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5 Free Apps to Clone Your Hard Drive
Here are four great apps to get the job done - without spending a dime!
DriveImage XML. Runtime Software has never placed too much importance on looks, and it's for a very good reason. Their software works really, really well. DriveImage was the first software I used to create images within Windows. Scheduled backups can be created with the Windows Task Scheduler and command line switches. DriveImage is free for private, home use only. Yes, Macrium Reflect does the same thing and looks nicer,
ed note: at one point Macrium's site made it very difficult to find the free link anymore...it's back, and available for download here -- and I highly recommend it!
For a straight-up, drive-to-drive clone, you can use Runtime's Shadow Copy. Shadow copy is free for everyone, not just home users.
Like DriveImage, XXClone runs in Windows. It has an extremely simple interface, and gives you the option to copy volume ID to your destination and make it bootable. The interface also provides quick access to the Windows disk manager, in case you need to perform some quick drive tasks prior to cloning. XXClone is free for personal, private use.
Those who, like me, prefer imaging from the command prompt should try EaseUs Disk Copy. It's interface looks a bit like a Ghost/Partition Magic mashup. It's very easy to use, handles all types of internal and external drives, and will even work with dynamic disks. DiskCopy is free for everyone.
Linux buffs will urge you to try PING, which I mention in 5 Apps for a Painless Reformat. Ping can clone drives, create bootable recovery media, back up BIOS data, reset passwords, and clean your cat's litter box. Ok, not really, but it's got more tricks up its sleeve than any other free cloning solution.
Did I miss your imaging app of choice? Comment it!
Comments
25
Subscribe to commentshipsterdoofusSep 8th 2008 2:18PM
G4L is an excellent free option.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/g4l
DougOct 3rd 2008 10:02PM
Anyone know if any of these apps will copy to SMALLER DRIVE, given there's enough space, of course.
Thanks,
Doug
Oakland, CA
Lee MathewsOct 3rd 2008 10:03PM
Just about any cloning app worth its salt will. It's a simple comparison between data to be copied and total capacity on the destination!
RocOct 7th 2008 6:30PM
Hey Everyone,
My comment is actually a question. I've seen all these great freeware programs but I'm not sure which one to get.What I want to be able to do is setup my Vista the way i like it with certain startup programs setup and all that and all my programs Photoshop Etc.And then copy the harddrive just like i have it onto a external harddrive then be able to when and if my computer crashes to use my external harddrive as the recovery disk and do it that way. is that possible and if so which one will allow me to do that? thanks and please email me at RocStarProductions@gmail.com So i can get the response It's driving me crazy trying to figure this out lol.
SteveNov 15th 2008 11:12PM
Some idiot (my friend) partionioned my 1TB drive @ 10gb just to start me off and I can't do anything. I have partitioned/formatted the rest of my drive and cloned onto the new partition but I can't get rid of my C drive to use my new partition as my main drive. Any suggestions??????????????????? Please help