Re: How can I restore full system from a backup


"Rajeev" <Rajeev@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:0A6D8133-BEF2-47B0-8882-E4C36EA649BB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I got Windows XP Pro SP2. When I reboot my PC it complains that the HD
is
in
imminent danger of failure. I plan to replace the HD. I have backed up
using
XP's backup utility choosing "Backup All Information on this computer"
to
an
external USB - HD. Now I am unsure of how to go about restoring from
the
backup once I replace the HD. I don't have any XP CDs as the PC came
with
pre-installed XP on it.
Is there a way I will be able to restore. Any help is greatly
appreciated.


"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
Not with the kind of backup in XP. You need a full system backup using a
program like Acronis True Image or Ghost. And you better have an XP cd
on
hand to do any needed repairs when you restore to the new hard drive.


"Rajeev" <Rajeev@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:8C3E97B2-653E-441F-B4FC-B3C6D32F3FCF@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seems I am stuck now that I don't have CD. Also will need buying Acronis
or
Ghost.
Thanks for the help.


Rajeev:
I recently sent the following information to someone who has a similar
problem to yours, i.e., involving establishing & maintaining a comprehensive
backup system. Perhaps this info will be of some value to you.

While the XP operating system does include a backup utility, it's neither
very user-friendly nor very good as a comprehensive backup program. You
really should consider a third-party backup program such as the Acronis True
Image program suggested by a number of other respondents.

A disk cloning/disk imaging program such as the previously mentioned Acronis
True Image program can be used in routine fashion to "clone" the contents of
your internal HDD to another HDD, either internal or external. By so doing
you would have, for all practical purposes, an exact duplicate of your
source drive (your day-to-day working HDD) including the operating system,
your programs/applications, and all your user-created data. What better
backup system can one have?

In your particular case you would simply connect a new HDD as a secondary
HDD in your system and use the disk-cloning program to clone the contents of
your current boot drive to the new HDD; then connect/configure your
newly-cloned HDD as your new boot drive.

Alternatively, you could purchase a USB external enclosure together with a
new HDD; install that HDD in the enclosure and perform the disk-cloning
operation that way. Then remove the HDD from its enclosure and install the
newly-cloned HDD as your new boot drive.

The advantage of the latter process is that you would now have a USB
external enclosure which you could use for future systematic routine backup
purposes using your disk-cloning program. Naturally this would entail the
purchase of another HDD since you've indicated your present disk is failing.
So that in the event at some later point your internal HDD was no longer
usable because it too became defective or the operating system on that drive
became so corrupt that the drive would be dysfunctional, you could clone the
contents of your USBEHD back to that internal HDD (assuming it was
mechanically/electronically non-defective) or to a new HDD should that be
needed. Thus, you entire system
would be restored to its former functional state.

By & large these disk imaging programs when employed for basic disk-to-disk
cloning purposes are relatively simple & straightforward to use and they're
quite effective in maintaining a near-failsafe backup system.

While the Acronis program is a fine program, for a variety of reasons we
much prefer the Casper 4.0 disk-cloning program - see
http://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/trial/. It's an extremely simple
program to use even for an inexperienced user, reasonably quick in
operation, and quite effective. There's virtually no learning curve in
undertaking the disk cloning process as one navigates through the few
easy-to-understand screens with a final mouse-click on the button on the
screen which will trigger the disk-cloning process. After undertaking one or
two disk-cloning operations it should take the user no more than 20 seconds
or so to get to that point.

The Casper 4.0 program is also capable of scheduling the disk-cloning
process on a daily, weekly, or other time period selected by the user so
that you could arrange for automatic backups at pre-determined times.

There's a trial version available (see above link) although it's somewhat
crippled but it will give you a good idea as to how the program works. And I
can provide further details about the program should you be interested.

The Acronis program also has a trial version available, so take a look at
that one also at http://www.acronis.com.

In any event, give a disk-cloning program some serious consideration.
Anna


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