Can i transfer data and os from a failing HDD to one already in use?

[gophilyourself]

SO one of my HDD is failing and it just so happens to be the one that my os (windows 7)is on. I also have another HDD that is in use in my computer that i would like to transfer everything from my failing HDD to but keep everything the non failing HDD. Is this possible?

 

[John_VanKirk]

Hello,
You haven't mentioned your computer specs, or the type and size of System HDD, so in general terms the answer is no. If you were to transfer "copy" your failing HDD to another non system HDD, you wouldn't have a boot or system drive to start from. In addition with Win-7 you almost certainly has a system reserved 100MB partition holding boot files and other files like bitlocker that are required to initially boot up.
Your best option would be to purchase or use either a HDD or SDD that is as large or larger than the present HDD (or as large as the data the failing drive contains), and before it fails completely, Clone the drive using Acronis True Image, Ghost, a Linux freeware cloning app, or even backup the drive using the Win-7 system Image app, and restore it back over to the new drive. And if you wait till it fails completely, you have no options but to start over.