How do I copy a hard drive?

If there is not enough space on the old hard disk to write new data, and the performance is reduced, you can transfer all data to a new hard disk or other medium.

You can read about how to copy information from the hard drive, keeping it working, below.

How to Copy a Hard Drive to Another Media

If you copy ordinary standard files that are not involved in the operation of Windows, you can transfer them manually, saving the folder structure.

However, if you want to transfer the Windows OS itselfand other system files and at the same time to keep the system working, then you will need a special program for cloning the hard disk to another medium.

There are two simple programs for this:

• Seagate DiscWizard.
• Handy Backup.

Cloning a Hard Drive with Seagate DiscWizard

The program Seagate DiscWizard is based on the popular utility Acronis, but it is completely free.

Working with the program is easy:

1. Download and install the program.
2. Run it. In the program window, click on "Clone Disk".
3. In a new window, specify which mode you need -automatic or manual. Automatic mode copies the specified hard disk unchanged to the media. In the manual mode, you can specify the necessary copy options, such as assigning a partition size.
4. After selecting the mode, go to the next window, where you specify the medium to which we will clone the data. After selecting, click the "Next" button.
5. If you selected manual mode, then in a new windowyou have to specify how the information will be transferred. There are three options - one in one, proportionally and manually. The first option implies that the size of the partitions will not change. The second option - the size will change based on the amount of media. If the medium is smaller than the old one, then the partitions will be reduced. The manual option will allow you to customize and create partitions of the required volume.
6. In the next window, specify the files and folders that you want to transfer and start the process.

Cloning a Hard Drive with Handy Backup

The program Handy Backup helps you to transfer all information or individual subsections from the hard disk to any other media, preserving the folder structure and the working capacity of the files.

This program will allow you to transfer Windows toany other computer with saving its parameters. Thanks to this, you can install the OS very quickly on any computer, and also transfer all necessary installed programs at once.

Working with the program is also easy, as with the Seagate DiscWizard.

Also if you need to copy or rewrite the disc, then you can read our articles How to copy a disc and How to rewrite a disc.