Mirror hard drive - how it works

At the latest when your old hard drive makes strange noises or blue screens and crashes bother you, hard disk mirroring is often the last resort. Mirroring a hard drive means making a one-to-one copy, including partitions and boot sector. You can create a complete backup or install a new hard drive without reinstalling your system.

Mirror disk with Clonezilla

Clonezilla is a Linux operating system that you can use to mirror an entire hard drive. The image can be compressed or uncompressed on the same or a different hard drive. We will show you which Clonezilla is right for you and where you can get detailed instructions.

• First, find out your system type. Press [Windows] + [Pause] to find out whether it is a 32- or 64-bit operating system.
• Download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Clonezilla for free from CHIP.
• You can find out how to find out whether your Windows system is 32-bit or 64-bit in this practical tip video:

• Burn the Clonezilla image onto a CD-ROM and have your second hard drive ready for mirroring.
• You can now restart your PC, boot from the CD and clone your hard drive. Don't worry, the following two instructions will show you how to do it.
• It is best to read or print out the detailed instructions on how to use Clonezilla.
• The photo gallery with step-by-step instructions will also help you to create the backup.
• Alternatively, you can start Clonezilla from a USB stick. The 32-bit and 64-bit versions are also free on CHIP.

Mirror hard disk: Overview of alternative software

Using CloneZilla is not easy, but it is completely free. More practical alternatives:

• One of the most popular alternatives is Arconi's True Image. You can use the free demo version for 30 days.
• The Easeus Partition Master also does its job well. Here, too, the free version can only be used to a limited extent, but it is sufficient for mirroring the hard disk.
• If you only want to mirror individual folders or hard drives without a boot sector, FreeFileSync offers a much simpler alternative.

If you need individual help when mirroring a hard drive, please contact the experts in the CHIP forum.