What are Drive Imaging and Drive Cloning? 

As an IT professional, cloning and disk imaging has saved SO MUCH TIME

Lots of free programs....doesn't mention even one.

He looks a loooot like the guy from Linus Tech Tips.

Bless Luke, Linus has made the main channel self absorbed and this is all he has left to present on. Prefer Luke in most cases, to see him get excited about building systems is brilliant and he breaks everything into more explainable content than Linus' messy not planned stuff

It becomes easier to wrap your head around if you consider that hard drives (and SSDs) are really just storing complex databases. When you are interacting with the hard drive, you are modifying the database using prescribed rules defined by the partitioning scheme and FS type. When you create an image of the hard drive, you are just reading block data from the disk and storing it in a sparse file (which can have empty space removed from it) for later use by mounting the file or writing the file to a new disk.

WE WANT TO CLONE DENNIS!!!!

Surprised this video isn't sponsored by a disk imaging software company. Don't forget you can go to Control Panel - Backup and Restore - Create a System Image in Pro versions of Windows 7 to 10.

Maybe you should make a video on 'how to upgrade your harddrive to an ssd'. I haven't found a lot of step by step guides. It is especially very confusing when it comes to the software/cloning part. Just an idea.

Great visuals to go with the script. Makes it easy listening

I have to mention that, even if past videos have been in general informative or entertaining, these are the types of videos I not only like the most, but also the ones I find more useful. These types of videos are also more on point with the info, unlike say the electronic components video. That one was pretty unnecessary or just kind of useless to the average pc user, and the info was very simplified. Almost to the point that it seemed misleading or that the host didn't know what he was talking about. The intel i3/5/7 video, hyperthreading, gpu scaling, ram drives, full disk encryption, cpu cache, drive partitions, file systems and nvme videos are all examples of very useful videos for us pc users or maybe useful information to have since there's a good chance you may one day need to use it (also as a pc user; for example full disk encryption). I just hope that you are able to push more videos of this type. VEry good work nonetheless ;)

automagically: when something is done automatically, without any knowledge about the inner workings of the process

GREAT vid. It was super helpful on a topic I wasn't 100% sure on.

Can you do this Imaging or Cloning with two different size HDDs? Do they have to be the same type or can you use a HDD and SSD?

2:36 "cratastrophic" Oh Luke, we love you.

Good man! Concise but comprehensive enough to be useful as a starter. Great style. I was going to ask whether image making software could disregard free space, given that I have just re-installed W7 and the ususal programs for the 9999th time, which I am sick of doing, and I do not have another drive as big as the one I want to create an image of. Thanks. Liked/Subscribed.

Would have been interesting to see you use (test) a couple of these free Drive Imaging/Cloning and show pros/cons. For example: Would it work if you clone/image a clean installed and registered Windows OS to a different Drive then put it onto another motherboard, or would you have to reactivate the key? (And other wierd stuff)...

Great video! Could you do one on public/private key pairs and handshakes, and/or one that gets a little in-depth on hashing algorithms? Thanks!

You should make a video about the backup routines done @ Linus Media Group! we have seen the hardware, and the servers, but what software, how is your backups setup on individual computers? is it window server and client based? is it image based? do you even have full system backups? etc.. or maybe do a video where you test and try different backup solutions both free and paid, preferably only solutions that have been around for a long time that are tried and tested

Thanks Luke I literally needed to do something like this since I bought my nvme ssd this week

Thanks, you guys rock! Tutorial on how to from HDD to smaller SSD and HDD upgrade on LTT maybe?

Could You make a detailed video about cloning harddrives. I would like to clone a hard drive, but I'm too scared too mess it up, specifically the part where you replace the old drive. How do You do it? with drive letters and all, without making a registry mess.

Perhaps its a good idea to mention, that while cloning drives is a form of backing up, it should not be your only method! If you clone a drive with a virus, the virus gets cloned aswell!

I was actually thinking about how to clone a boot drive a couple days ago, awesome

How about a video tutorial using different software for cloning and doing stem images. That would be interesting.

You forgot to mention shadow volume copy, which makes one of your points about not being able to clone live system invalid. It's extensively used by backup software (such as Veeam) to backup files or even incremental system drive backup. It's also used to back up live guest OS on hypervisors or take snapshots of them, etc etc.

I've bought Acronis True Image 2013 and 2016 because I like it so much.

wow,,,,,finally i was able to reach this channel's video after 2 mins it was uploaded

Luke i got to know what is the best free cloning program right now cause my old laptop has a 320gb HDD in it and i plan on slapping in a 1tb SSHD inside but of course want to clone the drive because you know for most companies out there they don't really include the media for installing the OS again (which it was originally Windows 7).

what software (or method) could I use to create an image of a windows with preinstalled apps and settings which I could then install on various computers via usb or even Pxe?

Would be nice if you'd cover RIS/WDS systems next as part two of this episode.

will it boot up and look exactly the same way it did if i clone one HD to another?

Image is the bit-by-bit copy of a physical drive also know as bit-stream copy. It is mostly used in digital forensics for data acquisition.

Im getting a SSD and i wonder what is the best software to make an image from my HDD to install then in my SSD?

Hey LMG I was just wondering why you don't link web pages of programs you recommend when you do videos like this one?

But Luke you did not show us the ways of the force or include links to said freeware...

Can you make a video talking about Sectors vs Blocks; Tracks vs Cylinders; etc explaining what each one is and the differences between all of them? Another one could be about MBR vs GPT and those partition tables? Or Gibibytes vs Gigabytes Tebibytes vs Terabytes, etc.

At the shop we use Clonezilla via PartedMagic boot disc almost exclusively. If the drive's condition is too bad we'll use the Linux dd command.

Hi @Techquickie I have created system image from windows 8 on external drive and I will be upgrading OS to windows 10 on the same machine. Can I restore the system image on windows 10 which is created on windows 8 ? Please reply.

does anyone know which program of disc imaging software I can use that is free?

if i clone hard disk . can i run the programs and . aplication from that clone disk . externaly with the use of any compiuter or do i have to re downloand the content to a new compiuter?

What can I use to create an image of drive with Linux? I use Ghost for Windows

What are those list of FREE Disk Imaging / Cloning Software?

Are there any problems with cloning the os like deactivation of windows

How am I able to create a VM image of my OS using VMware while the OS is running, and create an exact image of the OS?

Are program configurations in Windows stored in the registry?

informative video+Honest commercial = WIN!

can you do one on watercoolers and watercooling installation?

If I want to boot from an ssd but currently only have two hhds both nearly full, can I only clone the operating system so my pc starts quicker because it is not big enough to hold all my data at once?

completely unrelated to this video but what about an episode on khz, especially 44khz vs 48khz and it's effect on syncing audio?

They didn't seem to mention when you load a system image from a backup drive, you get all your files but also identical partitions, so if you want to upgrade to a larger size you have to jump through a few more hoops

2:55 "automagically" I see what you did there

please share your fav imaging and cloning software and few free ones :)

I have used Acronis for years. Those disk images have saved my bacon so many times... With 1TB external drives under $60, and USB 3.0 being common, images can take less than 15 minutes. Worth it.

Any chance you guy's could do a do a comparison of imaging software, there is so many out there now it is almost impossible to know what is best. So a test and review from you guys would be greatly helpful! Even if I am not sure if you guys would be the best to test backup software since you guys lost all of your data from your server..haha sorry I had to do it! :-)

Discuss Anti-Static shielding bags for consumer electronics ;]

What if you used the Windows backup tool and created a "WindowsImageBackup" file on an external drive (it's about 26gb). What good does that do you if your installed OS gets corrupted/destroyed in some way?

any issues with the same license of windows and other software running on multiple devices if you clone to multiple devices?

Where can we get one of those awesome shirts?

Can you clone a MBR formatted drive to a GPT formatted drive?

I'm a tech support and I used Ghost32 since I started my career in IT. It is the best and very easy to use in my opinion.

for the first time I'll never watch a drive imaging I've saw JayzTwoCents video about how to clone a hard drive to solid state drive

So if I have a dead, beeping drive. I open and carefully un-jam it. What would be the Fastest but least stressful way to transfer files, theres around 1.2tb to backup. Is cloning faster than imaging? Or is there any new way?

Uses Macrium for cloning, backup images etc; Kingston offer a free serial # for Acronis with their drives ;)

Is anyone able to help because I have 2 ssd 1tb each and on of them is completely blank and the other one has the windiws 10 system files on but i was wondering how do i get the windows system files onto the 2nd ssd because on the blank ssd I cant save games there or anything because there is no program files or program files x86

I was looking for thing that i've seen: Windows running on two same hard drives(each hard drive have to be the same one) in case one fails you still have data on the other hard drive without manual backup.

Man, I could listen to your voice forever lol

+Techquickie I really like your videos, they are always very informative. But I don't like the fact that you never mention Linux as a very versatile option for pretty much everything you could want to do. For cloning and backup there are dd and fsarchiver as very powerful tools. I would like to see more Linux related content, because it gets more and more popular, even for gamers because Steam provides a big library for Linux.

Great job!

I used malcome reflect (idk how its spelled) its free and works great

There are actually cloning programs that act kinda like a disk image. With many free cloning software you can only clone to a disk that is either the same size or larger. The problem with the more advanced ones that can clone to a smaller drive is you have to pay for them.

Very helpful!!

macrium reflect - it's the free software I use to image and clone drives

Here is when it gets tricky. I have a msi gt73. 2*256gb nvme in raid 0, and a 2tb hdd. I want to upgrade to a 1tb nvme and keep one 256gb nvme. The 2tb hdd is dynamic disc :-/. Would it work if I make a windows full backup to the hdd, then swap one of the 2 nvme to the 1tb new nvme, change the bios settings to use ahci, load a windows install medium from a usb drive, and restore the full backup from that to the 1tb nvme?

I want to change ssd. I have dual boot means Linux and Windows. Its changes anything? Or it will work?

System cloning is the best thing that happened to me since sliced bread.

after cloning with acronis supplied with WD SSHD my system wont boot up. I had to change sata connector to SATA 0 on mobo and change booting up options to force booting from that port.. and still I am getting errors from Linux booting manager saying that drive does not exists and sometimes PC waits before starting up and RED Led BOOT is glowing on Asus mobo. so.. cloning drives does not necessary do the job , it messed up a lot of things including some software not working since the letter drive is different and ID of the drive too, its not copying everything i think

umm can you please do a toturial of how can you put 100 procent of your data from 1 hdd to an a ssd i need help because im going to buy a ssd and change it as my boot drive

I bought the Apricorn upgrade kit months ago and have not been able to get it to work. I have tried their software CD, I tried Ease US, the Samsung cloning software and even the Macrium reflect which is highly recommended. Whenever I insert the cloned drive it does not boot and gives me a blue screen. I went to a PC repair shop and they charged me $35 to tell me that it would cost me 600 to clone my drive. Anyone else have had problems with the Apricorn upgrade kit? The imaging software reads the adapter and not the actual drive.

not all clone software uses sector by sector. arconis for example only copys what it needs and then reconstructs the file system as needed

i have a HP g6 laptop witha 298.09GB HDD (300GB) this laptop has 4 partitions (from the company) # C: (278.34GB) NTFS # D: Recovery (15.59GB) NTFS # E: HP_TOOLS (3.97GB) FAT32 # SYSTEM (199MB) NTFS i can use the F11 key to restore to factory settings without starting Windows (using partition "D") if i clone this HDD to a new HDD or a SDD will it going to clone all the partitions ? and can i still use the F11 key to restore to factory settings ? also if i use a bigger capacity drive like a 1TB what will happen to the extra space 700GB ? the HDD is making some sounds so it's time to get a new drive

I'm surprised you didn't mention the fact that taking an image of a drive is a good way to virtualize an existing system... That's a very common use case. Get an old system, take an image of the disk, then tweak the image a bit and you should be able to use it with VMWare or a similar virtualisation environment.

So... to put it in simple terms, cloning is a faster version of imaging except that your USB can only contain one clone while if you use images, you can store multiple clones?

I use Carbon Copy Cloner, a Mac only programme, for my copying and cloning needs.

i cloned my ssd over to my hdd, and it became almost unusably slow. anyone have any ide why? the hdd was bigger than the ssd

"Automagic" is amazing.

2:13 3:10 skip extra space in imaging

If sistem files are read protected, will create a image help copy ?

What i wanna know is, can the cloning software eliminate malware and viruses? Now that would be dope!

At one point i had to try and clone a dying drive to recover data.Did it sector by sector.Took 5 days, the drive died.But i managed to rebuild it's data quickly with the clone so yay for cloning.You get to try several methods iff you have a Hiren's DVD iso

Aomei Backupper is good. Easy to use interface and free. I've used it for years.

"special imaging software" aka plain old linux with the dd command

can't seem to find any of these free programs, helps plz

What happens if I clone a drive and boot it in a separate machine, but continue to use the original? Will windows detect that the system key is being used twice?

i need to move about 300gb incl. OS from a 3tb HDD to an 500gb ssd is that possible (with cloning)

Thankyou so much ☺️🙏

Good one, thanks!

hey guys, i just bought a 1tb SSD and wanted to replace my main drive the 250gb SSD. what is the best way to do this? Thx in advance.

even though there wasnt any music at the end it started playing in my head lol

Can you clone or take a disk image for FREE through Windows or Mac? Or will I always need to download and purchase a third party software??

If you have a Mac you don't have to worry about any of this (downloading software and stuff) you just connect a drive and turn on time machine. You never have to worry about it because it does everything for you. I have my Mac backup every hour to a drive on my network and all I and to do was turn on time machine.