How to Backup IDE Hard Drive in 3 Different Ways🔥

IDE hard drives fell out of fashion ages ago. However, many of them still work just fine on computers. If you have an IDE hard drive lying around and want to dispose of an old IDE drive, what can you do with data it? Do not freak out. This article from EaseUS will tell you how to backup IDE hard drive to help you protect data on the drive. Here we go!

What Is an IDE Hard Drive & Why Back It Up

IDE, short for Integrated Drive Electronics, is an electronic interface that defines the connection between a bus on a PC's motherboard and the PC's disk storage devices. It is commonly known as ATA or PATA and is a standard interface for IBM computers that was initially developed by Western Digital and Compaq in 1986.

An IDE hard drive is an important storage device on a computer. Creating a regular backup should be one of the most important things a computer user should never neglect. Many computer users have experienced system crashes or data loss due to hard drive failures, so creating a hard disk backup is always the best way to protect your irreplaceable files from disasters.

With a hard drive backup, you can:

Maybe you can try recovering hard disk data from data loss situations with data recovery software. However, this should always have a plan B, and retrieving data is not the best way to protect your data on the hard drive. Since a hard disk backup can bring many benefits, why not back up your IDE hard drives for data security? So, how to do so? Keep reading!

Things to Do Before Backing Up IDE Hard Disk

Before starting back up your IDE hard drives, you must prepare some items for a successful backup. Check the following preparation list, and you will get the answer:

#A new HDD/SSD or an external drive

• Buy an HDD/SSD or an external hard disk.
• The target drive should be larger than the used space of the IDE hard drive.
• Recommend storage device: external hard drive > HDD > SSD. An external hard drive gives a more secure backup with a larger capacity at a reasonable cost; it is preferable to an HDD. Additionally, HDD is superior to SSD because it is more affordable.

If you want to know HDD or SSD, which is better for backup? You can read the following article.

Which Is Better for Backup, SSD or HDD?

This article discusses HDD and SSD and compares them in detail. If you want to know which is better for backup, read it. Read more >>

#Initialize the new drive

• Attach the new drive to your computer with a hard drive adapter.
• Initialize the new drive: Right-click on it in Disk Management > Initialize > Select disk partition style: MBR or GPT.

#Select a hard disk backup method

• Manual copy and paste. You can back up a hard drive manually by copying and pasting it from one location to another. For example, you can copy data from your PC hard drive to an external one.
• Windows built-in backup tool. Windows have a built-in backup program called Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to help you back up a hard drive.
• Backup via advanced backup software. You can make use of professional backup software that can automate the process of hard drive backups and typically offers advanced features, such as scheduled backups, incremental backups, etc.

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3 Ways to Backup IDE HDDs on Windows 11/10/8/7

After you made the preparations, you can try to back up a vintage IDE hard drive using the 3 methods below. Let's come to the details.

Way 1. Using Hard Drive Backup Software

If you want to back up a hard drive for data security, the best and most effective way is to use professional hard disk backup software because such a tool can provide you with many advanced backup options and fewer limitations. In this regard, EaseUS Todo Backup is the precise one that can meet your needs.

EaseUS Todo Backup Home is an easy-to-use backup and recovery tool for Windows 7/8/10/11. It can help you back up different types of hard drives and back up multiple drives simultaneously.

In addition, it can help you back up your systems, files, computer apps, etc., and perform full, incremental and differential backups. Last but not least, it allows you to save your backups in various locations, such as local and external drives, Security Zone, NAS, and Cloud.

EaseUS Todo Backup can satisfy all your needs, whether you want to back up your hard drive or system and files. Just download and use it to protect your data. Here is how to use EaseUS Todo Backup to create a backup of your IDE hard drive after downloading it.

Step 1. Start with selecting the backup contents.

Step 2. There are four backup categories, File, Disk, OS, and Mail, click Disk.

Step 3. It is available to back up a whole disk or a certain partition. Choose the one you need and click OK.

Step 4.  Select the destination where you want to save the backup.

Step 5. For disk/partition backup, you can choose to save the backup to local drive or to NAS.

Step 6. After the backup process is completed, your task will be displayed at the left. Right-click any one of the task, you can further manage your backup such as recover it, create incremental backup, etc.

Way 2. Using Backup and Restore

Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is another way to help you back up IDE hard disks because it can help take a snapshot of your hard drive. It is a Windows built-in backup program that allows you to back up a hard drive and create a Windows system image on a USB drive. Here is how to use Backup and Restore to back up your IDE drives.

Step 1. Click Start and head for Settings > Update & Security > Backup > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click Set up backup.

Step 3. The Windows will automatically scan and list available drives on your computer and select where you wish to save the backups. You can also set a network drive as the backup destination.

Step 4. Select Let me choose to make a custom backup and press Next (Optional).

Step 5. Choose the IDE drive to back up and tap Next.

Step 6. Review and reconfirm the backup settings. Click Start backup to begin the hard drive backup.

Way 3. Manually Copy and Paste

Undoubtedly, manually copying and pasting is the most direct and simple way to back up a hard drive. You can copy the files and paste data on your IDE drive into the new drive. You just need to prepare a new hard drive to store the data. This method is so easy that almost amateurs can do it at will. The following is how to go for it:

Step 1. Connect the new drive to your computer.

Step 2. Go to File Explorer and find the IDE drive.

Step 3. Right-click on the files you plan to back up on the IDE drive and select Copy, or click the files and press Ctrl + C keys.

Step 4. Go to another drive. Press Ctrl + V keys, or right-click and then select Paste.

Step 5. Repeat the process until you have backed up all of the data from the IDE drive to the new one.

To Wrap Things Up

That is all about how to backup IDE hard drive. This article offers 3 ways to help back up an IDE hard drive. In short, you can use backup software - EaseUS Todo Backup, Backup and Restore (Windows), and manually copy and paste to create a backup of your IDE disks.

Among the 3 ways available, using EaseUS Todo Backup is the most effective and practical to back up an IDE hard disk. This is because it can let you create a scheduled backup, automatic backup, and smart backup, thus saving time and effort. So, what are you waiting for? Just try it!

FAQs on How to Backup IDE Hard Drive

1. How do I backup my IDE hard drive to a SATA drive?

To back up your IDE drive to a SATA drive, you can manually copy and past your data on the IDE drive to the SATA one, using the Windows built-in backup program - Backup and Restore and use professional backup software - EaseUS Todo Backup.

2. What is the difference between SATA and IDE?

IDE drive only enables data transfer speed up to 133MB/s, while SATA offers speed up to 6 GB/s. SATA drive also allows hot-plugging (addition or removal of components while the PC is running), whereas IDE doesn't.

3. Can you clone an IDE drive to SATA?

SATA and IDE are 2 different interfaces connecting storage devices to a PC's system bus. You can clone your IDE hard drive to a SATA drive. But you have to use professional cloning software since Windows has no such a tool. EaseUS Todo Backup is a backup tool with powerful cloning functions.