How to backup system (like Drive Image 2002) to DVD?

[sep]

I want to backup my drive to DVD-R. Prior to my DVD-R I was able to use Drive Image 2002 with my CD-RW and it worked fine. However, I'd like to use 2 DVDs instead of 12-15 CD-Rs. Anyone know how to get this to work or a workaround?

*I don't see any option for DVD in Drive Image 2002. Sent an email support a week ago with not even a reply yet.

 

[zzzz]

acronis true imager

 

[TheDiggler]

I haven't used Drive Image so I don't know its features; however, I have used Ghost and know what it's capable of. Hopefully the two programs are similar in features. Assuming they are, if you have an extra HDD connected (one w/ enough free disk space to hold an image of the "HDD TO IMAGE") you can do the following:

1) Make an image of the "HDD TO IMAGE" to the EXTRA HDD such that image is SPANNED across multiple image files w/ a maximum image size of 1.175 gigs per image span file.

2) Once you have your SPANNED IMAGE FILES, re-boot into Windows and use your favorite DVD burning software to burn the images to DVD.

A few advantages of doing it this way:
1) You don't have to sit there while your IMAGING SOFTWARE is producing your IMAGE FILES
2) When it's time to burn your image files to DVD, since the software runs under Windows, you can do other stuff in the background.
3) You have an extra copy of your image on your EXTRA HDD

The disadvantages are pretty obvious:
1) You're performing this in 2 steps instead of 1
2) You need an EXTRA HDD for this to work

P.S. If you don't have an EXTRA HDD but have occupied less than 50% of your HDD, if it's not already partitioned, create a 2nd partition out of the FREE SPACE and perhaps assign it 35%-40% of the drive's total size. This way you can repeat the steps above to create a PARITION IMAGE instead of a DISK IMAGE.

 

[sep]

zzzz, do you have a link?

TheDiggler, why only 1.175GB? Thanks for the work around.

Anyone else?

 

[TheDiggler]

Originally posted by: sep
zzzz, do you have a link?
TheDiggler, why only 1.175GB? Thanks for the work around.
Anyone else?

I calculated that value based on the following facts as I know them to be:
a) A DVD-ROM can hold up to 4.7 gigs of data.
b) Norton Ghost, to the best of my knowledge, never produces an image file > 2 gigs in size (i.e. it forcibly SPANS in 2 GIG chunks unless you configure a different SMALLER span size).

4.7 gigs / 2 = 2.35 gigs (which is bigger than the maximum image file size of a Ghost Image Span)
4.7 gigs / 4 = 1.175 gigs (which is smaller than the maximum image file size of a Ghost Image Span)

I picked the 1.175 gig size for Ghost purposes so that you're producing the most efficient SPAN size w/o wasting any space on a DVD-ROM.

Lets say you went w/ the Ghost default of 2 gigs per Image Span. If you're backing up 30 gigs of data (assuming no compression for the sake of this example), that'll produce 15 2gig SPAN files. You'll be able to fit 2 SPAN files per DVD (i.e. 2 gigs x 2 files per DVD), for a total of 8 DVDs (wasting 700 megs of space per DVD).

If you produce 1.175 gig SPAN files, you'll end up with 25 1.175gig SPAN files and a small 26th SPAN file. All 26 of these files will fit on 7 DVDs. Thus, you're using 1 less DVD to backup your data w/ 1.175 gig chunks (because you're using your DVD space more efficiently).

If Drive Image lets you produce SPAN files > 2 gigs, I'd go with 4.7gig SPAN files (if possible), or 2.35gig SPAN files otherwise.

 

[sep]

gotcha!