What is the difference between making a clone of a "partition" and the "disk"?

Captain Kirk

Captain Kirk

Member
Hi people,

I just recently used XP to do a fresh install. I had an external hd hooked up at the same time. I accidently deleted the partition in the Windows setup.

As far as I know, when you delete/create a partition, it only formats the hd.
But when I tried to recover the lost data with 3 recovery programs and 4 7 hour failed runs, I found that no lost data could be found.

Somehow the XP "delete partition" is the same as a killdisk COMPLETE wipe. I lost 20 Gigs of data. I was not able to recover ANY files!!!!

Now I want to figure out how to make a backup so that this doesn't happen again. I have made a clone, but it was the VERY first time that I have done so. I am not quite sure if I have done it correctly. AND, I have not restored a clone, even once, so I do not know this process.

What is the difference between making a clone of a "partition" and the "disk"?:o
 
You must not be using the right software to recover the partition, because simply deleting a partition in XP is NOWHERE NEAR a killdisk wipe - it simply deletes the partition.

Try downloading Hirens Boot CD and boot to that. Run Mini Windows XP and try some of the partition recovery software in there.
 
Captain Kirk said:
What is the difference between making a clone of a "partition" and the "disk"?:o
Click to expand...

You mean a clone and a backup? Backup can mean different things to different people. But basically a backup is a copy of your most important files and so on. A clone is a complete bootable copy of your drive.
 
StrangleHold said:
You mean a clone and a backup? Backup can mean different things to different people. But basically a backup is a copy of your most important files and so on. A clone is a complete bootable copy of your drive.
Click to expand...

That's not the difference between a "partition" and a "disk". The disk is the entire hard drive. The partition is just that, the single partition. You could have multiple partitions on a hard drive.
 
voyagerfan99 said:
That's not the difference between a "partition" and a "disk". The disk is the entire hard drive. The partition is just that, the single partition. You could have multiple partitions on a hard drive.
Click to expand...

I know that, but could not figure out what he meant really. Said he had a external hard drive hooked up and never said he had more then one partition on the main drive.
 
I guess computer talk is really tricky because if you say one word, it technically means something else, even if it is the general meaning that is commonly used to indicate the basic function of this. No, I did NOT mean a "backup" -- I meant ONLY a clone. I guess I cannot call a clone a backup, even if that's what it is [but not computer technicality], because my meaning might be misconstrued.

I "resized" my hd. I had "unallocated space", so I created this into a separate partition. I made a clone. But I do not know if this clone is a "partition clone" or a "disk clone".

QUESTION
Which type of clone do you think that it made?

Let's say that it was a "partition clone" for example. This clone has my OS on it; and it is saved onto a DVD. I have NEVER restored a clone so I am completely in the dark about how exactly to do this. And by the way, this is the FIRST time that I have made a program, so I am completely new to this whole process!

If:
1> I was to format my entire hd
2> Then resize it to the size that I made for the clone
3> Copy the clone from the DVD onto the hd
4> Resize my hd back to its original 20 Gig size

Then:
If I booted, would my OS boot up?
[Clone restore successful]

I next to NEVER have my external drive hooked up. I only use it for computer repair, and even then, when a task or 1 day, whichever comes first, elapses, then I disconnect it.
 
So you had unallocated space on your hard drive, so you cloned the main partition onto it? In any case, you did a partition clone, because you can't do an entire drive clone onto the same disk that it's coming from.

Second, I have no idea what you're talking about. You created a clone of your OS partition onto a DVD? How did you do that?

Also, if you format the drive and do a clone back, it'll set the drive to use the full capacity or you can do just the size of the backup.
 
StrangleHold said:
I know that, but could not figure out what he meant really.
Click to expand...

That was a understatement now, lol.

Captain Kirk said:
I "resized" my hd. I had "unallocated space", so I created this into a separate partition. I made a clone. But I do not know if this clone is a "partition clone" or a "disk clone".
Click to expand...

Is this really your question?

First question, what program are you using to clone your drive?

Second. If you made a second partition with the unallocated space, is there anything on the second partition.

Third. Are you just trying to make a clone of your OS and make it the full size of the new drive?
 
So you had unallocated space on your hard drive, so you cloned the main partition onto it?
Click to expand...
No. I cloned it onto another drive/DVD drive

I will go back to the beginning of time. Here is how I made the clone:

1> I formatted the hd
2> I did a fresh install of Windows
3> I resized my 20 gig hd to 4 gigs, which was just about the same size as the data on it [3.75 gigs]
4> I created a partition on the 16 gigs of "unallocated space" on my hd
5> I started the Active Partition Recovery Enterprise v6 program
6> I put a DVD in my DVD drive
7> I made a clone. The source: the hd with the OS. Destination: DVD

NOTE
The "source" and the "destination" are NOT the same: I did not copy the clone onto the same drive that I was cloning!

Second, I have no idea what you're talking about. You created a clone of your OS partition onto a DVD? How did you do that?
Click to expand...
I'll explain to you how to do this:

1> Format entire hd
2> Resize the hd to the size that you made the clone
3> Copy the clone from the DVD onto the hd
4> Now resize your hd back to its original 20 Gig size

Second. If you made a second partition with the unallocated space, is there anything on the second partition.
Click to expand...
As I just created the second partition, there is NOTHING on it!!!!!!

Third. Are you just trying to make a clone of your OS and make it the full size of the new drive?
Click to expand...
There is no new drive: I am going to use the clone to put back on the same drive if I need it. When I do so, the process of restoring the clone will be preceeded by the deletion of all partitions, create one partition, and a format [or just a format, I don't want to confuse you].

Is this really your question?
Click to expand...
Okay forget about this question. New question:
<< If the partition that I made was a "partition clone" >>

If I restored a clone onto my hd from a saved clone file on ANOTHER drive, will my system boot up when I reboot?
 
What you created was neither. You created a system image onto the DVD. When you "clone" a drive, you copy either the drive or partition(s) directly onto another hard disk drive.
 
So what if I was to do this same process that I described to you, EXCEPT that instead of the "destination" being the DVD, it was another drive/or flashdrive. Then, once this "clone" was a saved file, copy this clone image onto a DVD.

At this point, when I boot the computer after a restore back, will my OS run?
 
It still sounds like you're making a backup image. So it still isn't a clone. A clone occurs when you directly copy everything on one drive over to another.
 
Like said above, when you say clone it makes people think your cloning your harddrive to another harddrive. What your doing is referred to as a Backup/Restore.
 
The program that I used to make a clone is called, "Active Partition Recovery Enterprise v6".

This is what I did:
> I created a raw disk image [of selected hd]

QUESTION
When you make a clone, sometimes is it saved into a single file? I thought I saw this with Symantec Norton Ghost.

So how can you "tell" if you have a clone OR a backup?

Capain Kirk
 
Captain Kirk said:
The program that I used to make a clone is called, "Active Partition Recovery Enterprise v6".

This is what I did:
> I created a raw disk image [of selected hd]

QUESTION
When you make a clone, sometimes is it saved into a single file? I thought I saw this with Symantec Norton Ghost.

So how can you "tell" if you have a clone OR a backup?

Capain Kirk
Click to expand...

As said before, when you "clone" a drive, there is no image saved. Everything is directly copied from one drive to another. When you make a backup/recovery image, it saves a single file.
 
I think I figured it out: I was using the wrong program.
Active Partition Recovery Enterprise v6

I do not know what I created, but I was not able to restore the file that I made with the SAME program! Whatever happened -- it failed. And since this was the First time that I had made a clone, this whole process is a lot more discombobulating.
 
The program that I used to make my FIRST clone [I don't know what Active Partition Recovery Enterprise v6 made, but I don't think it was a clone] is called
Active@ Disk Image

I am trying to make a clone disk image. I think I succeeded.

I think the problem is solved, except that I have not EVER restored a clone back to the drive, even a single time, but from what I hear, if you were to make a clone disk image of a hd with a running OS on it, that when you format the hd and do a clone restore back, that upon boot, the OS will start right up?

I think the problem that I was having is that I was using the wrong program!
 
You're also still using the wrong terminology. There is a very big difference between a CLONE and a BACKUP IMAGE. Not only are you still confusing yourself, but you're confusing others as well.

Go back and read what I have said before, because frankly I'm getting tired of saying the same thing over and over when you keep dragging your topics into the mud.
 
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