clone a drive

[NoOp]

On 10/05/2010 11:07 AM, Ash Wyllie wrote:
> Now that I have my laptop back, now I want to put a new larger drive in it.
> 
> Ideally, I would like to:  copy /dev/sda1 to /dev/sdb3
>                            remove the 120GB drive
>                            install a 250GB (or larger)
>                            user the USB stick to formatand
>                                         partition the new drive
>                            copy /dev/sdb3 to /dev/sda1
> 
> Can that be done?
> 
> If not, how can I get my current set up to a new drive?

Save yourself some time & trouble... Go & buy one of these (or similar):
http://www.vantecusa.com/front/product/view_detail/266
SATA/ IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter (about $20 USD)

Plug the new drive into the adapter & then plug into your USB port.
Check to make sure the drive is spinning up properly. Boot to a liveCD
and use gparted to 'Copy' the old drive to the new drive. gparted 'Copy'
will copy bit-for-bit. Once completed, install the new drive into the
laptop & boot.

Note: you can resize the new drive afterwards if you wish via the
liveCD/gparted, or just leave as is & use the extra space for new
partitions. You can also use the device to use the old drive as a USB
drive for backup etc.