Anyone know of a FREE Hard Drive Imaging program?

[Arcadio]

I need a program that allows me to backup an image of a hard drive for reinstallation purposes, instead of just reinstalling every program and driver separately.

Thanks, reps in advance.

 

[Underclocked]

Drive Image XML but you will need a Bart PE boot disk and install the DIMXL plugin.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I know that the Seagate discwizard is a rebadged version of Acronis TrueImage, it can image and backup your HD, if you have a seagate HD installed in the system.

I think WD's bootable disk utility CD will also do drive imaging.

 

[nordloewelabs]

from another thread:

last week i used the free and open source "SystemRescueCD" (http://www.sysresccd.org) to backup my Win2000 partition. worked fine.

first you use "Ntfs-3g" (Command Line) to mount a partition of any of your hard drives to serve as storage for the image you will be creating. then, you launch "Partimage" (GUI) to create the image. Partimage can also be used to restore an image to the hard drive. according to the documentation, the resulting images are perfect as long as the imaged drive inst severely fragmented.

 

[keeftea]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
I know that the Seagate discwizard is a rebadged version of Acronis TrueImage, it can image and backup your HD, if you have a seagate HD installed in the system.

I think WD's bootable disk utility CD will also do drive imaging.

Seagate/maxtor should just need to be attached.

Can anyone confirm the Wd utility?

 

[GrumpyMan]

There is none for WD.

 

[razor2025]

Try Ultimate Boot CD for Windows.

It automatically builds a Windows XP live CD with tools (including DriveImage XML) that you can use to image a drive with.

 

[Goosemaster]

Another vote for drivexml

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
Another vote for drivexml

Will that one allow you to clone a 500 GB disk with 20% used to a 250 GB empty drive?
All the tools I've tried don't like when you want to move data from a large disk to a smaller disk even if there's plenty of room for it to fit.

 

[Evander]

Just found out about this one yesterday, haven't tried it yet:
http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp

 

[nordloewelabs]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
Another vote for drivexml

Will that one allow you to clone a 500 GB disk with 20% used to a 250 GB empty drive?
All the tools I've tried don't like when you want to move data from a large disk to a smaller disk even if there's plenty of room for it to fit.

not many cloning tools allow you to do that. usually they require the partition in the destination HD to have the same size as the partition in the original HD -- regardless of actual occupied space! from what I've heard, Norton Ghost is one of the few Imaging/Cloning programs that are flexible in this aspect. DriveImage XML, however, will give you an error when you try to put your 500Gb-HD image into your 250Gb drive (even if the imaged data itself only takes 20Gb).

if you want to use a free Imaging/Cloning, tool like Drivelmge XML or SystemRescueCD in your 500Gb HD, you still can. the process becomes a little longer though:

1) you need to resize the partition in your original HD in order to make it 249Gb or less. resizing it to 100Gb would do it! to perform the resizing you can employ the freeware GParted. you can use the standalone version (downloadable from their website) or the version bundled in the SystemRescueCD package. either way you're fine.

2) once the partition you want to clone is small enough to fit in the destination HD, just go ahead and use any Imaging/Cloning program that you like. as I said before, SystemRescueCD can do the cloning as well.

 

[0roo0roo]

hm possibly...i know ghost let me restore partitions as long as the data fit.
drive xml probably similar. they generally don't require exact same partition size as thaty would make them rather useless.

just has to fit.

 

[rob65803]

I've used ACRONIS since they came out. They were the first and only thing to work on XP. I have used ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE HOME 11 for 2 yrs. Best there is.
Fry's @ http://shop1.frys.com/product/5386588


has it ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE HOME 11 $40.00 Rebate

Someone else had it for $20.00 w/$20.00 rebate. If I think where it was I will update you here. Either way it is free.

 

[Evander]

Originally posted by: Evander
Just found out about this one yesterday, haven't tried it yet:
http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp

This has a free version and full version, the full version is on giveaway of the day right now, grab it while you can cuz it's gone in less than 24 hrs:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: Evander

Originally posted by: Evander
Just found out about this one yesterday, haven't tried it yet:
http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp

This has a free version and full version, the full version is on giveaway of the day right now, grab it while you can cuz it's gone in less than 24 hrs:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

Is it any good? What is the catch?

 

[ChunkiMunki]

Originally posted by: pcslookout

Originally posted by: Evander

Originally posted by: Evander
Just found out about this one yesterday, haven't tried it yet:
http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp

This has a free version and full version, the full version is on giveaway of the day right now, grab it while you can cuz it's gone in less than 24 hrs:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

Is it any good? What is the catch?

you have to install and activate it before the day is over. this is the full version.

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: ChunkiMunki

Originally posted by: pcslookout

Originally posted by: Evander

Originally posted by: Evander
Just found out about this one yesterday, haven't tried it yet:
http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp

This has a free version and full version, the full version is on giveaway of the day right now, grab it while you can cuz it's gone in less than 24 hrs:
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

Is it any good? What is the catch?

you have to install and activate it before the day is over. this is the full version.

What happens if I ever want to reinstall?

 

[Evander]

If you want to reinstall, you'll have to pay $. So don't uninstall it, if you need it for another system you'll have to pay. Sometimes the giveaways can be migrated simply by copying the installation folder over to a different system, some people try to keep track of registry changes and such and see if they can manually make the changes on the new system if copying the folder doesn't work. On the other hand, sometimes that site offers the same giveaway at a later date.
This method allows the software maker to help make their software more well known, and users may wash to pay for upgrades or license for a different pc. The site itself probably gets revenue from ads.
The other catch is no free tech support

 

[Rebooted]

HDClone Free Edition.

Only limitation of the free edition is that you can only clone to a larger hard drive.