HD Advice.

Hi gang,

I would like to back up or copy all of the music from one hard drive to another. What is the easiest or best way to do this?

Thanks for your help.

External harddrives?

Yes. Both are externals.

You could use a program called the Backup Drill there are other programs that will make an image of your drive... instead of files... which you can encript if you like... or

Just hook both drives up to yur lappy and copy from your source drive to your backup drive like copying one file to another directory cept your gonna copy entire directories from one drive to the next... depending on how much data your movin it could take a couple hours to do this... whereas a disc image can just take minutes.

Ahh..... plug them both into your computer.

Open Up both Hard Drives from my computer. Select all Folders then copy.

Click on open window of other HD and paste.


It will take 30 seconds to do and then x amount of time depening on how many gigs of stuff you have on your drive. Mine take about 5 hours

Yep, what they said.

I just use Copy and Paste. Takes about 2 hours on a USB 2.0 port. I back up about 170 Gigs to a 1/2 Terrabyte My Book.

If you want to copy files and then periodically refresh the target drive, I'd recommend FileSync (http://www.fileware.com/products.htm#FileSync). I use it almost daily to keep the music files on my three machines in sync.

Thanks for the help. I copied the drives today and it went well for the first time. I would like to keep the drives synced because I will load up the main one with new music monthly. The idea is to have 2 externals and my ipod identical.
Thanks again for the help folks. I'm new to the digital music arena.

For future reference: If you're old and smart, you use the "command" prompt to get out of windows and into the DOS shell.


Type: cd\ and enter to get to the root directory, or cd\(directory name) for wherever your info/music is stored.

If I'm calling the drive to be copied "a", and the receiving drive "B", then type:

copy a:*.* B: then hit enter. that's it. Fastest and most accurate way.

I NEVER use Windows to copy, delete, or erase, as it is ineffecient, As a matter of fact Windows DOESN'T erase, which is why Windows recovery works, and is another reason your PC slows with use ( along with inherent Windows registry problems, and other Windows defects.) But no hijack intended- sorry.

www.goodsync.com is the best way to go that I have found.

Been using this for a couple of years it clones all my music files exactly.

I would be lost without it very reliable with easy to use options.