[alanharper]

I am using the free version of HDClone and I used it to build a boot stick without UEFI. The USB drive is formatted with FAT32. The create process did not generate any errors. When attempting to boot from the system does boot. I have an HP Zbook 15 G4 system. The BIOS is set to Legacy enabled and Secure Boot disabled. Any thoughts on how to get the laptop to boot from the USB stick?

[Adrian Decker]

Hello alanharper,

In order to narrow down the boot problem you observed on your system I would like you to clarify the following points:

1.) Are you able to start HDClone there with the start mode "Compatible" or "Safe", by opening the extended boot options with <M> (More Options), while Symobi/HDClone is initializing (5 second count down).

2.) Are you able to boot from your USB drive when you connect them to another USB port type (USB 2/3, or front/back/side)?
3.) Does the Windows tool CheckDisk (chkdsk) find file system problems, when you check this USB drive with it?
4.) Does it make a difference when you use a different USB drive (USB 2/3, larger/smaller than 4 GB)?

5.) Does it make a difference when you activate the UEFI boot support option in the HDClone Boot setup (and your system), before creating an USB boot drive?
6.) Are you able to start HDClone from a self booting CD/DVD instead, if a respective drive is available?

7.) How far does the booting process get before it stops (with or without error message)?
a) Initializing screen (Initializing ...)
b) Start screen with 5 second timer
c) Boot screen with progress bar (before/during/after the loading process)
d) Boot screen with big "Symobi" lettering (before/after quick, black full-screen flash)
e) Loading screen (white) of HDClone (progress circle, spinning oder static?)
f) Main screen of HDClone with the copy modes.

8.) Are you able to boot from your USB drive on a different PC system, if available?

Sincerely,
Adrian Decker

[alanharper]

The stick will not boot on any of three systems that I tried.
The system won't even try to boot for me to get to any options.
chkdsk reported the disk is clean and no errors found.
Tried with both UEFI and legacy boot. Same behavior.
Don't have a CD on this system.
Doesn't even try to boot so no progress shown.
The only thing I haven't tried is another USB drive.

In my opinion, the stick is not recognized as bootable so the system doesn't even try. It shows up in the BIOS as a bootable option, but doesn't boot when it is selected.

[alanharper]

Making progress ....
I used a 32GB thumb drive instead of the 128GB. It booted in UEFI mode.
The laptop keyboard and track pad were non-operational once booted.
I attached an external mouse and got the ability to select options but could not continue because the laptop keyboard wasn't working.
I will try attaching a USB hub so I can use an external keyboard and mouse.

[alanharper]

USB hub with keyboard and mouse plugged in worked, that's the good news.
Bad news is the free edition is stupidly slow and it won't verify the image. it is useless as a forensic tool.
The software popped-up a message saying that better performance could be achieved by using a different version. The advanced version would complete the imaging in 8 minutes versus over 9 hours for the free version. Are you kidding me? Geez!
HDClone is off my list of products to consider using.

[Adrian Decker]

Hello alanharper,

I kindly ask for your understanding, that the Free Edition doesn't offer all features and functions of HDClone, such as unlimited speed, SmartCopy, FastCopy, etc. You can find more information about the different editions in the comparative matrix at the following address:
https://www.miray-software.com/products ... -panel-282

Especially for forensic purposes we offer "Miray Evidence":
https://www.miray-software.com/shop/cat ... parent=869

Regarding the problem of the internal keyboard and track pad of your laptop I would like to ask you to provide us with the respective, by HDClone 7 automatically stored system log - if still available.
The system log is automatically stored after a copy mode is closed or when HDClone is closed.
For the upload of the system logs I have opened a support ticket for you.

Also, in case you should consider using HDClone on this laptop again, I would like to ask you if you are able use the internal keyboard and track pad of your laptop, when you start HDClone in "Compatible" or "Safe" mode, by opening the extended boot options with <M> (More Options), while Symobi/HDClone is initializing (5 second count down).


INFO: When you started HDClone on Windows, then you can find the system logs, also on Windows, via the Toolbox menu (wrench symbol) under "Stored log files". And if you started HDClone from a self booting USB drive, then you can find the system logs on this USB drive in the directory "/Symobi/Logs/".
(With a self booting CD it would be necessary to connect an extra USB drive.)
Screenshots will be stored on the Windows Desktop or in the in the directory "/Symobi/Screenshots/" on the USB drive.

You can identify the right system logs with the time stamp. For that it is best to sort the files by their modification date. In case of doubt just upload all system logs from the day in question. For uploading many files at once it is recommendable to copy all files in one folder and compress this folder into an archive file (e.g. ZIP, 7ZIP). Though, please note the maximum upload size of 16 MB in the ticket system.


Sincerely,
Adrian Decker

[alanharper]

Thanks. I would like you to consider creating an time-limited edition of one of the HDClone products that has all the forensic features that an analyst would need. Other companies do this and I find that very helpful and have purchased products from those companies that give users a full featured version to use for 10 - 30 days. I think that would be a better way to extol the features of your product and to allow users sufficient time to evaluate the product. I would love to try a product that can image a 1 TB SSD in 8 minutes!

Regards ... Alan Harper

[Adrian Decker]

Hello alanharper,

Because we stand behind (guarantee) the features and functions of our software as advertised, we see no need to offer full test versions. If this is regarding a non-standard scenario, we ask you to send us a full description of how you intend to use the software. Based on your information, we will evaluate whether an individual test version can help to resolve any open questions.

Sincerely,
Adrian