# Make a perfect copy of drive C:\\ on Drive D:\\ **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 18, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501 "2003-01-18T18:05:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/1 "2003-01-18T18:05:51Z")
I want to make a mirror image of my C: drive on my D: drive, however windows 98 will not let me copy system files that are in use. I made a copy of Xcopy and put it on a bootable floppy but I keep getting errors, also cant do it in DOS because there are still system files in use. The goal is to be able to use the D: drive as my primary, and I don’t want to louse any of my system settings - I’m just trying to migrate all my stuff to a bigger disk. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/2 "2003-01-18T18:27:42Z")
What you need is an imaging program. If D: is a separate physical drive then you can probably download a utility from the manufacturer’s website. I’ve had good experiences with [Maxtor’s](http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/downloads/maxblast_plus_ii.htm) and [Western Digital’s](http://support.wdc.com/download/index.asp#dlgtools). If it’s a partition on the same drive you’ll probably need to use a commercial program like Symantec Ghost. ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/3 "2003-01-18T18:36:25Z")
\*\* Akatsukami \*\* wrote… > [@](#): > > :: pours Janx Spirit on Janx:: > > ``` > ::goes off to find a match:: > > ``` Oh, your just jealous because, as a newbie, _I_ ge to have sticky, gloppy things tossed at me. \*\* tavalla \*\* wrote… > [@](#): > > _coats Janx in a thick layer of Vegemite_ Thank you \*\* tavalla \*\* your Vegemite layer has just rendered me totally non flammable. Take that \*\* Akatsukami \*\*! \*\* lel \*\* wrote… > [@](#): > > _throws roasted lamb and some toast at Janx_ Mmmmm Me like toooast! Thanks for the welcomes guys! Now I feel all warm and…sticky. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/4 "2003-01-18T18:50:14Z")
Tried Norton Ghost yet? Apparently this is what they use at my school to setup hard-disks after formatting them (usually to get rid of err…games) ---
**Author:** ![Alescus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Alescus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alescus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/5 "2003-01-18T18:56:08Z")
Seagate’s DiscWizard did the job for me. Although intended for Seagate drives, it’s free and worked with my Western Digital drives. I tried Western Digital’s utility first, but it complained about a disk error that supposedly stopped it from continuing, although I couldn’t find this error with ScanDisk. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/6 "2003-01-18T19:07:36Z")
Ummm… **Janx**? W/R/T your second post, you used the wrong window!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/7 "2003-01-18T19:11:31Z")
**Janx** copied and pasted his post from the UnaBoard. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/8 "2003-01-18T19:18:55Z")
Look, I know it’s frustrating, but smearing your hard drive in Vegemite and setting it on fire just isn’t going to help. ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/9 "2003-01-18T19:22:06Z")
**Janx** , it might help if you throw toast at the hard drive after it’s smeared in vegemite… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/10 "2003-01-18T19:42:47Z")
Yep, real “ice cream on the forehead” time there Janx. Let this be a lesson children - NEVER be posting to two boards that use the same software at the same time, all the windows look the same! I asked that it be deleted but now there so many responses they probably won’t. Oh well. I imagine life will go on. \*\* Number \*\* wrote… > [@](#): > > Look, I know it’s frustrating, but smearing your hard drive in Vegemite and setting > it on fire just isn’t going to help. Gosh, I can’t tell you how much I laughed when I read this! Ok BACK TO THE O/P: Aheam. \*\* Alescus \*\* wrote… > [@](#): > > Seagate’s DiscWizard did the job for me. Although intended for Seagate drives, > it’s free and worked with my Western Digital drives. Wow! Thanks for telling me this! I have a copy of this. I downloaded it as this new drive happens to be a Seagate, I have not run the program yet though. I’ll go try it and let you know what happens! ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/11 "2003-01-18T20:02:46Z")
Coming up soon in GQ: “How can I remove a layer of Vegemite from my hard drive?” 😃 (Cross-posted to the Una Board, of course) ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/12 "2003-01-18T20:23:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Janx \* > \*\* I asked that it be deleted but now there so many responses they probably won’t. \*\* Precisely, and for that reason. Sorry we didn’t see it sooner! ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/13 "2003-01-18T20:45:50Z")
Use [this](http://home.carolina.rr.com/lexunfreeware/DrvClonerXP/DrvClonerXP.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/make-a-perfect-copy-of-drive-c-on-drive-d/149501/14 "2003-01-18T21:43:02Z")
Well \*\* Alescus\*\* that worked BUTEIFULLY! Very hassle free, and best of all the software is free and you don’t even need apply Vegemite. Thanks **yoyodyne, Number** for the links the stuff there looked like it might have helped, but the problem is solved, and that means the moderator _could_, ya know, CLOSE THE THREAD, thus hiding this little boo boo I made - witch probably no one is ever going to let me forget. But If I know the moderator’s sense of humor, they probably will leave it open for a while just to watch me squirm. 😛