Re: saving disk partition

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

PS: I should have mentioned... if you end up with two identical XP's on two
different machines, MS will see the second XP on the new computer 2 as
"illegal" even if you can prove you have two licenses. Win updates would
then be problematic.

"callmark1" wrote:

OK it is a little more clear now. My experience is with Norton Ghost and so
I will comment about it though, as you have seen, there are other programs
for this task. Other imaging softwares probably have similar features.

If I understood your post correctly, I would suggest that there is no need
to "shrink" a partition before backing it up with Ghost; the extra unused
space in a large partition does not add bulk to the backup "image". Also,
Ghost has variable rate compression so if space is an issue, you might choose
"high compression". Ghost 9.0 will backup straight to CD or to a file on
your hdd. One of mu favorite features of Ghost is the Image Browser which
allows you to browse files within the backup image with an interface much
like Window Explorer. You can then selectively restore one file or many.

As far as your Docs are concerned, will old computer 1 be used for anything?
If you already have a reliable backup (or two) of all this user data on
external media, why not just delete it from computer 1 before backing up an
image of the partition?

For your new computer, Ghost could serve as your daily/weekly/monthly backup
application. It is capable of creating a baseline backup and then
"monitoring" your drive for changes in order to do "incremental" backups.

I would still prefer a nice clean install for computer 2. It sounds like
you already have the XP OS in place-- how nice. Unless there is time
pressure on getting computer 2 rolling, you have an opportunity to install
applications a step at a time. PS: not a bad idea to create a system image
of the new computer OS onto external media now for use as a recovery CD.

Mark




"nmdc69@xxxxxxxxxxx" wrote:


callmark1 wrote:
9:36 AM 6/19/2006

Hi nmdc:

It is certainly possible to transfer an entire partition to another hdd.
The 3rd party software DL mentioned- Acronis True Image and Norton Ghost- are
the only two applications which would do the job reliably (in my opinion).
However, as Pegasus suggested, there can be many vexing problems resulting
from incompatible drivers, etc. when using this method. I think most users
would be ultimately happier with a fresh install from the factory CD's for
all applications. It is your choice of course. Either way, make sure you A)
back up all data to external media before doing anything and B) plan your
transfer/re-install carefully (making sure you have all CD's on hand, etc.).

Good luck and post back here with any questions as you decide/proceed.

Mark



Thanks Mark, and the others who responded.

ok, I understand it may be difficult to copy everything from computer 1
to computer 2 (I should have said that computer 2 is identical to
computer 1, and has XP preinstalled with its own licence number).

I should also have said that my most pressing reason for imaging the
partition is for backup. I want to resize this partition (reduce its
size) with Partition Magic, but first I want to have a backup of the
system with all the applications installed in case something goes
wrong. Ability to copy to computer 2 would be nice, but is not as
crucial as backup.

Are Acronis True Image and Norton Ghost the way to go for backup?

Also, I don't need to save my user files ("My Document") since I
already did a backup of that, and since "My Document" is big I'd
prefer if the image could be done leaving out this folder. Does any of
these programs allow me to do that, or do I have to save the entire
partition?




"nmdc69@xxxxxxxxxxx" wrote:

Hi folks,
I want to save an image of the disk partition containing an XP
installation (with a lot
of software installed). I'd like to be able to install this image to
another computer so
I won't have to reinstall all the software.

Is this possible? What software should I use to create the image? Once
the image is
created, and stored on a hard disk, how do I install it?

Is there a way to leave out a folder (eg.: My Documents) so that the
image will be smaller?

thanks in advance...




.

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