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Software for Imaging Old Drives on a New Computer

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twillkickers

Experienced Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
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New Jersey, USA
I have an old IDE HDD with 210 MB capacity. I'd like to copy some of the files over to my new Windows 10 computer and be able to create a backup image of the hard drive and store it on my new computer. However, when I connect the hard drive to my IDE to USB converter (I am using a StarTech UNIDOCKU33 dock: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817707380) Windows 10 does not even recognize the device when it is connected. Is there some good software that should enable me to do this? Or do I need to change my hardware as well?
 
I think it's called "Linux" and "dd" ;) There are also Linux-based tools specifically for drive cloning, such as Clonezilla, which boot from a pen drive or CD.
 
If I recall correctly, those IDE to USB adapters don't support CHS-only drives, they require LBA (or it might be an ATA protocol revision compatiblity issue). A 210MB would be just a bit before that.

You might have better luck with IDE-SATA converters, just keep in mind some cheaper converters were so low quality they didn't even work right.
 
IDE-SATA adapters generally are better than the reverse. Avoid the "dual personality" ones--I've never found any that don't have issues.

But bottom line, there's no real substitute for a "tweener" PC.
 
So, one, id connect the USB to ide directly to the computer, not though a dock. Second, go into Windows partition manager and make sure it sees it and it's not just showing up without a driver letter. Once you do get it working, win32 disk imager is a good way free easy way to clone just about anything, especially stuff that isn't fat file system (including things with no file system like SCSI2SD devices).
 
Clonezilla has the interesting feature of being able to resize partitions, if desired. Otherwise, plain old dd will do a sector-for-sector copy.

But the point is being made that a non-LBA drive may not be recognized by a USB adapter. I think that's a valid consideration.
 
Consider that non-LBA capable drives went out of fashion about, what, 25 years ago? (The capability of supporting CHS addressing was kept for quite a few more years, but that's not my point. Besides, for most IDE drives, except for the very early ones, it's a convenient fiction, having nothing to do with actual drive geometry.)

Now consider that the USB mass-storage device model is very similar to that of SCSI--that is, it's strictly LBA.

So, if you were writing the firmware for an IDE-to-USB adapter, would you bother adding the code for CHS-only drives?

If so, why?
 
If the USB adapter won't allow you to access the drive, no software will help.

Perhaps an old parallel-to-IDE adapter would work, but then you'd have to have a parallel port.
 
SomeGuy said:
If I recall correctly, those IDE to USB adapters don't support CHS-only drives, they require LBA (or it might be an ATA protocol revision compatiblity issue). A 210MB would be just a bit before that.

You might have better luck with IDE-SATA converters, just keep in mind some cheaper converters were so low quality they didn't even work right.
Click to expand...

Does anyone know of a IDE-SATA converter that has been confirmed to work with old CHS drives? Thank you!
 
twillkickers said:
Does anyone know of a IDE-SATA converter that has been confirmed to work with old CHS drives? Thank you!
Click to expand...

It's not quite that, but I bought a PCI-X slot card with two SATA and a single IDE port that I use under Window 7. It required a driver, but has recognized every old IDE drive I have connected to it. I just pulled it and noticed there is no brand or model on this card or the driver disk. I have discarded the package it came in. I bought this one at Fry's, but Newegg has one that is very similar, but not exactly the same as the one I have.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA85V3DZ3726
 
You could simply give someone this drive to get everything off of it for you.

Unfortunately your location is so vague that... :)
 
Stone said:
.....
Click to expand...

Sorry for my slip up that Stone so kindly pointed out. I was a bit tired this morning when reading your reply.

As an aside, if anyone has an idea on where I could get a card that would work with both CHS drives and regular PCI or PCI-e, that would be wonderful as well!
 
My apologies. I started my post before I realized I wasn't going to find a way to identify my card. It has "GEN-115 E330731 94V-0" printed on the card, but when I search those terms I just get results for similar cards. My card sports a Marvell 88SE9128 Chipset. On bootup the card displays "Marvel 88SEXXX Adapter".
 
Miracle of miracles, I found the packaging for the card I have. It's a Bytecc PCI Express Controller, Part Number BT-PES322i. I tested a 170meg Western Digital drive just recently.
 
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