Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Paragon has a Compact version of the Drive Copy 14 Pro that they've been advertising in e-mails. As you'd expect from other Compact versions it's got a reduced feature set, though in this case what you're left with, while useful, is not such a big deal. Drive Copy itself copies a full hard drive or individual partitions to another drive -- it works with win8/8.1, UEFI system Bios, GPT & MBR hard drives, SSDs etc... pretty much anything the average user is going to come up against. But that's not anything that's really all that special.

   Some might say it's a bit exceptional, allowing you to filter out whatever files & folders you don't want on the new drive, if that new drive is a smaller SSD. It's faster, easier, & more practical to just delete them -- selecting files/folders & hitting delete takes just as long as selecting those same file/folders in Drive Copy, only then you have to wait the additional time for Drive Copy to process your request. If you're going to copy those files/folders somewhere else, it'll take just as long either way.

   What IMHO does make Drive Copy Pro exceptional is its ability to adjust the copy of Windows you're working with, so it'll work in a VM or with different hardware. And it gives you bootable disc images -- one *nix, one WinPE -- that you can burn to CD or put on a USB stick... either will handle that Windows adjustment. The Pro version was on sale for $20 -- at that price, *if* you'll use the adjustment feature, it's well worth it.

   Please bear in mind that if you have a lot of software, getting everything working in a new VM or with new hardware can take as much time as installing everything fresh. I used Paragon software the other week to add a fully updated copy of win7 HP 64 to a PC my son had just put together -- it took a bit less than an hour, total, whereas just adding updates to a fresh win7 install would have taken a good part of an afternoon.

   I started out with a win7 HP 64 VirtualBox VM that had just the basics installed, made a backup of the virtual hard drive [.vdi], restoring that to the new drive connected via a USB 3.0 dock. [Note: VBox has networking issues with copy &/or backup software like Paragon & the latest Acronis, so a manual backup & restore was the easiest way. Newer versions of VBox work just fine with VMs on .vhd format virtual hard drives that are mountable in win7, but this was an older VM using .vdi.] After that stuck the hard drive in the new case, booted to the Paragon WinPE CD, and had win7 fired up less than 5 minutes later. Then ran the AMD driver setup for the graphics & board, which we would have had to do anyway, & ran the setup for the on-board network chip.

   In case that gives anyone an idea or three, go for it. :) It would work just as well with win7/8/8.1 in a VBox VM, installed & updated at your leisure, copied or restored to a hard drive on the same or a new system, using Paragon's software to adjust things to make it work.

   All of which is not to say Drive Copy 14 Compact isn't worth having -- just that the Compact version is more run-of-the-mill. I recently used Paragon software to copy [clone] the 4 partitions [3 with Windows installed] on my main hard drive to a new, larger drive. It didn't mess with the existing boot loader, so I could continue to use the system until I swapped the new drive into place. It copied the existing drive/partition serial numbers, which I was expecting to have to set myself later on [keeping the same serial numbers can help keep software registered]. All in all it worked flawlessly, but really it was nothing I couldn't have done using something else -- last time I cloned a drive I used the free Western Digital tool, & going by memory it was a bit faster. That said, how you transfer what's on one disk to another depends more on your hardware IMHO.

   I cloned my hard drive because last year I picked up a USB 3.0 hard drive dock on sale [for ~$14]. If I hadn't had the dock I would have restored a backup of each partition separately [EasyBCD is free, fast, portable, & easy, And it'll get just about anything booting]. While it's pretty easy to swap drives in the case I'm using, it still means crawling under my desk to disconnect everything, then moving stuff out of the way so I can pull the case out -- I'm NOT inclined to do it twice, 1st to add the cables & attach the new drive, then 2nd to remove those cables and swap drives after I'm done with the cloning. And of course cloning a drive without something like an external dock or housing means you'll need to be able to add cables to run the new drive, and have someplace to put the drive during cloning, and with/without a dock or housing have a way to keep it cool while you're doing the cloning.

   [I have a small desk fan directed at the hard drive when I'm using the dock. Is it necessary? The fan I was using burnt up, & in the few moments before I'd noticed it (when I say burnt, I mean that literally, so it didn't take long to discover the smoke) the drive temp had already climbed 10 degrees centigrade to ~46. Since they're tested at 55 degrees C it wasn't in danger of overheating, but a Western Digital chart shows a drive's lifespan is directly proportional to the drive's temp. Keeping it cooler means less wear & a longer life. The drive I was replacing was 6+ years old, the S.M.A.R.T. data showed the max temp it had ever reached was 39 degrees C, & well, it was 6+ years old & still working.]

   Back to Paragon's Drive Copy 14 Compact [& Pro]... I tend to use the full GUI rather than the simpler Express version, so at first I thought it maybe a bit annoying that the minimal backup capabilities in Drive Copy were only found on the Express GUI. Then I realized that if you're using the full GUI you're more likely to be somewhat more tech skilled or experienced, & probably wouldn't use that minimal backup capability to start with. None-the-less it is there, & you can mount backup archives as well.

   Most all Paragon apps come with a Windows Installer setup file [.msi], which means you can use Universal Extractor to expand the files & folders contained in that .msi setup file. Do that, & you'll see a system32 folder -- copy or move the files inside [normally there are 3] to the "program" folder where you'll find "launcher.exe", and the app should run portably with the exception of any features that need drivers. The main feature that uses drivers is mounting backup archives. Moving those 3 files to the program folder after installation also helps if you want to keep old versions of Paragon software working next to newer ones -- when installation requires removing an older version I often copy the program's folders somewhere else, run the uninstall routine, install the new version, than move the copy of the old version back where it was. Because I've moved those 3 files [notably prgiso.dll] into the "program" folder for each app, I haven't encountered any issues.

   Getting the Paragon .msi file varies in difficulty... Sometimes that's how it's distributed, but other times you had to run the .exe setup file & grab it from the [UserName]\ AppData\ Local\ Temp\ folder while the setup program was running. It can be worth it to for example skip adding a redundant copy of the Microsoft C/C++ runtime files. If you skip running the .msi install program entirely [e.g. using Universal Extractor] you may or may not be able to add the drivers anyway from the app's "uim" folder -- note you'll get the uim drivers for mounting archives etc., but not the HotCore drivers used to perform snapshots of running files if you're in XP. The iffy part comes from the .msi install program changing the contents of the uim folder, sometimes.

   You can install a Paragon app to a VM or using virtualization software like Time Freeze, save a copy of the program's folder, then later run "UimSetup.exe" from the uim folder to add the drivers -- if you use Universal Extractor to get the program's folder, the copy of UimSetup.exe may or may not be correct... With Drive Copy 14 Compact I found the 64 bit version was OK, while the 32 bit version was not.

   Compared to other software I'm an unabashed fan of Paragon. It has a lower impact on Windows that anything else I've seen, with the exception of tools that run solely from a boot disc/USB stick. I've used it portably as well as installed for years without a problem. When I focus on Paragon's stuff however that's not meant to knock competing products from companies like EaseUS & Acronis. I've got them, but since I don't use them often there's not really a lot I can say about how well they'll do long or short term -- with Paragon I can better say what it is & isn't. In that vein I would heavily discount their recent e-mail campaign promoting upgrading XP to win7/8/8.1 & keeping XP as a VM.

   If you wanted to run a copy of XP as a VM the best way **might** be to use the methods described here to get a copy of the XP Mode VM. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/forget-end-life-woes-windows-8-xp-mode/ I'm not entirely sure it's fully legal with or without an XP license, & I'm not sure how well it works -- I haven't had a chance to do a lot of playing with this yet. I can say that in my experience the modified XP in the XP Mode VM that's included with win7 ult 64 runs better than regular XP in a VM, & I can say that turning a full install of XP, complete with all your apps into a VM, is not likely to make you happy [the same goes for Vista]. Part of it's probably all the old baggage from past software & driver installs, and part of it's probably the nature of XP itself, but I certainly have not found even a partial substitute for the XP Pro install that's been on my hard drive since the spring of 2008. It runs as fast as win7. As a VM, unlike XP Mode, it's only suitable for background tasks when/if you don't care how long it takes to do whatever.

   Posted 10 years ago #
2. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   It occurred to me that I might be taking for granted that everyone would find out, figure out, or know how to swap or add a hard drive. For those that don't, maybe this will be helpful?

   1st the basics...
   Hard drives have 2 connections, one for data & one for power. To physically hold the drive in place there are usually 10 threaded screw holes, 4 on the bottom, & 3 on each side -- usually 4 are used, and the case may use pins rather than screws. SSDs are smaller, as are Notebook drives -- to use one in most PCs you need an additional mount or adapter. Hard drives can be physically mounted horizontally or on their side -- if a regular hard drive is going to be mounted on its side, it *may* be best to transfer data to it with the drive in the same position, even if it's not mounted yet. [That falls into the maybe argued myth category, but IMHO what can it hurt?] At any rate, adding or replacing a drive usually means removing both case side panels [2 screws each], unplugging or plugging in 2 electrical plugs per drive, and 4 screws that have to be removed or inserted per drive.

   Always watch out for, be alert when it comes to static electricity -- it can destroy electronics. And after you've unplugged the PC, hit the power on or start button to get rid of any stored electricity.

   The SATA data cables used to transfer data to hard drives & optical drives are usually a bit stiff, flat, & can have straight or 90 degree angled ends, plus those ends can have metal clips to help keep them plugged in. Sometimes those clips get in the way & must be removed. Sometimes it can be hard to see that there's a clip on a cable end, so look for one if you have trouble unplugging a SATA cable. SATA cables should be straight or use loops or more gentle curves when in place rather than sharper or tighter bends. SATA cable ends have a straight piece with a 90 degree bend at one end to keep you from plugging the cable in upside down -- that's not as big deal at the drive, where you can see what's happening, but it can be difficult to reach & line up the cable end with the socket on the main or motherboard, and when that's the case you most often can't see which way the cable should plug in.

   Power plugs for SATA drives can also only be plugged in one way, but they're much less inclined to give you trouble. Where you are more likely to run into a problem is not having a free plug that can reach the drive. There are all sorts of extensions & adapters you can buy cheaply to get a power plug where you want & need it, but be a bit careful... these are the sort of things where some companies charge 10X what they should, creating a market for cheap alternatives that can sometimes be too cheaply made. I have seen power cable extensions that were wired wrong, which can trash a drive.

   Most PC cases are somewhat generic, meaning internally they'll have space for however many drives, whether your PC came with all those spaces filled or not. Most motherboards I think have 4 or more SATA plugs, though you won't have any spare cables. PCs generally use off the shelf power supplies, rather than have anything custom made, but you probably won't know until you open the case whether you have any unused power cables or plugs that you can use either for an extension cable or to plug directly into a drive.

   If you want to add a drive...
   The 1st step is to open the case to see what you've got, so you can determine what you'll need, and also make sure whether you want to go through the hassle or just buy an external drive. If you wanted to add an optical drive [or anything into one of the bays with external access] you'll often have to remove the [usually plastic] cover on the front of the case -- that can be easy, with just a few screws, or a nightmare, with plastic tabs you can't get to that snapped into place. If you do decide to remove that front cover note that there are usually wires going to switches & jacks & LEDs & such -- often those wires can be short, so when you remove the front panel they may come loose from the motherboard. Make sure you note where each one of those wires goes. There may also be some sort of retainer to keep those wires in place, & in that case unless you loosen it the wires will keep you from pulling the front cover away from the case.

   Something to consider -- if you pull the front of a PC case that's often how you get access to clean or add or replace fans. You may want to allow some extra time to clean the existing fan or fans, or buy a replacement for an older fan beforehand, or add a fan if there's a space for one but the manufacturer left it out to save costs.

   Adding &/or replacing hard drives...
   Drives are normally mounted at the front of the case in a sort of cage affair, with little space between the rear of the drives & the right edge of the motherboard, which is mounted to a panel on the right side of the case as you're looking at it from the front. The smaller the case the less room there is. The right edge of the motherboard is where most of the electrical connections including the SATA plugs are very often located.

   With some cases hard drives slide into the drive cage from left to right as you look at the front of the case. With some cases the entire drive cage is easily removable. But unfortunately many cases are designed so hard drives slide into [& out of] the fixed drive cage front to rear. That means to get a hard drive in or out you'll often run into stuff like cables, sometimes cards, sometimes the CPU heatsink & so on. If the manufacturer used, or if when adding a drive you use a drive bay with external access [i.e. the type of bay where you'd have a DVD drive], you can go in & out through the front -- otherwise you have to move or remove everything that's in the way. If when you're replacing a drive it's a big hassle to get the old one out, if you don't need it there's really no reason not to just leave it there, even if it's bad & has been disconnected.

   I like air flow across hard drives, so I'll put them where the air from a front case fan will hit them -- in some cases I have used external bays for hard drives, but then added a fan or fans to keep them cooler. The downside is that anything that partially blocks the airflow from a fan at the front of the case reduces the airflow reaching the case interior, so you should balance that out, using larger or additional fans *if* needed.

   If you need additional storage space but adding or replacing an internal hard drive is a big hassle, consider an external eSATA housing, preferably one that has fan cooling. They're fairly cheap [starting in the $20-$30 range], eSATA works just like SATA, & very often you can add a cheap [maybe $3-$4] eSATA extension that plugs into a SATA port on the motherboard, & adds a eSATA port to the back of the case.

   Posted 10 years ago #
3. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   OK, at this point maybe it makes sense putting down a few words on different strategies to move your stuff from an old hard drive onto a new one. Cloning software works Only when both hard drives are connected at the same time. That means that unless you use an external dock or housing, you have to add a SATA cable & power connection for the new drive. That can be frankly a royal PITA. Some motherboards have their SATA ports facing up, which makes plugging in a cable easy -- others have them facing to the side, & with everything in place & plugged in, they can be almost impossible to get to.

   Likewise it can be a hassle getting power to the new drive. Drive power cables usually have 2 or 3 plugs spaced out along the last 3 to 6 inches of the cable. If one of those plugs is free you might be able to mount the new drive in the case's drive cage & use that plug, or you might be able to use an extension cable connected to a free plug. Yes, there are different sorts of plugs with different voltages, but if you buy an extension for a SATA drive your choices are going to be limited to what works. Look at the pictures, see what the plugs look like, & you can see whether or not you have a free power plug that matches.

   If necessary for cloning a drive you might also be able to use a power or SATA cable that's already plugged into something else, say a DVD drive, or if you're going to use a power cable extension, maybe a case fan.

   An alternative strategy is to store everything on your drive somewhere else, replace the existing drive, then put that data on the new drive. It's often easier when it comes to the physical aspects, mounting the drive & plugging it in, since you don't need additional cables, but you do need to have some place to store the stuff that's on your existing drive. That can be optical discs or a network or internal or external hard drive. And in that case you'd use a disk or partition image backup that you'll restore to the new drive.

   What I do myself is add a secondary hard drive whenever I build a PC that'll hold backup image files. With the case empty it's no big deal. I use either old drives that have been replaced only because they were old, or I'll buy a smaller hard drive when it's on sale for a great price. It's worth it to me to be able to restore a backup in 20-30 minutes without plugging anything in, but then I'm prone to add stuff like beta graphics drivers that might turn out to be junk that I need to get rid of after a week or so. I also look at it as a cheaper, faster, easier, & generally more reliable alternative to an external drive. When it comes time to replace a drive I normally just replace it, restoring the backup from that secondary internal drive. I use cases where the drives slide in from the side, & the cables are already there from the old drive, so it's pretty quick & easy. [This last time I used the USB 3.0 dock 1) because it was a new toy, & 2) so I could try the new version Paragon software.]

   Posted 10 years ago #
4. 

   Whiterabbit-uk
   Games Guru

   Thank you for your tech posts. Really appreciate them. :)

   Posted 10 years ago #

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