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![SABRENT USB 3.0 to SATA I/II/III Dual Bay External Hard Drive Docking Station for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD, SSD with Hard Drive Duplicator/Cloner Function [20TB Support] (EC-HD2B)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/7150qSDkkzL._AC_UL140_SR140,140_.jpg)
This is actually the second of these docking stations I've purchased. Both work just fine. I use them for backing up (cloning) my laptop hard drive, not for general storage. I used the first one for several years, cloning the C: drive, alternating every week to one of two 2.5" hard drives. That way, if the C: fails, I have two backups. Since the drives are the same as used in my laptop, I can simply open up the laptop and switch out the bad drive. I also have a second, identical, laptop in case the laptop itself fails.
This seemed like a foolproof backup plan until recently. The following is long, but I hope it will help others develop a more robust backup plan.
I clone my C: drive rather than just backup selected data. Sure, it's great to save important data, but there is a lot of pain associated with re-installing an operating system and all your apps. Cloning solves this problem by making an exact copy of the entire drive.
I use Acronis True Image for cloning as I have done for a number of years, using the oldest of the two backups as the clone. Shortly into the last cloning process, Acronis said the drive "couldn't be cloned to". I should have stopped right there but I didn't. Not to worry, I stuck the second clone drive into the enclosure and, again, Acronis refused to clone.
I was pretty sure the drives were okay when I started because I always look at them after cloning. But, both backup drives were useless, most likely because Acronis had wiped something out, like the MBR or directory. Acronis was probably corrupted, as I've seen happen in previous versions.
I'll just pay the toll and install the latest version of Acronis True Image. Easier said than done. It wouldn't install and said I had to do something "manually". But what? I've had this problem with previous versions and somehow got them to install and run. So, I then downloaded and ran Acronis's "cleaner" software. This didn't help. Somewhere in this process, Acronis wiped out my C: drive so I could no longer boot my laptop. Now, I am really in deep do-do, three drives corrupted!
I fired up my backup laptop with this docking station attached. Putting the C: drive in this docking station, I could see that a lot of my files were intact. The other two clone drives wouldn't even show up. I found backup and recovery software from a company called EaseUS. I downloaded a trial version of the recovery software. It found tons of files on the two clones. But, I did't think it could create a bootable drive.
My next idea was to run the Windows 8 "repair" function. But, I didn't have a disk to run it from! Being cheap and stupid, I had simply downloaded W8 the first day it was offered and paid only about $50. So, I ordered another copy of W8, paying $150 this time.
I didn't want to trying repairing the C: drive since it had the best and only chance of recovering anything. That's why I ordered a second of these docking stations as well as the EaseUS cloning software as well as another hard drive. With two of these stations attached to my backup laptop, I was able to clone the C:. The clone went back into the laptop and the repair process began. W8 couldn't repair C:. I found disk errors and fixed these. In the end, I had to re-install W8. Now, the C: was back. But, thanks W8, for wiping out all of the apps I had installed. Fortunately, my mail and other data was intact.
So, lessons learned, not in any order:
1) Don't just install software by "running" the installer from a web server. Download the program and save it somewhere in a folder. Save order numbers, user names, and serials in the same folder.
2) Make sure you have a Windows disk so you can run the "repair" option without repurchasing. It also allows you to run DOS commands and that is how I ran "CHKDSK" to fix disk errors.
3) Never, ever, use Acronis True Image. Over the years, it has saved me several times, but, I've had enough. They come out with a new, buggy, version every year just to generate cash. They change the GUI which adds confusion and add functions I never use and would never trust. Look at EaseUS Todo Backup for cloning. Their s/w is cheap and upgrades are free. There are lots of backup programs out there, but, for some reason, not all do cloning.
4) Once, things start going "south", STOP!
5) Consider other places to store critical data including APP installation files and serial numbers. I have a networked RAID drive that I use to backup some C: data (not clone to). Use GOODSYNC to backup up data automatically. This helped me recover some things from the RAID drive, but, I wasn't "religious" about telling GOODSYNC what to backup so I didn't have everything I needed at my fingertips.
6) Consider using software like ROBOFORM for storing passwords and other account data. There's an app for the IPAD which "syncs" data with your laptop version. While I was trying to get my laptop up, I was still able to use my IPAD to access my bank account and pay bills and order needed stuff from Amazon.
7) Consider purchasing a duplicate computer. Otherwise, you probably won't be able to install the clones if the primary computer fails. Costly, but it can save your bacon. A desktop I had a number of years ago failed and with no secondary computer I didn't have any internet access to order repair parts!
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
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