HDClone Standard freeware equivalent?

[somegeek]

Curious if there is a freeware equivalent to HDClone's standard edition? That is an HD cloning app that will take a drive, create an image file(including MBR) that can be saved on a drive in whatever directory. The app also has a smart copy option which squeezes any blank space on the drive image copy so you don't have to take up HD space with backing up blank space. When you restore the image it also prompts you if you want to adjust the MBR for the new drive size. Know this is a lot to ask for in a freeware app, but wanted to check before I drop $45 on a copy of HD Clone standard.

Appreciate any input.

somegeek

[Know Nuttin]

I don't know if drivexml does this or not but it's probably the most popular freeware app for copying data/creating images.

[RJARRRPCGP]

HDClone sux!

Expect the free version to take 24 to 72 hours! Because it forces you to use PIO mode, like it's 1995!

[somegeek]

HDClone sux!

Expect the free version to take 24 to 72 hours! Because it forces you to use PIO mode, like it's 1995!

So the freeware version sucks?

[neonblingbling]

Try Clonezilla (http://clonezilla.org/). It is a live-CD that sounds like what you want: It can make an image of a drive without using up extra space, it can compress the image, and it also can split up the image if you wanted to burn them onto DVDs.

The only thing I'm not sure about is if it can adjust the MBR for a new drive size, since I haven't tried it. You could always use gparted (http://gparted.sourceforge.net/) for that. ;)

[somegeek]

Looking at DriveImageXML again, I can partition and format the new drive, mark the system partition active, restore the partion and be set. No worries regarding restoring the MBR then. Will go this route. Thanks for the replies.

[Know Nuttin]

doh...i meant driveimagexml...not drivexml...wth...need another coffee....

[SirDrivesALot]

Well, I guess it was a year ago that somegeek was thinking about HDClone vs. DriveImageXML. You seemed hellbent on DriveImageXML so I decided to step out of the way, let the dust clear, get my composure and take a long walk through the desert, perhaps finding an oasis somewhere. Time passed and then:

AM session:
Today I gathered myself together and cloned a Seagate 80GB to a Western Dig 320 with HDClone 3.8.3 (the one on Ultimate Boot CD 4.1.1). In my case, it was a SATA to SATA clone and it went very well but I was kind of scared so I did it twice even though I didn't really have to.
But tonight, I had to clone a Dell 4600C PATA 250GB to new Western Dig PATA 250GB.

PM session:
For this, I can't use HDClone (at least I suspect not, I would instead need HDClone Standard Edition). So I decided to burn an ISO of Easeus 2.3, then I took the drive out of my 4600C (they only have one drive bay, can't clone internally too easily, at least without some other medium) and I popped it into an eMachines T6412 after removing it's drive to make room. I then booted up to Easeus 2.3 (I got a little nervous as the system gradually loaded it's stuff but then it gives you the simple "video-game-like" screen, I followed the prompts and wow! It ran for 2 hours 49 minutes and went perfectly. I then simply took the newly-cloned drive out of the T6412 and popped it into the 4600C. I booted (and apart from a slight furrowed brow from the BIOS about a new drive), it booted perfectly.
So the moral of this story, is, it's not always necessary to do voodoo to Windows. It really is possible to CLONE a hard-drive (as in exact genetic duplicate, no extra tables floating around to worry about. I am really amazed at how easy it was to clone 230GB (1.3 GB/minute), in less than 3 hours. I didn't have to do ANYTHING to the cloned drive, no copying boot.inis or NTLDRs, or NTDETECT.com, no registry editing of SAM hives or whatever. Just start the program, watch tv, play guitar, and then take the drive out and boot up.
Hope this helps some of you guys pick a program. Good luck. :)
SirDrivesALot