Cloned Hard Drive - Strange Results?

Arkanus

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Aug 8, 2010
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Hello! I have a little question about results after cloning hard drives.

I just cloned my hard drive (two partitions) for the first time using "EaseUs Todo Backup 9.2" to clone my current 2 TB drive to another one of similar brand with the same disk space (also, it was completely empty).

Instead of getting an exactly similar duplicate, the cloned drive has 1GB less of free disk space in one of its partitions, in comparison with the original one. Why did it happen? Maybe because I cloned it "sector by sector"?

Should I clone the hard drive again? I don't know if I should trust that cloned drive to restore my system, since it has such a big difference in free disk space.
 
Solution
Assuming that the disk-cloning operation was successful in that ALL the cloned data from the source disk resides on the destination disk and the latter drive (assuming it contains an OS) boots & functions without any problems...

And further assuming that the 1 TB of "free disk space" is "unallocated" disk-space residing to the RIGHT of the second partition of the 2 TB, you could employ Disk Management to "Extend Volume" of that second partition to encompass that remaining unallocated disk-space. (I'm assuming in all this, of course, that the present cloned 2nd partition contains ALL the data that was (is) on the 2nd partition of your 2 TB source HDD).

Another option if you care to pursue it is to undertake a different disk-cloning...
Sector-by-sector cloning copies any bad sectors which are found on the source drive, and whereas those sectors will appear to not exist on the source drive itself, those sectors will be included in the free space on the target drive.

So you've got 1GB of bad sectors on both drives actually, but on the source drive you can't see them because Windows has made them unavailable.

I do not use sector-by-sector cloning as I never want bad sectors to be included, and I advise you to do the same otherwise those bad sectors will get used for new files and may lose data.
 
Assuming that the disk-cloning operation was successful in that ALL the cloned data from the source disk resides on the destination disk and the latter drive (assuming it contains an OS) boots & functions without any problems...

And further assuming that the 1 TB of "free disk space" is "unallocated" disk-space residing to the RIGHT of the second partition of the 2 TB, you could employ Disk Management to "Extend Volume" of that second partition to encompass that remaining unallocated disk-space. (I'm assuming in all this, of course, that the present cloned 2nd partition contains ALL the data that was (is) on the 2nd partition of your 2 TB source HDD).

Another option if you care to pursue it is to undertake a different disk-cloning operation with a program I'm going to recommend...

The disk-cloning program (Casper) is one that we have been using for a number of years and which I heartily recommend for its ease of use, general effectiveness, and speed.

Although the program is a commercial one costing $49.99 there is a Trial Edition available which you could use and hopefully it will be successful as it relates to your situation. I would urge you to give it a try. It's user-friendly with a simple straightforward user interface. There's really nothing to lose by doing so since even if the d-c operation fails your source drive's data is unaffected.

So if you're so inclined...here are some instructions for doing so...

Before undertaking a disk-cloning (data-migration) operation involving the transfer of data from one's boot drive to another drive it is imperative that the following criteria are met:

A. The current boot (source) drive functions without any problems.
B. The proposed destination disk is non-defective.
C. You would be satisfied with your destination disk essentially containing a bit-for-bit copy of your source drive.
D. The disk-space capacity of the destination drive is sufficiently large enough to contain the total data contents of the source disk.

I'll assume all the above criteria are met in your situation. If not, read no further.

(BTW, these instructions assume the source disk contains an OS and the destination disk (as the recipient of the clone) is designed to ultimately function as a bootable drive in the system, presumably replacing the source disk. If, however, the drives involved in the disk-cloning operation are strictly data drives and no OS is involved in the migration of data then it's unnecessary to follow steps 6. & 7. below).

1. Download/install the Casper Trial Edition 10 (v10.0.6044) disk-cloning program from: https://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/trial/

2. Before undertaking the disk-cloning operation close all open programs. (Generally you need not disable your anti-virus program). Ensure your destination drive - the proposed recipient of the clone - is properly connected in the system. It can either be installed internally in the system (presumably a desktop PC), or externally as a USB device should you be using a laptop/notebook.

3. Click "Add drive" and a window open listing the destination drive. Ensure that's the correct drive you desire as the recipient of the clone (just in case other multiple drives are connected). Click on that disk's listing and then "Yes" on the confirmation message that follows.

4. Click on "Back up now" (after again assuring that it's the right drive you desire to receive the cloned contents of the source disk).

5. Casper will begin the disk-cloning operation running in the background. If you want to view the progress of the disk-cloning operation click on the Casper icon visible on the Taskbar or in the Notification area of the Taskbar.

6. Following the successful disk-cloning operation disconnect (when practicable) the source drive from the system and boot solely to the connected destination drive. As a general proposition it's a good idea (whenever practical) for the newly-cloned drive to be connected to the motherboard's first SATA data connector, usually designated SATA 0 or SATA 1.
Also, check the system's BIOS/UEFI to ensure the cloned drive is now first in boot priority order.

7. If your destination disk was connected as a USB external drive for the disk-cloning operation, boot to it to determine whether it's a bootable drive while connected as a USB external device. Ensure you select the drive from the boot menu during bootup. If it's unbootable while connected as a USB external drive (since many systems will balk at booting from a USB device), most likely it will be bootable when connected internally in the system.

8. Casper will utilize the entire disk-space of the destination drive to contain the data contents from the source drive.

If you do decide to give it a try let us know the results, OK?
 
Solution