Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Life happens...
   To some extent our life is our data -- managing either takes a more pro-active [rather than passive] approach. While I'd be the last person to tell anyone to spend more time managing rather than living life -- while sadly realizing I'm giving away my old age, I grew up loathing upholstery covered in clear vinyl -- some amount of managing things ultimately gives you more time that you can spend living... That's where a lot of Paragon software helps, letting you make some of your digital life's disasters not quite as disastrous.

   Now Lots of people don't believe in managing anything, Lots of people fall in between either extreme, & Lots of people are confused about managing their data, whether it's because they haven't yet bothered to learn or haven't had the time, or never knew they should. Often, when I can, when there's something like Paragon Migrate OS to SSD offered I try to address *some* of the issues -- I don't know of a complete, easy to read list or blog or anything that tells you everything you need to know, so hopefully one or two things here might be useful to someone, based both on the GOTD & managing data in general.

   Paragon Migrate OS to SSD is a good if somewhat specialized app that if it errors, does so on the side of being easy to use -- If you want to spend as little time & effort as possible managing your data so you can get on to other things [like I do], some of it's features are IMHO overkill. Specifically, it's easier to tell an app what to copy & what not to copy, but when you're transferring data from one drive/partition to another drive/partition, *Purely* from a time spent standpoint, it's kinda stupid. Apps that deal with copying raw data don't do as well dealing with that same raw data as files & folders -- dealing with raw data is what makes them fast & efficient. 1) it fastest, most efficient to put your stuff somewhere else than the system drive/partition [where Windows is] in the 1st place. That's what WR has done with his game collection(s), learning it makes sense to divorce His stuff from Windows as much as possible -- that means you don't have to mess with your stuff when you mess with Windows &/or it's partition. 2) if you're going to move something, it's faster & just about as easy moving it yourself -- it's not rocket science to find all you docs or mp3s & put them somewhere else, with the added bonus that you can run something like Microsoft's windiff if anything's critical enough that you need to verify there were no errors. And you might find a few duplicates in the process. 3) if you're trying to move an app or game, do it beforehand so if it doesn't work you have time to figure out why & fix it, or abandon the thought of moving it -- finding out something doesn't work when you want or need it is the least efficient way to work, or play.

   There have been some threads discussing the potential minefield that is a UEFI Bios paired with GPT disks. I've avoided the combo like the plague so far, but that doesn't mean everyone can or necessarily wants to. In my experience & from much that I've read the problem isn't UEFI or GPT, though both have issues, but rather hardware &/or software not performing the way they should -- hardware & software both commonly have bugs or faults, & when you combine two things that already have their own faults, the results are in a word: "unpredictable". As possible research before you buy to see if a product locks you into UEFI/GPT DRM. Before you take the plunge with either UEFI or GPT, research the product for weaknesses &/or work-a rounds -- if something simply doesn't work you're not likely going to find a fix after you've bought it, & there researching a motherboard's Bios, whether it's a stand-alone product or in a PC/laptop can be more important than anything else. Bear in mind that writing even a minimal OS can be [I'd think most often is] more complicated than writing the old style firmware that a Bios stored, that any DRM only complicates things further, & that once a product hits store shelves, development slows if it isn't stopped entirely, so the odds are against any UEFI problems ever being resolved. Particularly with things like tablets & laptops, it's safest to figure from the get go that what you have when you open the box is pretty much exactly what you'll have when you decide it's time to replace it & lay it aside.

   Posted 11 years ago #
2. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Google on "align data on ssd" [without quotes] & you'll get hits like these [& plenty more]:
   http://lifehacker.com/5837769/make-sure-your-partitions-are-correctly-aligned-for-optimal-solid-state-drive-performance
   http://www.storagereview.com/the_impact_of_misalignment

   Often the support forums for whatever make/model of SSD(s) you have will also provide useful info on how you can best use & prolong the life of your investment, e.g. with OCZ it was recommended to use most but not all available space for the partition, if I remember correctly so the SSD has some unallocated space it can swap out if/when parts of the SSD used for the partition go bad, plus stuff like how to manage TRIM [especially if you're running XP].. Google "SSD TRIM" [no quotes].

   Once you know why partition alignment is important on or with a SSD, you can see how simply cloning a partition from a standard hard drive to a SSD without paying attention to that alignment could cause problems. That's why there are apps like Paragon Migrate OS to SSD -- you can copy data from one partition to another, no problems, as long as any partition on a SSD is properly aligned beforehand, but you can't *copy* a Windows install to any drive & have it boot -- you have to more-or-less clone the original, but in a way that respects the requirement of SSD partition alignment.

   SSDs are smaller than most conventional hard drives, though that's not as much a problem today, as prices continue to become more reasonable, & more folks can afford to buy bigger SSDs... Right click your system partition [where Windows lives], & select Properties to open a window showing how much of the partition's in use -- if that amount is less than the size of the SSD you want to move everything to, not a big problem, since all you've likely got to lose is some of the system partition's free space. OTOH If the SSD is too small to fit everything, obviously something's got to go -- you can move data, e.g. images & video & mp3s elsewhere, &/or reinstall some or most of your apps to another drive/partition etc. Apps like Paragon Migrate OS to SSD work best/fastest by moving raw data itself rather than individual files/folders [that's why a partition image backup takes so very much less time than backing up the files to zip archives], so while you can certainly use Migrate OS to SSD [& some similar apps] to pick & choose what files/folders to move from your hard drive to a SSD, it generally takes longer -- the more files you exclude, usually the longer it takes. You often can't just move an app's folder from the [old or new] system partition to another non-system partition [to save space on the system partition, i.e. make the used portion smaller], redoing any & all shortcuts -- you can try, & if it doesn't work you can try to edit the registry entries & any configuration files that point to the app's old location on the system partition, but it's not a sure fire bet you won't have to re-install [& often reactivate or re-register] any non-working apps. If you're up for a bit of extra work you can try re-direction [Google "redirect windows folders" w/out quotes] as a possible cure.

   *UEFI boot mode* is mentioned both by Paragon & in the comments -- it's a bit of a complicated issue... PCs/laptops have forever used something called MBR to keep track of everything on a disk/partition, but it won't work with the biggest capacity hard drives available today -- instead Microsoft etc. say use a newer method called GPT. You can swap a drive between MBR & GPT [some Paragon & other, similar apps will do it], but in my experience at least it's not always glitch-free or bulletproof. UEFI is a newer method of programming the Bios, meaning a different sort of code stored in the memory of the Bios chip(s) responsible for booting [starting up] PCs/laptops -- the Bios looks at all the hardware available, sets & stores settings to make sure it all works together, then looks at the specified drive/partition for the boot code that start's the boot mgr. for whatever OS. UEFI Bios code can normally understand [read] hard drives using either MBR or GPT, though *by some definitions* UEFI means you use GPT. From here on it gets sticky... Some motherboard [i.e. main system board] Bios switch between MBR & GPT modes more gracefully than others -- e.g. in GPT mode you may not be able to boot from a CD/DVD. Booting from USB sticks may also be problematic -- even sticks set up just for UEFI in GPT mode can sometimes not work. And since EUFI is sort of a mini-OS in its own right, there may be added security [DRM], as with win8's secure boot [Google "win 8 secure boot" w/out quotes], &/or possibly making sure that the copy of Windows that came with a PC/Laptop only works on that OEM hardware. Needless to say, with EUFI Bios & GPT disks your mileage will likely vary [maybe considerably] when it comes to what works & what doesn't, what works well & what doesn't.

   Note: SSDs work best if the Bios is set to AHCI mode -- your PC/laptop may or may not be set up that way already, as opinion is divided on whether it provides any overall benefits if you're not using a SSD drive(s). In theory AHCI should be enabled before you install Windows, but there's tons of info on-line re: switching to AHCI for every Windows version. However switching to AHCI, like moving to another system drive [SSD or conventional] **May** break software activation/registration, & it can be more than a PITA to put things right afterwards --- check with support for any apps that use a system ID as part of their DRM 1st, before you swap, as it may be necessary for you to deactivate your registration beforehand, & practically impossible to get fixed afterwards. A drive/partition normally has two serial numbers or IDs -- one in firmware that's more-or-less permanent, & the volume ID you can see by using the dir command at the command prompt -- at C:\> type "dir" [w/out quotes] + then press ENTER. There are several apps, e.g. Sysinternals VolumeId that let you change the volume ID to whatever, so it's really trivial to make sure the new ID matches the old, & that *may* save you a bit of hassle depending on if & how your software uses that ID... you just have to know to check & write the old ID down 1st, & if it doesn't help, you wasted maybe 2-3 minutes of your time.

   Posted 11 years ago #
3. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   #35: "(1) will this program transfer everything (including programs I have purchased and free ones from GOTD) on one laptop we’ll call laptop A to another laptop we’ll call laptop B"

   Not unless A & B are identical, & then you'll have to re-activate or register any software, including Windows, that keeps track of hardware IDs as part of their DRM. If the hardware's not identical, then you need to use one of Paragon's apps that does P2P migration, or do something like a Windows repair reinstall, or just reinstall everything.

   "(3)I’d also like to transfer everything from “all” my computers to an external hard drive. Will this accomplish that task?"

   Nothing will if your external drive is USB -- if you use eSATA or mod Windows, Windows can boot or start. That said, the closest you'll get to a universal Windows, if that's what you mean, i.e. one that can work with all your various hardware, is likely one of the setups like you'll find at reboot.pro, using a more dynamic method of loading drivers... A regular Windows install is tailored to the hardware -- WinPE uses Windows basic hardware support as found on an install disc -- these mini-OSes go further, but the results are more generic & don't always work nearly as well as the drivers produced by the hardware manufacturers & that you install after Windows has been installed.

   "(4)I have a laptop with Windows 7 64 bit operating system. Will this program work on my machine?"

   No Idea... Sorry...
   Not meaning to be disrespectful, it'll install & should work to perform the tasks described on Paragon's page [linked up top the GOTD download page] but I've no idea what you want it to do, nor if it's possible for you to add a 2nd internal drive & so on.

   What Paragon Migrate OS to SSD does [along with similar apps] is copy the raw data on a system drive/partition to another drive/partition. If the target drive/partition is a SSD, it'll make sure the partition's aligned as it should be. If rather than getting stuff off the source drive beforehand you want Paragon Migrate OS to SSD to only copy some files/folders, it'll let you exclude stuff from being copied. It will generally modify things so once you're done the new, target drive will boot, rather than the original, though you may have to adjust or change things in the bios -- you may have to do that just from adding the drive, but different bios are, different. You're responsible for the original & target drives being connected to your laptop or PC -- that can be rough, & may require additional hardware. Also bear in mind that your original hard drive may have hidden partitions used for anything from backup to storing OEM setup files.

   * * *

   #36: "I have mentioned many times that Paragon products do not properly verify compressed images as they are being created. As Migration does not compress images, and you can readily verify whether the image is good or not (with any data comparison utility, or simply by booting & trying it out for a while),"

   I'm not sure if you mean compressed in the sense that raw data's written more-or-less as-is, which makes for a smaller, i.e. compressed archive file(s), or if you mean adding data compression on top of that. If you mean data compression on top of that, I'd humbly ask why use it?... Archives are generally reduced by about 1/2 the size the same files take up on disk, while adding data compression takes longer for minimal further reductions in size -- storage space is cheaper than time. IF you mean the archives themselves aren't verified, the only problems I've ever experienced have been transferring the archives to disc or via USB 2.0 &/or firewire -- for disc verification I use a separate burning app & verify as part of the burning, & for USB 2 & firewire I use Paragon's built-in image verification after they've been copied. The problems I've seen have all been hardware related, so could happen with or to anything, & so I try to stick to eSATA or USB 3 when possible.

   Whenever you're using an app that's working with the raw data on a drive/partition, you're most often just moving that raw data from A to B, whether A &/or B is a drive/partition or archive files. Errors if/when they occur can come when reading, writing, or transferring that data. Errors reading/writing are pretty rare nowadays -- how often does anyone run chkdsk unless they've crashed, & how often does anyone compare a file after copying from one folder to another? That leaves the transfer stage as the most problematic, & since USB 2 [& often firewire] device interfaces are often [usually?] low quality & cheap, emulating regular drives to Windows, you should almost expect it. If that's the case, as I think it is, then migrating data from one drive to another is just as problematic if you use USB 2 etc., & just as trouble-free using eSATA or SATA.

   * * *

   #39: "What I want to do is copy over the entire hard drive in my notebook and having done that install it instead of the existing internal drive. "

   **IF** you mean run Windows from an external drive, how that drive is connected matters a LOT -- e.g. unless you're talking about the new win8 to-go versions, Windows itself won't work via USB intentionally, though eSATA is fine. **If** you mean you just want to clone the drive, i.e. just swap internal dives, any of the drive/partition copy apps should work, as would restoring a disk/partition backup to the new drive -- Paragon Migrate OS to SSD would work just as well, as it adds features like SSD alignment rather than removing them. If you've got any doubts follow the link at the top of the GOTD page to Paragon's site where you can download the PDF manual.

   * * *

   #42 etc... On issues re: WinPE & similar...

   WinPE can be both an OS & the underpinnings for whatever software -- it can provide a workable mini-version of Windows, or it can simply substitute for *nix on boot media that just runs a special version of whatever app or apps. WinPE itself is seldom necessary -- it's the software that does whatever job that matters. Personally I prefer the more full-featured versions of WinPE where you can run most any software as tremendously more useful, though EUFI Bios done poorly, &/or with an abundance of DRM can complicate things. [Motherboard Bios have never all been created equal to begin with, & when bios code is a mini-OS, the opportunities for, ummm, less skilled coders to excel at being less skilled abound.] At any rate, sites like reboot.pro have lots of info, tools etc., & it's not always necessary to have the full AIK installed or anything.

   As far as charging for whatever goes, I don't pretend to understand all the vagaries of Microsoft licensing, but I'm old school in many ways, including believing in the old saying: "Never look a gift horse in the mouth". :)

   If it was a choice where I could have either a reduced version or nothing at all, I'd generally choose the reduced version, as something's better than nothing, & the only things I'm entitled to I paid for. :)

   * * *

   #44: "my hard drive went on my netbook suddenly and i replaced it with a 120 GB SSD, but i can’t seem to install XP back onto it, would this program recognize and install XP from an external DVD drive with the Win XP disc? thank you."

   Paragon Migrate OS to SSD works transferring a working Windows install from drive a to drive b, the same as similar apps. Ideally [if anything can be ideal when a drive fails] you've got a backup image you can restore, but from what I've read both restoring a backup or getting XP installed to a netbook can be tricky. I'd suggest Google including the make/model of your netbook to [hopefully] find out exactly what's required & how to do it.

   * * *

   #45: "Can this application be loaded onto a portable card (like a USB stick) and use this application on several different computers?"

   The problem IMHO with using something like Paragon Migrate OS to SSD portably is that they generally need some way to work with Windows files that are in use, & that usually means an installed app & possibly drivers. That doesn't matter of course if you're not using any Windows files because you've booted to another OS, whether you're using a multi-boot system or a boot disc/USB device, & that's where the different boot images that come with whatever app are useful -- you can also find alternatives at sites like reboot.pro & info in forums like those at wilders security for Paragon.

   * * *

   Posted 11 years ago #
4. 

   Whiterabbit-uk
   Games Guru

   Thanks for some excellent info Mikiem. I'm going to transfer this thread over into the tech forum. i think there's enough interesting info for it to fit in. :)

   Posted 11 years ago #

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