Imaging Software

[hennessy1]

Is acronis true image the best imaging software out there or is there something better? I have tried norton ghost before and was not impressed but that was several years ago so it might have changed since then. I am basically looking for the best 1:1 clone imaging software.

Thank you.

 

[BlueWeasel]

You'll find many Acronis fans around here. For paid imaging apps, it's probably the best.

There is free software that works too. Macrium Reflect, DriveImage, and Paragon Drive Backup can all be found free. I've used Paragon to do a 1:1 image backup and was impressed.

 

[Blazer]

i use a paid version, it just works, for me atleast, try the trial.

http://www.acronis.com/download/

 

[13Gigatons]

Acronis is about the best but there are others.

Acronis TI 2010
Norton Ghost 15
StorageCraft Shadow Protect
Terabyte Image for Windows
R-Drive Image

Comparison: http://disk-imaging-software-review.toptenreviews.com/index.html

 

[Rottie]

Hell yeah TI is the BEST!!!

 

[rudder]

We use acronis here at work. I have a few nitpicky problems with it... but it does do reliable automated backups.

 

[hennessy1]

Does the license only cover the product purchased at the time or does it cover updates for ATI?

 

[wheels]

Will imaging software such as acronis allow me to back up my entiree hard drive, operating sys, drivers, apps and be able to start fresh whenever? Do you have to re install anything or enter windows keycode or does it allow you to easily be up and running?

 

[Blazer]

Does the license only cover the product purchased at the time or does it cover updates for ATI?

if you purchase whatever version, say 'Acronis True Image 2009' you will be able to get all downloads [updates ] related to that version, to download the lattest updated build for that version will require you to create a free account and register your product, then just look under registered products when you sign in for the lattest build, However if you decide you like a latter version you can always upgrade at a reduced cost.

please note: anytime you upgrade to another build/Version you should create a new bootable cd.

 

[Blazer]

Will imaging software such as acronis allow me to back up my entiree hard drive, operating sys, drivers, apps and be able to start fresh whenever? Do you have to re install anything or enter windows keycode or does it allow you to easily be up and running?

let me put it this way, do your install with all drivers and programs you want/like and fine tune your full activated system just the way you like it, with acronis installed create the bootable cd at the install point, backup your C: drive [default OS Drive] to another drive [ always store on another drive, preferrably an internal drive], if something happens insert your bootable cd and choose recovery, choose your backup stored on another drive and choose restore, it will restore your os drive just the way it was when you created the backup, depends on your os size as far as how long, i have just under 30gb of os drive size and it restores in under 30 minutes, your personal data storage folder size will affect how long, i keep most on my data on another drive to make it quicker for both backup and recovery.

 

[hennessy1]

Ok I purchased ATI. Theres the program download and the bootable media download. Do I need to install the program to create an image or can I use the bootable media to do that?

Now it has a sector by sector copy and just a data copy. When using one over the other besides image size what will one do for me that the other won't? Like if I need to wipe the drive and restore with an image can I do that with the just data backup or would I need the sector by sector one for that?

 

[Blazer]

data backup is just that, data only, no os.

download both, but you should install the program and use it to create the boot cd, within the program you should create the backup, also setup scheduled task as well if you want.

you cannot restore an os with a data backup, so create the os backup from the program and use the boot cd to restore, i dont use data backup, also there is a help guide within the program you should read, also here is the forum. http://forum.acronis.com/

 

[13Gigatons]

1. The only time sector by sector needs to be used is by a new operating system that Acronis doesn't recognize yet.

2. Partitions should be called partitions or drives now in 2010 version.

3. File backups is recommended for music files or documents, etc.

 

[Blazer]

from the forums at acronis there are some reports that are related to Win 7 and ATi not playing well together, just thought id mention.

 

[ronbo613]

The Linux kernel the Acronis Restore Disc is based on does not recognize some SATA drives in Windows 7; particularly the computer boot drive which makes it difficult to clone or image the drive.
I'm pretty sure Acronis has a handle on this problem and either provides an updated ISO and/or plugins to address this issue. Your TI has to be registered; the updates are provided when you log in to your account.
Seagate and WD hard drive software is made by Acronis; I don't believe either one of those companies have updated their software and will not work with Windows 7 and SATA drives. I emailed Seagate about the problem with their DiscTools software; they are pretty much in denial.

 

[MStele]

The Linux kernel the Acronis Restore Disc is based on does not recognize some SATA drives in Windows 7; particularly the computer boot drive which makes it difficult to clone or image the drive.

What do you mean? The only problems that can exist (assuming your hardware is compatible), are potential issues with the boot sector and newer file system, but Windows 7 uses the same boot loader and NTFS version that Vista did, so it shouldn't add any problems that wouldn't have existed when imaging a Vista drive. I've personally created and restored Win7-pro 64 partitions using a copy of Acronis I purchased early last year with zero problems. I can see compatibility problems if your trying to use the Acronis software within Windows itself. I think your likely to run into problems if your using the latest hardware with Acronis, since the newest Sata/raid/usb controllers may not be supported, but Windows 7 itself should have no affect on imaging. At least thats my experience.

 

[Binky]

Don't forget that many drive manufacturers offer free versions of (acronis) drive image programs.

Here's the WD version of acronis true image:
http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp

 

[ronbo613]

What do you mean?

Earlier versions of Acronis TI 2010 did not recognize some SATA drives; which means the bootable disc was unable to clone or image drives because the software did not "see" the drive. This is a well documented issue with the TI software.

 

[gigahertz20]

I've been using Acronis True Image 2010, works great. The interface is about as easy you can get.


For a free version, macrium reflect and Paragon have free solutions that do the job just fine. They just don't have advanced features.

 

[13Gigatons]

Earlier versions of Acronis TI 2010 did not recognize some SATA drives; which means the bootable disc was unable to clone or image drives because the software did not "see" the drive. This is a well documented issue with the TI software.

Worse is that you could not recover an image. However that problem has been fixed with upgrades and like it was said early, updates to the bootable iso are available through the Acronis website.

 

[tcsenter]

There is also Seagate's Disc Wizard for Windows, which is little more than a "lite" version of Acronis True Image Home with about 80% of the same functionality....for free.

 

[tcsenter]

oops, double post.

 

[MStele]

Earlier versions of Acronis TI 2010 did not recognize some SATA drives; which means the bootable disc was unable to clone or image drives because the software did not "see" the drive. This is a well documented issue with the TI software.

I agree, but you specifically said that "The Linux kernel the Acronis Restore Disc is based on does not recognize some drives in Windows 7" and also "I don't believe either one of those companies have updated their software and will not work with Windows 7 and SATA drives."

If your using the boot disc, Acronis has absolutely nothing to do with Windows 7. You implied that your choice of operating system had an affect on whether the bootable Acronis disc (which is based on linux as you said) would detect your drives, which it doesn't. Anyways, I'll assume that your latest response is what you meant to say the first time around, which is that this is purely a compatibility issue with newer hardware

 

[ronbo613]

Older Acronis imaging software does not work with Windows 7 so I mentioned both the Aronis software and the operating system it was being used with because that was the scenario where the software was not working. Acronis technicians also told me that the new versions of Acronis software were designed to address the parameters of the new Windows 7 operating systems.

Anyways, I'll assume that your latest response is what you meant to say the first time around, which is that this is purely a compatibility issue with newer hardware

If you say so; but the TI 2010 did not work on an XP Pro; Intel 875PBZ, 3.4C system with Seagate 7200.10 hard drives either. It is four or five years old.

I personally did not investigate the issue of the Linux kernel problems; I was told by Acronis and Seagate technicians that was the source of the problem.
As I mentioned in my earlier post; I have both Seagate and WD drives in my computer and have used Seagate DiscTools; it is the older version of the Acronis imaging software and is not fully functional in Windows 7.

 

[MStele]

Older Acronis imaging software does not work with Windows 7 so I mentioned both the Aronis software and the operating system it was being used with because that was the scenario where the software was not working. Acronis technicians also told me that the new versions of Acronis software were designed to address the parameters of the new Windows 7 operating systems.
If you say so; but the TI 2010 did not work on an XP Pro; Intel 875PBZ, 3.4C system with Seagate 7200.10 hard drives either. It is four or five years old.

I personally did not investigate the issue of the Linux kernel problems; I was told by Acronis and Seagate technicians that was the source of the problem.
As I mentioned in my earlier post; I have both Seagate and WD drives in my computer and have used Seagate DiscTools; it is the older version of the Acronis imaging software and is not fully functional in Windows 7.

Thanks for clearing it up. I think I can see what you mean about the Seagate gear. I haven't had any problems using Acronis with Windows 7, but I'm using all WD drives, so that might be the distinction. Hopefully all of the problems get fixed. Seagate hasn't been high on my buy list since the rampant failures they had with their drives in recent years. I've read that recent bios fixes have alleviated all that, but we'll see.