NTI Echo | NEW! Version 6 via Download | Disk Cloning & Migration Software | Make an exact copy of HDD or SSD with Dynamic Resizing | Permanent License (Not A 1-Year Subscription!)

This software simply works great and I found it easy to use. At first I had trouble with making a copy of my desktop PC in Ohio to take the cloned copy of a larger hard drive to Florida so I would not have to drag a big desktop back and forth every season but tech support understood the dilemma and helped me thru it. I discovered I had some bad sectors on my original hard drive and once I had Windows "CHKDSK" repair the original hard drive, it worked just as expected, so now I am a happy "Snowbird" * Bit of advice to anyone claiming this software doesn't work or gives you an "ERROR" message or the program "Hangs up" partway thru the cloning process. It happened to me but it was because I had bad sectors on my original hard drive giving me an error but worked after I ran "CHKDSK" utility, then hung up about 85% thru due to the fact I had too many MP3 audio files (my music) so I did the bypass on my music folder in the "OPTION" button of the software setup. When the cloning was completed, I simply copied my music folder from the original hard drive to my cloned drive and wallah... I'm all tuned up.

This is an update to the review I wrote for NTI Echo 5 back in November 2021. I used the product one time after I purchased it with success; it cloned my hard drive perfectly. I should mention that it also caused the drive letters of my data drives and my external drives to change (my G:\ drive became my H:\ drive, and my L:\ drive became my M:\ drive) which caused issues for me because my programs were pointing to files in specific drive letters and I was no longer able to easily access those files without re-pointing the drive letters.A few days ago, I decided to make clones of my hard drives and my data drive again on both my laptop and my desktop. I had nothing but problems!It is important to point that I am retired Tech Support person and I worked in the computer field for 25 years before retiring. This is important to mention because I want all readers of this review to know that I know how to create clones and images of hard drives; I have done it thousands of times.Well, back to a few days ago. When I tried to create a clone of my data drive again, I got a message stating "CANNOT FIND SOURCE DISK". This was quite odd because ECHO's software is very simple to use. On the left side of the screen there is a drop-down box marked SOURCE. I chose the DATA DRIVE from that drop-down box for my internal data drive-- the one I wanted to create a clone FROM. On the right side of the screen there is a drop-down box marked TARGET . I chose the external drive which was in an enclosure; i know this was correct because the drop down box indicated the enclosure by the name of the manufacturer and I only have one of those! So, I know the SOURCE and the TARGET choices I made from the two drop-down boxes were correct. However, the clone would not complete; no matter what I tried or how many times I tried it, I always got that message "CANNOT FIND SOURCE DISK".I decided to write to NTI, the manufacturer of ECHO 5 software. After I did that, I went back to work on my PC thinking I'd have to wait at least an hour or two for an answer from the NTI corporation. Well, when I went to access one of my excel files, I discovered my data drive was completely wiped out! I had no data on the drive. the drive only consisted of two ECHO 5 folders, and 3 echo files, but ALL my data folders, all my data files (word files, excel files, PDF files, etc) were all gone!I went over to my laptop where I had the same error ("CANNOT FIND SOURCE DISK"), and I found that my c:\ drive, which contained my system files AND my data files was also wiped clean! I had two ECHO 5 folders, and 3 files, but ALL my system files, data folders, all my data files (word files, excel files, PDF files, etc), all my program files were all gone!I finally got a response from ECHO technician. I had only gotten the chance to write about the CANNOT FIND SOURCE DISK error, and not the damaged disk errors. He told me (this is after I sent him some ECHO .log files so they can see what happend) to connect the drive the ECHO system couldn't find to a SATA controller instead of the SAS controller. However, let's remember I am a 25 year computer tech veteran. I immeidatley recognized this as a song-and-dance answer , because I experienced the same problem with my laptop (exactly the same issues, errors, etc), andt here are no SATA CONTROLLERS or SAS CONTROLLERS on a laptop.I spent three days reconstructing the data drive on my desktop. I purchased a program that recovers files from a mistakenly formatted disk, and I got most of my Desktop data files back. I was lucky. However, The system drive for my laptop was unrepairable, and I had to use an image from about 8 months ago and although I got the laptop going, I did not have any of my newer program files, and none of my data files. That stuff is lost forever.ECHO's response to all this: "Unfortunately, there is no way to recover files lost by cloning the incorrect direction by not correctly selecting the source and target, which it’s the only way what you describe will happen by running Echo to clone a drive." This response is hogwash; I am not inexperienced with computer cloning and creating computer disk images. I definitely chose the correct drop-down menus choices and selected the correct drives for both my desktop and my laptop.There are lots of cloning software choices and disk-imaging choices. I will continue to use my disk-imaging software. It takes a little longer to create the disk (you have to create the image first, and then put the image on the hard disk). It take about 3-5 hours to complete the entire task. HOWEVER, in my 25 years of working with computers, working with hard drives, creating images, creating cloned drives, etc. I never experienced anything like what happened here with ECHO 5. Don't take the chance; find something else.

I don't know why they bother to send a cd because you basically have to go to the website to download the product. I was having some difficulty installing it from the cd and tried to call their tech support but the admin assistant who answered the phone said something about them having an issue with their licensing server but was able to tell me how to get to where I needed to go to download the correct product. I will say the software once you are able to get it downloaded is fairly easy to use and worked great for cloning my HDD to my new SSD. I would have given it 5 stars if I didn't have to jump through those hoops to get it working.

The task of closing the contents of your computer’s hard drive (whether it is mechanical or SSD) is ridiculously simple, or at least it should be. But the handful of companies who we have turned to for many years as our go-to software brands have done everything in their power to confuse and obfuscate the simple into arduous tasks with unnecessary rules, restrictions and fluff. One if the major names we all think of, in an incredible lapse of common sense, even suddenly decided to change their product name and turn it into a subscription. Who could ever need to pay a yearly ransom for a task that most people do only once or twice ever in their lifetimes? And another has the supremely poorly advised gotcha, that most customers don’t find out until it is too late, that they can only clone ONCE and then game over. Needless to say I needed an alternative to those formerly great products and found this for a one-time purchase price lower than any other major brand.IS THIS FOR REALMy first impression was to question the legitimacy of this software, it sounded too good to be true. Their general appearance comes across as a couple of guys operating out of a rented van, what I got reminded me of the way I used to buy software years ago. They are hypersensitive about some of the misguided reviews, as well they should be, some come across as plants from nefarious competitors. Even the product itself has little notes taped inside and dire warnings to follow the instructions exactly and never use the letter O.USING ITInstallation happened without a hitch on a five year old Win 10 computer. The things I had been warned about like that I had to register it online first didn’t happen. When I opened the app it was ready to go with the most obvious source and destination pre-chosen and a couple of easy to understand choices that even a novice could understand. I made my choice and it started to run WITH a progress status bar (despite what some naysayers claimed that I was just left with a blank screen to stare at). Their interface is clean and contemporary and I knew what it was doing every minute including an accurate time to completion, which by the way did not take all day - I transferred about 500GB from my source disk (the entire contents) in less than a half hour.RESULTSIn the final analysis the results are what counts. Once the process was done it instructed me what to do next and makes the logical move of shutting the computer down so you can do that safely. I removed the old boot drive, swapped locations with the new 2TB hard drive and powered up. The cloned drive booted perfectly and every app and file was an exact replica. Absolutely no surprises.YES NO MAYBEHaving a career in the computer industry and having built, repaired and used nearly every genre of PC I say I can’t understand why anyone would buy any other software than this one. And to be clear I did buy it with my own money, and also bought its two major competitor’s products the same way. Unless you clone drives for a living, in which case you wouldn’t be looking at this product, this is the way it’s supposed to be. Keeping in mind that five stars equals a product that is the best of the best, that’s what I give Echo 5.

Tal como lo indica la descripción, es una gran herramienta.