SmartCopy

This app clones the source disk's occupied data areas of all, or only selected partitions, to the target disk. By copying only the data-occupied areas, SmartCopy saves time and effort and if therefore best suited for backup clones. Find more information about the SmartCopy mode in the Copy Modes section.

Note: SmartCopy is only suitable for intact media and file systems. To clone defective media, the use of FullCopy or BitCopy is strongly recommended. If you are not absolutely certain whether your media or file systems are sound, we strongly recommend checking the file system health prior to cloning.

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fig. 1: Main screen

Source

Select the disk you wish to use as source for the copy. For more information on how to choose a disk, see the section on disk selection.

Partitions

The layout of the partitions on the source disk will be displayed in a bar below the disk selection dropdown. Individual partitions can be directly selected or deselected for inclusion in the copy by clicking on them in this bar. Open the PartitionSelect component with the option link. You can view details on the partitions here while making your selection.

Additional Details and Settings

Access Additional Details and Settings via the button (fig. 2), where you will find technical information about the source as well as these options:

• Unlock HPA: unlock HPA in order to include the data contained therein in the copy.
• Remove HPA+DCO: remove HPA and DCO in order to include its data in the copy. This will permanently change the HPA and DCO configuration for the source disk.
• HotCopy/LiveImage (HDClone/W only): choose an option for access from the HotCopy/LiveImage dropdown.

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fig. 2: Additional information and options for the source

Target

Select the disk you wish to use as target for the copy. For more information on how to choose a disk, see the section on Select a Disk. Access Additional Details and Options via the button. Here you will find technical information about the target and can choose the HPA and DCO options.

Partitions

The layout of the partitions on the target disk will be displayed in a bar below the disk selection dropdown. To view details of the target disk partitions and to change their settings, use the option link to open the PartitionResize component.

Options

Choose the following options for the copying process:

• Verify copied data: The completed copy will be compared to the source to verify that the contents precisely match.
• Deviating sector size: adjust file systems:Adjustments are made during the copying process when the source and the target have different sector sizes.

Shut Down Computer Automatically

You can choose to have the computer shut down automatically after the copying process. Specify the scenario after which the computer is supposed to be shut down:

• Only after an error-free process: the computer will only be shut down if absolutely no errors occurred during the process.
• Even after a partially successful process: the computer will be shut down if errors occurred during the process that did not impact the success of the result
• In any event: The computer will be shut down even if the process was completed with errors.

In any case, a report will be stored automatically.

Advanced Options

Click on Advanced Options to choose from the following:

Performance

• FastCopy: A special algorithm that accelerates the copying speed
• Trim: Unused data blocks are deallocated which may speed up writing for SSDs during and after cloning.
• Limit speed: Reduces the writing speed, as the level of HDClone's performance may lead to excessive strain on some of the faster SSD models.

Operating System

• Adjust drivers: Activate inactive SATA & IDE drivers for booting. This allows Windows to boot from both SATA and IDE drivers, which is especially important when it comes to migration.
• Activate USB boot: Allows HDClone to automatically make the necessary adjustments in order to boot Windows from a USB media (applies to Windows 7 and higher).

Disk

• Change disk signature: Change the disk signature of the MBR partition table and the disk UUID of GPT partitions.
• MediaDirect(Dell): Recognize MediaDirect software.
• 4K compatibility: Automatically aligns the copied partitions to 4 KiB boundaries on the target media to ensure its reading/writing efficiency when cloning/restoring to a disk with 4K sectors.
• 1M partition alignment: Alignment of partitions to 1MiB boundaries to ensure ideal performance during data access
• Convert to GPT: Convert an MBR partitioning scheme to GPT

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fig. 3: Advanced options