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Cloning an NTFS partition results in RAW clone

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baskak
2016-08-08
2016-08-27
  • baskak

    baskak - 2016-08-08

    Hi!
    I tried to clone my 8.1 system NTFS partition to an NTFS partition created on external HDD. Clonezilla (run from an USB stick) reported a successful clone, as far as I could tell from the messages, but it's now a RAW partition to Windows 7. What should I do? Attempt repair? I used most obvious options, leaving default ones wherever possible. If there's anything I should provide (log?), please inform me where to search for it.

    To explain what I'm trying to do:
    I need to submit my new laptop for warranty repair, so my idea was to clone the system partition and access it from another computer for work in the meantime (for example I need access to my Thunderbird profile), and when my new laptop's back, clone it back onto its system partition. I don't want to let my data out, obviously, while on the other hand configuring system anew is a few days' work for me, so I'd like to avoid it at all costs.
    If anybody has a better idea for what I'm trying to achieve, please do suggest.

    Thanks in advance.

     

    Last edit: baskak 2016-08-08
  • Helen Green

    Helen Green - 2016-08-09

    Yours is a good one. Since you failed using Clonezilla, you may try the other clone software like Aomei Backupper. Or, you can just make a backup of your current system to your external HDD and restore it back when your new laptop's back.

     
  • Steven Shiau

    Steven Shiau - 2016-08-09

    "a RAW partition to Windows 7" -> Could you please boot Clonezilla live, and run the following commands in the command line prompt:
    1. sudo -i
    2. parted -s /dev/sda

    Then post the results of (2). Thanks.

    Steven

     
  • baskak

    baskak - 2016-08-09

    Hi,
    I did some work in the meantime, due to my time running out, namely recovering the partitions with the EaseUS Partition Master and trying again with the -k1 option. The external disk has two partitions, one for cloning, and currently I need to recover both after every Clonezilla cloning attempt. While working, Clonezilla complaints it can't find the partition I've chosen as a target partition just a minute earlier, like it erases it itself.
    So I can't give the results regarding the first operation, but I can give the results of the state left by Clonezilla afterwards, described above (no actual cloning, just "lost" partiton(s) during preparatory stage). And here they are (attached). I tried sdc first, because IIRC it was the external disk's symbol. (Can't confirm cause now it doesn't show up anymore.)
    PS. How would I log this command line prompt results to a file? And how would I log Clonezilla's operations?
    PPS. I seemingly succesfully cloned a Ubuntu partition earlier, with checking recoverability done, so I was quite confident regarding the Windows partition.
    Thanks in advance.

     
  • Steven Shiau

    Steven Shiau - 2016-08-09

    Oops. My bad. I should say the command is:
    parted -s /dev/sda print
    parted -s /dev/sdc print

    Steven

     
  • baskak

    baskak - 2016-08-09

    here it is:

     
  • baskak

    baskak - 2016-08-09

    and here's what the Partition Master shown for recovery after Clonezilla messed with the disk:

     
  • Steven Shiau

    Steven Shiau - 2016-08-15

    So /dev/sda is the source disk, and /dev/sdc is the destination disk? You have "cloneed" sda to sdc? If so, it does not looks the cloning is done. The partition layout of sdc showning in your photo does not contain any partitions.
    Actually for this case, I suggest you to save the source disk (/dev/sda) as an image in the destination disk (/dev/sdc), not to "clone" it.
    For the step-by-step doc about saving the image, please check this:
    http://clonezilla.org/show-live-doc-content.php?topic=clonezilla-live/doc/01_Save_disk_image

    Steven

     
  • baskak

    baskak - 2016-08-15

    Hello, thanks for the reply. Yes, /dev/sda is the source disk, and /dev/sdc is target. Not only cloning seems not to be done, also another partition vanished and needs to be recovered. Repeated a few times with the same result. Is it a bug?
    And no, I wasn't looking for an disk image copy, since I need constant r/w access to the clone's contens, as explained in my initial post.
    I resorted to other software (MiniTool Partition Wizard Free), and it did it without much hassle.

     
  • Steven Shiau

    Steven Shiau - 2016-08-27

    Not sure if it's a bug or not. If it's reproducible here, then we can fix it. Has to find a way to reproduce here, but no idea how to start it because the normal tests here work.

    Steven

     

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