Cloning a hard drive to a smaller drive

Stan_Lite · 22-02-2010, 19:39

Currently, I have a Windows 7 machine with two 500GB drives in RAID0 making a 1TB(ish) drive. I want to get rid of the RAID and transfer the contents to just one of the 500GB drives and use it with another machine (I've backed up all the files and removed a lot of stuff so there's only about 60GB of stuff on there (mostly Windows files and program files)). I've had a look around and can't find much about transferring to a smaller drive.

Does anyone know if I'll be able to do it with any of the available software? I don't mind paying for Acronis or the likes as long as I know it'll work. I really don't want to have to re-install everything if I can possibly avoid it. The machine is perfect the way it is but I want to move the stuff there onto another one.

Zirax · 22-02-2010, 20:02

One way would be to shrink the partition down and then clone over. Many moons ago partition magic would do the trick but I'm not sure on the latest tool to use.

Daz · 22-02-2010, 20:18

gparted on your friendly Ubuntu live CD will do it too. That's how I've always done it, shrink everything first, then clone it.

Feek · 22-02-2010, 20:48

Breaking the RAID will kill the data though won't it?

If you have a spare external drive you could knock up a bootable USB stick with Clonezilla on it, clone the disk onto the external drive, break your RAID and then clone it back to a single drive again using Clonezilla.

We use Clonezilla a lot at work, it works really well.

Stan_Lite · 22-02-2010, 21:21

I forgot to say, I have a 500GB portable HDD I can store the image on while I break the raid. I have a bootable USB with Ubuntu on it so I'll give that a try tonight.

Mark · 22-02-2010, 22:10

Backup! But then you already have.
Defragment the drive (in Windows).
Fire up the Live CD and use gparted to shrink it.
Use an image tool to copy the data over. My weapon of choice is dd but it's a command-line tool so takes a bit of figuring. If I want to keep an image I'll wipe free space and then compress the image, but that isn't necessary for this job.
Break the mirror and copy the image back.

Stan_Lite · 22-02-2010, 22:21

Everything is backed up and windows partiton is cleaned and defragged.

I'm using the copy and paste in gparted itself (in progress as we speak). I have a spare HDD I took out of a laptop when I upgraded. I'm going to try it out with that first in the new machine. If that works, I'll break up the old mirror, install one of the drives in the new machine and try that. Doing it like this will be long-winded but at least I'll know if it's going to work before I break the mirror.

Burble · 22-02-2010, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

Break the mirror and copy the image back.

It's stripe set, not a mirror.

</pedant>

Mark · 23-02-2010, 00:10

Good point. I was thinking RAID 1, not 0.

LeperousDust · 23-02-2010, 01:19

I used EASEUS Partition Master recently, albeit to move from a smaller to larger drive, but it gave me the feeling it would do things either way. I used it because it was part of a free giveaway when i think its normally paid. One of the sites a frequent gave it rave reviews, and i was moving data that week. I'd use it again in a flash, very impressed

Linky

22-02-2010, 19:39	#1
Stan_Lite Stan, Stan the FLASHER MAN! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In bed with your sister Posts: 5,483	Cloning a hard drive to a smaller drive Currently, I have a Windows 7 machine with two 500GB drives in RAID0 making a 1TB(ish) drive. I want to get rid of the RAID and transfer the contents to just one of the 500GB drives and use it with another machine (I've backed up all the files and removed a lot of stuff so there's only about 60GB of stuff on there (mostly Windows files and program files)). I've had a look around and can't find much about transferring to a smaller drive. Does anyone know if I'll be able to do it with any of the available software? I don't mind paying for Acronis or the likes as long as I know it'll work. I really don't want to have to re-install everything if I can possibly avoid it. The machine is perfect the way it is but I want to move the stuff there onto another one. __________________ Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean I...

22-02-2010, 20:18	#3
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	gparted on your friendly Ubuntu live CD will do it too. That's how I've always done it, shrink everything first, then clone it. __________________ apt-get moo

22-02-2010, 20:48	#4
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	Breaking the RAID will kill the data though won't it? If you have a spare external drive you could knock up a bootable USB stick with Clonezilla on it, clone the disk onto the external drive, break your RAID and then clone it back to a single drive again using Clonezilla. We use Clonezilla a lot at work, it works really well. __________________

22-02-2010, 21:21	#5
Stan_Lite Stan, Stan the FLASHER MAN! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In bed with your sister Posts: 5,483	I forgot to say, I have a 500GB portable HDD I can store the image on while I break the raid. I have a bootable USB with Ubuntu on it so I'll give that a try tonight. __________________ Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean I...

22-02-2010, 22:10	#6
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Backup! But then you already have. Defragment the drive (in Windows). Fire up the Live CD and use gparted to shrink it. Use an image tool to copy the data over. My weapon of choice is dd but it's a command-line tool so takes a bit of figuring. If I want to keep an image I'll wipe free space and then compress the image, but that isn't necessary for this job. Break the mirror and copy the image back.

22-02-2010, 20:02	#2
Zirax Goes up to 11! Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 4,577	One way would be to shrink the partition down and then clone over. Many moons ago partition magic would do the trick but I'm not sure on the latest tool to use.

22-02-2010, 22:21	#7
Stan_Lite Stan, Stan the FLASHER MAN! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: In bed with your sister Posts: 5,483	Everything is backed up and windows partiton is cleaned and defragged. I'm using the copy and paste in gparted itself (in progress as we speak). I have a spare HDD I took out of a laptop when I upgraded. I'm going to try it out with that first in the new machine. If that works, I'll break up the old mirror, install one of the drives in the new machine and try that. Doing it like this will be long-winded but at least I'll know if it's going to work before I break the mirror. __________________ Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean I...

23-02-2010, 00:10	#9
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Good point. I was thinking RAID 1, not 0.

23-02-2010, 01:19	#10
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	I used EASEUS Partition Master recently, albeit to move from a smaller to larger drive, but it gave me the feeling it would do things either way. I used it because it was part of a free giveaway when i think its normally paid. One of the sites a frequent gave it rave reviews, and i was moving data that week. I'd use it again in a flash, very impressed Linky __________________