If I asked this years ago I don't recall where to find it. How is the
Raw Copy tool loaded from a bootable CD to clone one disk to another.

Why is it called Raw Copy tool as opposed to a cloner? As I recall it hacs something to do with recording errors along with data.

Please bring me up to date on this.

You can load something like portable windows on hirens boot cd and run the raw copy tool from there.

Why is it called raw copy tool ? Well, why does Norton Ghost is called Norton Ghost and not Norton clone tool ?

Hardware cloners create a "Map" and the image/clone. This way if you have to shut down the copy process by the use of the map you know what was already cloned/imaged and what was not. Also you can mark on the Map what you want to copy/clone/image.

Examples of Hardware cloning :

http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=1410
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1183
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1184

Of course this is VERY OLD and OUTDATED tool and almost impossible to buy and you will not want to use that, but any modern updated tool like DDI4, PC-3000 UDMA, MRT PRO, etc will allow you to do this sort of cool stuff that you can't do with software only.

As for cloning drives with huge amount of bad sectors, delays and problematic sectors you might want to take a look at ddrescue :

http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=117&t=1160

Regards.

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I have the Hirens Boot CD. How does it find the Raw Copy tool? I don't recall seeing on it's list. Also have there been recent revisions or updates to it?

I'm looking for this kind of tool for my toolbox to use all the time not as an emergency utility.

In that regard, when using the Raw Copy tool is it recommended to use a boot refresh routine prior to the Raw Copy? By this I mean: On the Win7 install disk, should one run the Fixmbr and Fixboot routines from the Dos shell?

You can add any portable tool you like to hirens CD or you can boot from Hirens windows and load the tools from a pen, if you don't want to burn your own costumized hirens cd/dvd.

Why would you want to do a Fixmbr and Fixboot on the drive you are cloning ? If the drive is fine you shouldn't do a thing. If you are trying to clone a failing drive you better use ddrescue instead.

What is your goal ?

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I'll have to look up ddrescue. I have been in that spot. If such things as refresh are not needed until they are _needed_ then I'll take your advice.

I've found pen drives to be a problem. The Linux routines under which a boot install can be done to a thumb drive and the programs that do so are not smooth to install. That may have changed but I think a good idea is a bootable thumbdrive with no dual operating system required. Microsoft has been a barrier to doing so.