I have an ancient IBM-PC machine that contains the software and instructions for a coordinate measurement machine used by our engineers. The computer is incredibly outdated, and effectively irreplaceable. At least, we have no way to reinstall everything if it goes south on us or get an updated version. So, prime backup opportunity!
Trick is, it has no USB, no CD drive, effectively no nothing. Sooo… I have two possible plans, and I'm hoping someone will please check my logic.
Plan # 1: Purchase and install an IDE hard drive and IDE CD-ROM drive, and use Clonezilla to create a full image of the existing drive on the new one. (This plan assumes the form factor of the mobo supports IDE. I'm checking the interior of the box during a downtime cycle early next week.) Assuming they can physically plug in, will a Clonezilla bootable CD recognize the new hardware? Considering the keyboard is the old DIN type plug, my memory is fuzzy on what internal connections this thing is likely to have.
Plan # 2: Install a PCI USB card, plug in an external USB drive, and use a bootable Clonezilla USB flash drive to boot up and create the image. This plan assumes PCI is supported, like my assumption for Plan # 1 with IDE. Same question here as in Plan # 1: will Clonezilla recognize the new hardware?
Making the HEROIC assumption that both PCI and IDE are viable options here, which seems most likely to succeed on a 386 this ancient? I will not be able (or competent) to install or configure the new hardware in the existing OS; if the BIOS doesn't recognize my new pieces and "just work", I'll be a bit lost. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Thanks very much anyone who reads this!
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All right, sounds like that's what I'll go with. Thanks very much for the help! It'll take a bit before the parts I need arrive, and the maintenance cycle opens up, but I'll write back with my success or failure.
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Hello all,
I have an ancient IBM-PC machine that contains the software and instructions for a coordinate measurement machine used by our engineers. The computer is incredibly outdated, and effectively irreplaceable. At least, we have no way to reinstall everything if it goes south on us or get an updated version. So, prime backup opportunity!
Trick is, it has no USB, no CD drive, effectively no nothing. Sooo… I have two possible plans, and I'm hoping someone will please check my logic.
Plan # 1: Purchase and install an IDE hard drive and IDE CD-ROM drive, and use Clonezilla to create a full image of the existing drive on the new one. (This plan assumes the form factor of the mobo supports IDE. I'm checking the interior of the box during a downtime cycle early next week.) Assuming they can physically plug in, will a Clonezilla bootable CD recognize the new hardware? Considering the keyboard is the old DIN type plug, my memory is fuzzy on what internal connections this thing is likely to have.
Plan # 2: Install a PCI USB card, plug in an external USB drive, and use a bootable Clonezilla USB flash drive to boot up and create the image. This plan assumes PCI is supported, like my assumption for Plan # 1 with IDE. Same question here as in Plan # 1: will Clonezilla recognize the new hardware?
Making the HEROIC assumption that both PCI and IDE are viable options here, which seems most likely to succeed on a 386 this ancient? I will not be able (or competent) to install or configure the new hardware in the existing OS; if the BIOS doesn't recognize my new pieces and "just work", I'll be a bit lost. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Thanks very much anyone who reads this!
Plan #1 is recommended. Because for plan #2, it might fail due to the old BIOS does not support USB boot.
I am not sure how old is your machine, but the stable or testing Clonezilla is using i486 kernel so it might work on your machine.
Good luck.
Steven.
All right, sounds like that's what I'll go with. Thanks very much for the help! It'll take a bit before the parts I need arrive, and the maintenance cycle opens up, but I'll write back with my success or failure.