Whats the best way to back up or image a fresh OS install?

[bernse]

Can anyone tell me what I need for the easiest way to backing up a drive after a fresh OS install? I would like to do this as I generally do a reformat every 4-6 months and would like to "image" after I get windows activated. It would save me "activations" of my OS and greatly speed-up my install time.

I own Nero 7 Ultra - does anyone know if you can do it with that?

I suspect you should"use a program like Norton Ghost, but I don't own it.. I did have an old version (came with a mobo) but it was talking about ghosting an entire drive - I have Windows on a 160GB Drive, and IMHO don't want to make a 160GB image for only 2GB of data install. I guess I could make a say, 4GB partition for Windows and make an image that would fit on a DVD.. would that be best?

I undestand XP has a back up utility.. is it any good for what I want to do?

Can some kind soul walk give me recomendations of the easiest to use for my needs?

Thanks!

 

[Snapster]

You need a disk imaging tool like Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost. Disk images are generally only the used portion of your drive, so you've no need to worry about having to image the full 160 Gig. I found Acronis very easy to use, you just create a boot cd from one of the menus, boot to the cd, choose what you want to image and where to save it to. Same goes for restore, it's a very straight forward process.

 

[BW86]

Acronis True Image = :heart:

 

[bernse]

Thanks foks. Did some searching on Acronis and seems really recomended. I think I'll buy that.

Appreciate the feedback!

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: BW86
Acronis True Image = :heart:

$699!?!? :shocked:

Please tell me youre kidding. You could add another HD and use freeware (eg, ezbackitup) for a fraction of that.

 

[bucwylde23]

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: BW86
Acronis True Image = :heart:

$699!?!? :shocked:

Please tell me youre kidding. You could add another HD and use freeware (eg, ezbackitup) for a fraction of that.

where are you trying to buy it? Wherever you are looking you are horribly wrong. Try www.acronis.com or www.newegg.com.

I paid about $30 on newegg as a download.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: chrisg22

where are you trying to buy it? Wherever you are looking you are horribly wrong. Try www.acronis.com or www.newegg.com.

I paid about $30 on newegg as a download.

I just followed the link up ^^^ there. However, $30 is still $30 more than free. There are TONS of free options.

 

[bucwylde23]

Originally posted by: homercles337

Originally posted by: chrisg22

where are you trying to buy it? Wherever you are looking you are horribly wrong. Try www.acronis.com or www.newegg.com.

I paid about $30 on newegg as a download.

I just followed the link up ^^^ there. However, $30 is still $30 more than free. There are TONS of free options.

Ah, he linked to the Enterprise version, which explains the price.

However, if you'd prefer free, that's fine and may very well be a good solution. But I can't say that I trust freeware enough to back up my most important pictures/documents/etc. $30 isn't that much to pay for a little extra peace of mind in my opinion. That and Acronis works VERY well and I like the features and it's interface a lot.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: chrisg22
Ah, he linked to the Enterprise version, which explains the price.

However, if you'd prefer free, that's fine and may very well be a good solution. But I can't say that I trust freeware enough to back up my most important pictures/documents/etc. $30 isn't that much to pay for a little extra peace of mind in my opinion. That and Acronis works VERY well and I like the features and it's interface a lot.

Agreed. I have never had to restore from a freeware backup (*crosses fingers*) but rest assured that you will hear about it if i have to.

 

[archcommus]

What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

 

[bucwylde23]

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

No it takes longer to install windows, and much longer to get all the updates.

Also, you don't just install windows. Yoi install all software (Office, games, virus, firewall, etc) and update all of those as well.

I can reimage my drive and be up and running again in probably 15-20 minutes ONLY because my image is kind of old and needs to be updated a bit.
Once i finally update it I can be back up to speed in like 10 minutes.

 

[JasonSix78]

I just used BootIt Next Generation for the first time and I really liked it.
BootIt Next Generation Give it a try and see how you like it.

My Dad uses Norton Ghost and he likes it alot so you could give it a shot too. I'm not sure if it's free like BootItNG though.

-Jason

 

[bernse]

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

It takes closer to 1/2 hour to do a basic Windows install.

Then you install your drivers.

The you have to download/install all the updates.. another 15-30 minutes.

Then, you have to activate which.. which if you've done more than the magic number of times MS allows you to online, you have to phone India and get a 50 digit number from them to activate it.

I'd rather get all that done first, take an image, then Voila! Quick reinstall of everything for whatever reason.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: chrisg22

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

No it takes longer to install windows, and much longer to get all the updates.

Also, you don't just install windows. Yoi install all software (Office, games, virus, firewall, etc) and update all of those as well.

I can reimage my drive and be up and running again in probably 15-20 minutes ONLY because my image is kind of old and needs to be updated a bit.
Once i finally update it I can be back up to speed in like 10 minutes.

Installing Windows literally takes 7 minutes, and I don't have a RAID array or Raptor drives or anything. Updates do not take more than another 20, and after that, I wouldn't really want an image of other installed programs and stuff because I might want to do things differently when I format anyway.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: bernse

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

It takes closer to 1/2 hour to do a basic Windows install.

Then you install your drivers.

The you have to download/install all the updates.. another 15-30 minutes.

Then, you have to activate which.. which if you've done more than the magic number of times MS allows you to online, you have to phone India and get a 50 digit number from them to activate it.

I'd rather get all that done first, take an image, then Voila! Quick reinstall of everything for whatever reason.

Are you kidding? Half hour? Maybe three years ago, but the last time I installed Windows (in June) on a regular IDE Seagate HDD, it took under 10 minutes.

 

[bucwylde23]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: chrisg22

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

No it takes longer to install windows, and much longer to get all the updates.

Also, you don't just install windows. Yoi install all software (Office, games, virus, firewall, etc) and update all of those as well.

I can reimage my drive and be up and running again in probably 15-20 minutes ONLY because my image is kind of old and needs to be updated a bit.
Once i finally update it I can be back up to speed in like 10 minutes.

Installing Windows literally takes 7 minutes, and I don't have a RAID array or Raptor drives or anything. Updates do not take more than another 20, and after that, I wouldn't really want an image of other installed programs and stuff because I might want to do things differently when I format anyway.

Either way it's a personal preference and imaging is MUCH faster and easier for me so that is ultimately what i care about I have 2 images, one with no software installed and one with.... so I have the best of both worlds I"m happy

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: bernse

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

It takes closer to 1/2 hour to do a basic Windows install.

Then you install your drivers.

The you have to download/install all the updates.. another 15-30 minutes.

Then, you have to activate which.. which if you've done more than the magic number of times MS allows you to online, you have to phone India and get a 50 digit number from them to activate it.

I'd rather get all that done first, take an image, then Voila! Quick reinstall of everything for whatever reason.

Are you kidding? Half hour? Maybe three years ago, but the last time I installed Windows (in June) on a regular IDE Seagate HDD, it took under 10 minutes.

What about the reactivation? That alone is reason enough to image the drive. Trying to understand someone in India and get an extremely long number to activate it... no thanks.

 

[bernse]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: bernse

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

It takes closer to 1/2 hour to do a basic Windows install.

Then you install your drivers.

The you have to download/install all the updates.. another 15-30 minutes.

Then, you have to activate which.. which if you've done more than the magic number of times MS allows you to online, you have to phone India and get a 50 digit number from them to activate it.

I'd rather get all that done first, take an image, then Voila! Quick reinstall of everything for whatever reason.

Are you kidding? Half hour? Maybe three years ago, but the last time I installed Windows (in June) on a regular IDE Seagate HDD, it took under 10 minutes.

Less than 10 minutes? No way.

I 've installed XP probably 30-40 times (seriously!) on many systems. All relatively "modern" systems will take roughly the same amount of time. Last one was just yesterday (Sunday).

The initial copying of the setup files from CD to HDD takes about 1 minute (when you boot from CD). Then you navigate through the menu and format (even a quick format will take another minute or two. Full format for a big HDD can take an hour.) Then, you enter your code. Then you begin the basic installation/setup itself which will take at least 15 on its own.

So.. from scratch you're looking at realistically a minumim 20-ish minutes if you really rush and have done it many times (maybe not 1/2 hour, but not far from it). And even then, your just at a virgin desktop. No drivers, no updates, no preferences, nada. Time to download/install all the windows updates alone even on a fat pipe will be at least another 15-20. If you're not installing an SP2 version, tack another 200+MB download on top of that.

Faster than a half hour without imaging? Maybe 10 minutes to do a virgin install the OS? No way.

 

[Gooberlx2]

yeah, I really need to get some disk imaging software too, simply updating from the old virgin copy of XP Home is a nightmare....plus I have to try to update/install the latest vid drivers for my laptop ASAP after the OS install, otherwise the system BSOD's as a result. It's like a race between me and the BSOD.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: bernse

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: bernse

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

It takes closer to 1/2 hour to do a basic Windows install.

Then you install your drivers.

The you have to download/install all the updates.. another 15-30 minutes.

Then, you have to activate which.. which if you've done more than the magic number of times MS allows you to online, you have to phone India and get a 50 digit number from them to activate it.

I'd rather get all that done first, take an image, then Voila! Quick reinstall of everything for whatever reason.

Are you kidding? Half hour? Maybe three years ago, but the last time I installed Windows (in June) on a regular IDE Seagate HDD, it took under 10 minutes.

Less than 10 minutes? No way.

I 've installed XP probably 30-40 times (seriously!) on many systems. All relatively "modern" systems will take roughly the same amount of time. Last one was just yesterday (Sunday).

The initial copying of the setup files from CD to HDD takes about 1 minute (when you boot from CD). Then you navigate through the menu and format (even a quick format will take another minute or two. Full format for a big HDD can take an hour.) Then, you enter your code. Then you begin the basic installation/setup itself which will take at least 15 on its own.

So.. from scratch you're looking at realistically a minumim 20-ish minutes if you really rush and have done it many times (maybe not 1/2 hour, but not far from it). And even then, your just at a virgin desktop. No drivers, no updates, no preferences, nada. Time to download/install all the windows updates alone even on a fat pipe will be at least another 15-20. If you're not installing an SP2 version, tack another 200+MB download on top of that.

Faster than a half hour without imaging? Maybe 10 minutes to do a virgin install the OS? No way.

I'm not really sure how to explain your experiences, then. True, I wasn't factoring in stuff like the time it takes to launch the CD, or pick options and format, however once the installation begins, 7 minutes, and I can be sure of that because when I did it in June I sat by and watched. I was amazed that it started out saying 30 minutes remaining and then went down to 25, 20, 15 in no time. This is on a Seagate 7200 RPM IDE with an Epox nF4 motherboard.

And yes, there are drivers and other things to get, as well, so I guess the imaging does help. But I usually only format and reinstall for a hardware upgrade anyway, so there's little point to imaging my current setup.

 

[SGtheArtist]

Norton Ghost 2003 gets my vote because that's what I've been using for a while .

 

[dunkster]

Check out Terabyte 'Image for DOS' @ $18.

Combine 'Image for Windows' and 'Image for DOS' combination @ $28.

Super-reliable non-bloat backup/restore software solutions.

I've used IFW and IFD for a year, and they're flawless.

Hope this helps!

 

[WildHorse]

If you image a HDD with something like Nero Burning ROM or Ghost or Acronis True Image,

is that any better than if you simply use the free software that comes with some HDDs to clone the drive to a backup drive?

Is a clone of a HDD as good as an ISO file?

(if those are both the same thing, I haven't learned that fact yet)

I need to learn more in this area.

 

[caz67]

I use Norton ghost.

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: chrisg22

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: chrisg22

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

No it takes longer to install windows, and much longer to get all the updates.

Also, you don't just install windows. Yoi install all software (Office, games, virus, firewall, etc) and update all of those as well.

I can reimage my drive and be up and running again in probably 15-20 minutes ONLY because my image is kind of old and needs to be updated a bit.
Once i finally update it I can be back up to speed in like 10 minutes.

Installing Windows literally takes 7 minutes, and I don't have a RAID array or Raptor drives or anything. Updates do not take more than another 20, and after that, I wouldn't really want an image of other installed programs and stuff because I might want to do things differently when I format anyway.

Either way it's a personal preference and imaging is MUCH faster and easier for me so that is ultimately what i care about I have 2 images, one with no software installed and one with.... so I have the best of both worlds I"m happy

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: bernse

Originally posted by: archcommus
What is the advantage to doing this instead of just reinstalling Windows and doing all your updates manually? Installing Windows nowadays takes all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 or so to get your updates.

It takes closer to 1/2 hour to do a basic Windows install.

Then you install your drivers.

The you have to download/install all the updates.. another 15-30 minutes.

Then, you have to activate which.. which if you've done more than the magic number of times MS allows you to online, you have to phone India and get a 50 digit number from them to activate it.

I'd rather get all that done first, take an image, then Voila! Quick reinstall of everything for whatever reason.

Are you kidding? Half hour? Maybe three years ago, but the last time I installed Windows (in June) on a regular IDE Seagate HDD, it took under 10 minutes.

What about the reactivation? That alone is reason enough to image the drive. Trying to understand someone in India and get an extremely long number to activate it... no thanks.

there's an easier way of activating...

just backup the file "wpa.dbl" in the "WindowsSystem32" folder and restore it after the install. done.

 

[dunkster]

Scott:

Cloned drive vs. Imaged drive:

If you IMAGE a boot drive to another drive and the boot drive suffers a hardware failure - the failed drive must be replaced, and then you would restore the image to the new replacement drive.

If you CLONE a boot drive to another drive - BOTH are working boot drives. If the boot drive fails - just replace it with the clone.

Hope this helps!