Help - Need to copy 320GB to/from single drive today - best solution?

[Jim_L9]

What you are paying the large fees for isn't just the copying of the data. Most people here could easily figure out how to copy that amount if data in less than 20 hours. You are paying for them to:

1. Maintain the chain of custody
2. To do a sector by sector copy
3. To ensure that the evidence drive cannot be written to during the copy

The sector by sector copy has to be done to preserve data that may be file system independent. Suppose you just copy all of the data in Windows, but there was data in a Linux partition. Then you are not truly copying the contents of the data and an evidence technician will not be able to recover all of the original data. Also by copying sector by sector "deleted" information from a file system may be recoverable. If you only do a file by file copy you won't get the deleted files since they won't show up in the MFT of the filesystem. The evidence drive must be protected from write so that the prosecuting attorney can not call into question the validity of data from the source drive.

P.S. The sector by sector copy is what makes this process take so long.

 

[flasher702]

You should be able to move the drive internally and use a dedicated controller card to significanly speed up the transfer. It's probably USB1.1 on a slow computer system that is hosing your transfer speed. A sector-by-sector transfer would also be a lot faster as file fragmentation wouldn't affect transfer speed anymore (ala Norton Ghost or similar).

 

[onestar]

The very best solution for speed, back-up and reliability is to go out and get yourself a copy of Acronis TrueImage. Back up your external to your internal......very quick. Make sure to keep the image below 4.7 gigs so you can copy them to DVDs. Then, after you have determined WHATever kind of Storage medium, hard drive, etc... you can restore it knowing full weel you have an exact copy of waht was there....and most likely at twice the speed you currently are bemoaning.

Communication is the response you get...You can not blame your listener for a response that is not adequate if your presentation was not clear

 

[tonyp12]

1: You have an external HD (usb/firewire/esata) does not matter.
It 500gb in size.


2: You can get an internal 500gb HD for $120 at you local store
(mail-order wastes time)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB Hard Drive
7200RPM, Internal, 16MB, SATA/300

(if your pc is older than 3yrs, get the ide version)

http://www.compusa.com/products/products.asp?N=200112

OR you can get an external one for $129

Western Digital My Book Essential Edition 500GB Hard Drive
7200RPM, External, 16MB, USB 2.0 at (compusa too)



Now use and of the free sector by sector copy software below.

Should not take more than 10hours.


http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sector+by+sector+copy

 

[rsetter1]

The key word is "Evidence".

Will copying these files yourself stand up in court?

If need be could you testify in court that you are an expert computer technician specializing in data recovery?

Could you copy these files/hard drives and testify that nothing was lost, altered or excluded?

Dont throw caution into the wind.