux, it is always better to put /home on a separate partition or hard drive because of frequent distro updates. But since you're posting in an XP basics newsgroup, I assume that you're using XP. ;-) So YMMV. Pick something and try it to see what you like best. Malke SignatureMS-MVP Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic! FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ If youve played with it then,back in diskmgmt.msc,format the hd,once thru,go to run,type:XCOPY C:\*.* D:\ /c/h/e/k/r Agree to all in the DOS window,once its thru,C: is now on D: & is bootable.Also,D: being the new hd,also,the new drive must be set as slave to C: on the same IDE cable... > Hello! Friends: > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > sengke |
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