If you have both drives installed, format the new one with /s to transfer the system, then use:

xcopy c:\ {newdriveletter}:\ /s /e /h /i /c /y

That should copy all the files and subdirectories (including any empty subdirectories, any system or hidden files) from drive C to drive (whatever).

I think that should do it?

I found there for the syntaxes

https://www.lifewire.com/xcopy-command-2618103

i didnt SYS the target drive. But its only fdisk and formatted..

Its saying that /h is an invalid switch.

Working with MS-dos 5.0 boot disk.

If you want to get everything, including the MBR and partition tables etc. for a full backup, hook up both drives to a Unix/BSD/Linux system:

1dd if=/dev/wd0c of=/dev/wd1c

The disk names are OS dependent and may be "sd1" etc. on Linux.

This way you can clone the entire disk. I'm an OpenBSD fan, so `wd` disks are IDE, `sd` disks are SATA/SCSI. IMO it makes more sense, but we're the minority.

UNIX / BSD / Linux isnt an option for now.. Iam on the 486 system.. Not on a modern pc.

It should work with Xcopy.. or other software running under dos.

Robin4 wrote on 2023-08-09, 01:08:

i didnt SYS the target drive. But its only fdisk and formatted..

Its saying that /h is an invalid switch.

Working with MS-dos 5.0 boot disk.

You'll have to sys the target drive if you want to boot from it, which you'll probably need to when your primary drive dies: once you've copied it all I'd swap them over right away.

/h and /I I think probably is an invalid switch for xcopy in DOS 5, it's potato DOS. Can you boot a later version? Ideally 6.22. (edit: actually turns out you'll need a windows ME dos boot disk for that /h option.) Can you create floppies from an image? If so: https://winworldpc.com/product/microsoft-wind … ws-boot-disk/me

If you want to actually image the drive but not use Linux, you can probably find a version of Symantec Ghost and use that - but I'd keep it simple and stick with the xcopy.

Fortunately DOS is a rather polite OS - you just partition/format the target drive, sys it if you didn't format it with the /s switch, run a "fdisk 2 /mbr" which I never had to back in the days yet I do a lot lately. Then you can simply copy over all the files, using the very NC you mentioned. Given it's set to see hidden/system files (can it be configured otherwise? I dunno, I've been using Volkov Commander since my HDD-less XT days when it was small and snappy while NC was big and painfully sluggish) it will just work and have everything just the like the old drive.

For a file-based transfer from one HDD to another, my father used to use PC-Backup/PC-Restore R4 as part of Central Point PC Tools. He used floppies to make a backup, replaced the HDD, restored the backup.
Another program was Sytos, along with an SCSI streamer (QIC).

On a Pentium 166 w/ 64MB of RAM, Acronis True Image 7 to 9 may run (DOS-based rescue medium, floppy set or CD).
It can do an 1:1 sector-based image, as well.

Edit: Norton Commander v3 and earlier was quite small, I remember. It did fit on a bootable DOS diskette and was written in ASM.
NC 1.x and 2 had NCMALL utility to lower RAM usage, too, I remember.

Something is working with:

"XCOPY C:\ D:\ /y /a /m /e /s /v /w"

With msdos 6.20

I used Microhouse Ez-Copy from DrivePro and DiskCopy from Powerquest in the past to clone HD's under DOS, worked very well. If the Xcopy does not work and you want to find them (and bunch otherold HD's utils just search archive org here: https://archive.org/details/old-hd-utils
edit: oops was a bad link....

I would hook it to a ide/usb bridge and dd the drive on linux. That way you can keep a backup image of it around.

By the way, an st31276a is a good drive 😀