Cloning hard drive with dd or other?

[Doug]

On 11/12/2010 9:32 PM, Patton Echols wrote:
> I have a failing hard drive that boots WinXP for one of my work machines.
>
> I want to clone the drive while it's still alive and run from the
> clone.  I had expected to use dd and was reading to try and see if there
> are challenges I am unaware of. The comments to this article:
>
> http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/19141/clone-a-hard-drive-using-an-ubuntu-live-cd/
>
> say that it will not work if the drives have different geometries.
>
>
> Does anyone know of work arounds / other solutions that may accomplish
> what I need to do?
>
> Thanks,
>
> -- PE
>
I believe that Miray HDClone 3.9 will do it.  You want a track for track
copy, so you need to start with an empty target disk. (Or it will become 
so.)  Obviously, the target drive has to be the same size as the source, 
or bigger. This program is available in a free edition, and at least 2 
paid versions.  I have the "Standard" version, which I bought.  You can 
d/l any off the 'net. Try the free version, and if it works, you've 
saved the money. Do not allow the program to make any "corrections" to 
the target disk.  Just go for a one-to-one.  I copied a drive with WinXP 
and PCLOS to a 64GB flash drive, and then back to a larger drive that I 
had replaced in
my laptop, and everything worked perfectly from the get-go.  Be aware
that the process is slow--expect to go away for a few hours while the
copy is made.

I think there's a freebie Linux clone routine, but I don't know anything 
more than that one exists, so I can't swear by it.

--doug

-- 
Blessed are the peacemakers...for they shall be shot at from both sides. 
  --A.M. Greeley