erase, then copy = formatting hard drive?

[limsilas]

hi all,

i'm getting a notorious error message whenever i try and create a boot camp partition ("the disk cannot be partitioned..."). i've done everything i can think of including defragging and removing large files like virtual machines, but nothing works. so as a last resort i plan to format my internal HD and then restore from my superduper bootable clone.

my question is this: if i boot into my superduper clone and then choose the "restore" option with "erase...then copy...", will superduper first format my internal HD? or should i do that manually using disk utility, and THEN run the restore?

i'm just trying to save myself an extra step. thanks!

[dnanian]

I'm a bit surprised defragging didn't work. Have you tried using iPartition to create the partition?

[limsilas]

i was also surprised that didn't work - formatting my internal HD seems a little extreme, just to be able to make a 6GB boot camp partition. from what i've read online, it may also be because once upon a time i had a boot camp partition - a few years ago - which i later converted into a virtual machine.

i have not tried ipartition - does that support the creation of boot camp partitions specifically? (from what i understand, i can't just go into disk utility and try create a partition that way - there seems to be something particular about running boot camp assistant.)

[dnanian]

That's something you'd have to ask Coriolis Systems. I just hate to have you erase a drive to do this. What did you defrag with?

[limsilas]

same here...i used idefrag. i just don't get it; according to idefrag i have a huge block of contiguous free space.

so should i format my internal HD first using disk utility, or does superduper's "erase...then restore" take care of that automatically?

[dnanian]

Erase, then copy certainly formats... but if you have lots of free space, this should be working. Have you contacted Apple?

[limsilas]

i have not, but the consensus based on my googling is that when idefrag fails (and it does, sometimes), the next option is to format, then restore. kind of ridiculous, i think.

by the way, are there any potential problems using the copy new and different files only copy scheme? i plan to update my clone tonight that way, then initiate the full restore overnight.

[dnanian]

Yes. DO NOT update your copy with Copy Newer or Copy Different. Use Smart Update.

[limsilas]

thanks! i was totally planning to use that, too, but now i won't.

[limsilas]

the restore worked brilliantly, by the way - i was able to create my boot cam partition no problem, no thanks to idefrag.

[dnanian]

Glad to hear it. I hate seeing people erase drives with good data on them, but I'm glad it worked out.

[limsilas]

by the way, do erase and restores impact the life or integrity of the drive?

[dnanian]

No more than extensive I/O of any other type might.