Just last week I had to work on a laptop - specifically, I had to clone the drive so I could install a larger disk. For some reason, my boot CD wasn't finding the storage controller, so it would not detect the hard drive.If I can't find the drive, then I can't make a clone.
What to do?
Since this was a new-ish laptop, it had a SATA 2.5" drive installed. The beauty of SATA (note not eSATA) is that the plugs for power and the data interface for a 2.5" drive are exactly the same as their 3.5" counterparts. So that means you can easily take a drive from a laptop and slap it into a desktop (as long as you have a free SATA port).
So, that's what I did - I knew my boot CD worked on my desktop, so I installed the drive, booted to my Reatogo disc, then ran a disk imaging tool to backup from the old drive, then restore to the newly installed drive.
What to do with the old drive? Buy an external enclosure and use it as a backup device.
The other benefit? If you have a laptop SATA drive lying around that is bigger than your existing hard drive, you could perform a swap on your desktop - of course, being cognizant of the difference in drive speeds (RPM). I would guess you might need a mounting kit, but overall, you get a little extra ventilation room in your desktop, less power consumption and less heat.
Sometime, I need to update my disc with new storage drivers, but that is another post.
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