I've decided to transition my hard drives from NTFS to EXT4 after switching from Windows 10 to Linux Mint. Currently, my first hard drive (sdb) contains about 570GB of used space, while my second hard drive (sdc) has 670GB available for backups. I'm thinking of simply copying everything from /sdb/ to a folder on /sdc/, but I'm worried that this might miss files not shown in the file explorer, leading to an incomplete transfer.
I also explored the Disks program's option to create a partition image, but it creates a file as large as the entire 1TB drive instead of just the 570GB I'm using, which won't fit on /sdc/. So, I need a method that allows me to back up /sdb/, format it to EXT4, and then restore the content. What's the best approach for this?
2 Answers
Using `rsync` is a great option! You can run a command like `rsync -ravhsP /source/folder/ /destination/folder/`. This command is very effective for backups. Here's a quick rundown of what those options do:
- `-r`: Recursively copy directories and their contents.
- `-a`: This is an archive mode, which preserves permissions, ownership, and timestamps.
- `-v`: Increases the output verbosity so you can see what’s being copied.
- `-h`: Formats the output to be more human-readable.
- `-s`: Handles sparse files efficiently, skipping over large blocks of empty data.
- `-P`: Shows progress and allows for resuming interrupted transfers.
All in all, it creates a solid backup while keeping you updated about the process!
Straight-up copying and pasting is definitely the simplest method, but like you, I’d worry about possibly missing files this way. Compressing your data could speed things up, but it also might lead to data loss during transfer due to compression errors.
Also, when comparing NTFS to EXT4, the latter handles disk space much more efficiently, reducing fragmentation and allowing for better data management. If space is a priority, EXT4 is the way to go. And if you want an alternative, you might consider using Clonezilla for a more systematic transfer, but you'll want to look into it further to ensure it meets your needs.
Thanks for the insight! I’m not in a rush, so a straightforward copy to /sdc/ works for me, and I appreciate knowing more about the benefits of EXT4. I’ll definitely look into Clonezilla as well.
That's what I love about `rsync`! It saves so much time if you run into any hiccups during transfer.