You need root privileges to do the copy, so nope. You need to flash it. But flashing to rd doesn't mean that your system get's wiped out. It only triggers the system to rd mode. So, it's safe to do at any time. You just need a linux distro to do it. If you already don't have one, I recommend downloading knoppix or similiar rebooting with the cd to linux, download flasher to desktop and then follow instructions on how to enable rd mode. It's really 5 mins tops. Highly recommended!