hard disk imaging

talkshowhost · Mar 5, 2005, 01:03 PM

hi.

having recently reformatted my system and having just installed all the usual programs that i like and having done nothing else i was wondering if anyone could reccomend a good program to back up an image of my c: drive (which is a 7GB partition) so that if anything goes wrong again i can just restore the image of my c: drive and have everything back to the way it is now. first off is this possible? i have bben looking about for programs and would appreciate any suggestions. i was going to use nero but apparently if the drive has windows on it and is NTFS then windows will not work if you restore it. thanks in advance for any help offered.

PangingJr · Mar 5, 2005, 01:48 PM

Norton Ghost v8.xx (2003)
PowerQuest Drive Image v6.xx (2002)
Symantec Ghost v8.0 Corporate

the latest version of...
Paragon Drive Backup Professional
Paragon Hard Disk Manager Professional or Deployment versions
Paragon Rescue Kit Professional
Partition Imager 2005 (7Tools.com - lower version of Paragon software)

Acronis True Image.v7.x or v8.x (acronis.com)

the latest version of...
BootIt Next Generation (BING) or Image for windows (from terabyteunlimited.com)

-----

AFAIK, the Windows PE and BartPE supports the following softwares...
Symantec Ghost v8.0 Corporate
Paragon Drive Backup Professional
Paragon Hard Disk Manager Professional or Deployment versions

-----

none of these softwares are free.
you may need some time to find out more info about these softwares,
try and test it til you find the one you like the most. GoodLuck.

OldBuzzard · Mar 5, 2005, 01:53 PM

Check out the 'One Click' software at: http://www.hyperos2002.com/ It will allow to have up to 4 Windows installations. It's not real cheap, $103.25 here in the states, or £59.00 in the UK where it originates but over the long run it could save you a lot of time and stress.

I use it's 'big brother' HyperOS 2002 R6, which allows up to 20 different OS installations of ANY flavor of Windows (except 3.1) and I really like it.

The newer versions even allow you to use Linux.

I can restore a BASIC version of XP Pro from a zipped image in under 3 minutes, and 'clone' my 'live' system in about 10 minutes. I always clone the live system and test any driver updated on that before applying them to the live system. My main system has FS2004, with a HUGE number of updates to it, and it would take over a week just to re-install it if it gets 'broken' to the point that a Format C: and re-install is the only answer. With HyperOS, Format C: is a thing of the past for me

I also have seperate systems for the wife and 2 kids, which is good too, as I don't worry about any one of them doing anything goofy and trashing MY system. I backup each system once a month, and have only had to re-install Windows (98SE & XP) one time in the last 3 years, and that was only because I upgraded from an Athlon 1.2 to my current system.

Tipstaff · Mar 5, 2005, 07:09 PM

Word of caution: Some programs will not work properly when the image spans multiple DVDs/Discs, and some will not work properly with SATA drives. I image drives almost every day (saves me time in having to reinstall a customers PC), and what I've found is that Acronis 7 or up to be the best of the bunch. It has the best success rate for SATA drives (Ghost will backup the drive, but the images will not work), allows for spanning multiple DVDs, and it allows for image dumping to the hard drive. Ghost has all the problems I mentioned above, plus Ghost 9 is just pure garbage. They also no longer allow for the creation of a bootable floppy (they want you to use the System Works CD or Ghost 9 CD to boot). Drive Image is another good one.

- Tip

Mar 5, 2005, 01:03 PM	#1
talkshowhost DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 92 Rep Power: 0	hard disk imaging hi. having recently reformatted my system and having just installed all the usual programs that i like and having done nothing else i was wondering if anyone could reccomend a good program to back up an image of my c: drive (which is a 7GB partition) so that if anything goes wrong again i can just restore the image of my c: drive and have everything back to the way it is now. first off is this possible? i have bben looking about for programs and would appreciate any suggestions. i was going to use nero but apparently if the drive has windows on it and is NTFS then windows will not work if you restore it. thanks in advance for any help offered. __________________

Mar 5, 2005, 01:53 PM	#3
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,781 Rep Power: 142 System Specs	Check out the 'One Click' software at: http://www.hyperos2002.com/ It will allow to have up to 4 Windows installations. It's not real cheap, $103.25 here in the states, or £59.00 in the UK where it originates but over the long run it could save you a lot of time and stress. I use it's 'big brother' HyperOS 2002 R6, which allows up to 20 different OS installations of ANY flavor of Windows (except 3.1) and I really like it. The newer versions even allow you to use Linux. I can restore a BASIC version of XP Pro from a zipped image in under 3 minutes, and 'clone' my 'live' system in about 10 minutes. I always clone the live system and test any driver updated on that before applying them to the live system. My main system has FS2004, with a HUGE number of updates to it, and it would take over a week just to re-install it if it gets 'broken' to the point that a Format C: and re-install is the only answer. With HyperOS, Format C: is a thing of the past for me I also have seperate systems for the wife and 2 kids, which is good too, as I don't worry about any one of them doing anything goofy and trashing MY system. I backup each system once a month, and have only had to re-install Windows (98SE & XP) one time in the last 3 years, and that was only because I upgraded from an Athlon 1.2 to my current system. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Mar 5, 2005, 07:09 PM	#4
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,772 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Word of caution: Some programs will not work properly when the image spans multiple DVDs/Discs, and some will not work properly with SATA drives. I image drives almost every day (saves me time in having to reinstall a customers PC), and what I've found is that Acronis 7 or up to be the best of the bunch. It has the best success rate for SATA drives (Ghost will backup the drive, but the images will not work), allows for spanning multiple DVDs, and it allows for image dumping to the hard drive. Ghost has all the problems I mentioned above, plus Ghost 9 is just pure garbage. They also no longer allow for the creation of a bootable floppy (they want you to use the System Works CD or Ghost 9 CD to boot). Drive Image is another good one. - Tip __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Mar 5, 2005, 01:48 PM	#2
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 70	Norton Ghost v8.xx (2003) PowerQuest Drive Image v6.xx (2002) Symantec Ghost v8.0 Corporate the latest version of... Paragon Drive Backup Professional Paragon Hard Disk Manager Professional or Deployment versions Paragon Rescue Kit Professional Partition Imager 2005 (7Tools.com - lower version of Paragon software) Acronis True Image.v7.x or v8.x (acronis.com) the latest version of... BootIt Next Generation (BING) or Image for windows (from terabyteunlimited.com) ----- AFAIK, the Windows PE and BartPE supports the following softwares... Symantec Ghost v8.0 Corporate Paragon Drive Backup Professional Paragon Hard Disk Manager Professional or Deployment versions ----- none of these softwares are free. you may need some time to find out more info about these softwares, try and test it til you find the one you like the most. GoodLuck.