Hard disk cloning Hardware

[bunty]

Guys Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year

I am looking for a reliable and rugged hard disk cloning device with Native IDE + SATA support.
I have searched internet but available options are too costly ( ICS https://ics-iq.com/)
On the lower range typical docking type device like startech may not be suitable for On-site work.
Can someone pls. suggest a mid range device ( upto $ 400 + shipping customs)

[bunty]

I feel Disk cloners with IDE support have become rare. I will have to look for alternates , one such alternate is to build custom linux cloning tool .Does anyone know who does this work Bootable live program should directly run with source target window instead current softwares based on full linux distro. I will put this in other forums too

[vx1]

Check this:

http://www.sdcomputingservice.com/hddsuperclone

[bunty]

Thanks vx1

I am using hddsuperclone for long time , its most powerful tool as of now which is partly free.
Since I am unable to find Native IDE disk cloner ,my target is to have a dedicated standalone cloner solution .Any technician with baisc knowledge should be able to take this pc on site and do automated cloning.

[lcoughey]

You could just get a couple of adapters like these https://www.startech.com/HDD/Adapters/S ... SAT2IDEADP to connect IDE drives in a SATA port. Then just get a SATDUP11 for the hardware cloner or a RapidSpar if you require for unstable drives.

[maximus]

You could just get a couple of adapters like these https://www.startech.com/HDD/Adapters/S ... SAT2IDEADP to connect IDE drives in a SATA port. Then just get a SATDUP11 for the hardware cloner or a RapidSpar if you require for unstable drives.

Cool adapter, I just ordered one to test with

As for the SATDUP11, I would think you could do better with a cheap laptop (from ebay) with USB 3.0 ports, a couple USB 3.0 SATA docking stations, and a couple of those adapters you mentioned. Install Linux on the laptop to use hddsuperclone (free version). That way you have something that can handle bad sectors, has a form of skipping away from bad spots, can be resumed, and can give much better visual information. From what I can tell you have to set the number of acceptable errors on the SATDUP11 to keep going for bad sectors, which is not ideal at all, and if it stops resuming would be difficult.

One thing about using a USB docking station, you need to test the dock with some known bad drives to see how it reacts. You need to make sure it correctly reports bad sectors, and if possible test how it reacts to a drive that locks up and goes offline. Not all USB bridges are created equal, and testing can make sure you have one that will perform as needed.

And as stated, if you really need something that can handle unstable drives then you would need something like a RapidSpar . Another option on the cheaper side would be a desktop computer with the needed IDE and SATA connections running the paid pro version of hddsuperclone, but that becomes much less portable. Some laptops have a PCI slot on them, and you could possibly get an adapter card for SATA/IDE, but then you also need some form of power supply for the source drive. The destination can be a USB docking station.

[bunty]

Thanks lcoughey and maximus

Actually I am dealing with older IDE drives often as low as few GB. Being very old they might be having compatibility issues with any USB adapters.
Besides I want to do cloning on raw SATA / IDE mode and not through any uSBconversion mode.
Since this has to be performed on site in front of customer multiple cables converters is not good idea.
It should be simple and as quick as possible.Fortunately I have found some products exactly matching this requirement.

[digisupport]

Thanks lcoughey and maximus

Actually I am dealing with older IDE drives often as low as few GB. Being very old they might be having compatibility issues with any USB adapters.
Besides I want to do cloning on raw SATA / IDE mode and not through any uSBconversion mode.
Since this has to be performed on site in front of customer multiple cables converters is not good idea.
It should be simple and as quick as possible.Fortunately I have found some products exactly matching this requirement.

@bunty, the adapter lcoughey posted a link to is IDE 2 SATA, not USB

[maximus]

Bunty does have a point about very old IDE drives. Now that I think about it, with the IDE to SATA adapter, then putting that in a USB SATA dock would be at the mercy of the dock, and I bet an old CHS only drive would not work.

Since it is indicated that a solution has been found, I won't get into this much more. But it does have me thinking of a way to get around that issue, and that is to get a laptop with an eSATA port, and one of the SATA docks that has both USB and eSATA connections. It might be something I will have to try in the future to see if it actually works.

[linuxversion]

eSATA ports are harder to find these days, but many laptops have as many as 3 sata interfaces for hard drive m.2 sata, and dvd drive. If you resolve the power issue externally (maybe bring along a flex atx psu, or have the laptop charger pass through a 12v and 5v regulator) it should be possible to use a laptop as a mobile hddsuperclone station.

[maximus]

eSATA ports are hard to find on a newer laptop, just as the express cart slot. But you can find used or refurbished laptops for a good deal. And let's be honest, if you are using hddsuperclone for things like this (especially the free version), you are on a budget of some type, and a used laptop would be your choice. I am just thinking out loud about how something like this could be done within the likes of a $400 budget, and yet be robust and functional, without any abnormal needs (no special wiring or anything, just plug and go). And maybe even be able to handle the pro version options of hddsuperclone.

[bunty]

Yes maximus
That will make it a robust out of box solution.

[lcoughey]

Thanks lcoughey and maximus

Actually I am dealing with older IDE drives often as low as few GB. Being very old they might be having compatibility issues with any USB adapters.
Besides I want to do cloning on raw SATA / IDE mode and not through any uSBconversion mode.
Since this has to be performed on site in front of customer multiple cables converters is not good idea.
It should be simple and as quick as possible.Fortunately I have found some products exactly matching this requirement.

@bunty, the adapter lcoughey posted a link to is IDE 2 SATA, not USB

This is correct. I rarely use mine in a dock, rather just connect directly to SATA ports when needed.

[S.Haran]

I feel Disk cloners with IDE support have become rare. I will have to look for alternates , one such alternate is to build custom linux cloning tool

I made a custom bootable Linux that may be of interest. I call it a one-way cloner/imager. It uses ddrescue to clone (used sectors only) or image (all sectors) from a SATA connected drive to a USB connected drive.

Once it boots it does the copy in a completely hands-free unattended fashion, reads SATA writes to USB. And sends an email report upon completion.

It could be easily modified to work with IDE.

[bunty]

Good Attempt S.Haran
This type of dedicated cloner is useful for onsite cloning or any junior technician with basic knowledge can do cloning easily.
I want similar cloner (sector by sector mode only) for both SATA and IDE. I have heard that block cloning can be achieved by issuing ATA copy commands as well.
Selected source should get write protected for accidental overwrite

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