>>> I'm doing this because I just wanted to get some practice in for > what my real task is, which is to clone one machine's drive onto another new > machine. My original Ubuntu 11.01 machine has a 160 gb drive, the target will be > 250 gb. I'll put the target into the external caddy and run pretty much the > same thing again: >>> >>> >> >> > I use clonezilla to clone drives. I applaud your DIY enthusiasm, and you > certainly can get there with dd - but I'd still point you towards > clonezilla. > > > -Rob > > > Actually, I wound up using ddrescue, which worked like a charm. Still there's Gpart work to do to get the remaining 90gb back since I went from a 160 to 250 gb drive. One hitch has been Wifi. Either my new T61 machine isn't an exact duplicate of my original T61 after all, or the new machine's Wifi is defective. This whole exercise was to get a "duplicate install" for my son's computer, rather than doing a complete install from scratch. But then I've got to change my account /home/dad to his /home/son1 . And since I just presumed the Wifi issue was because of different hardware, I stuck the U11.10 CD in and did a "reinstall," which gives you the opportunity to create a new user/password, but supposedly keep all your other software. No doubt there was a better way, but when it finishes, I'll hopefully have everything I had originally, but under /home/son1 -- with the Wifi problem solved. Olwe GM,MN