Re: Best drive image software?

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

Joe Starin wrote:
What software would you recommend for cloning the hard drives of 4 different Windows computers in my family, located in three different states? I'd like to purchase one program, install it on all four PC/laptop units, and have the software periodically clone the hard drive (and update changed files) of these four machines onto an external hard drive. I could install the software when the children bring their laptops home from college, then send them on their way with the installed SW and an external hard drive each. Some are FAT-32; some are NTFS.

I know this topic has been covered before. But I've read all the Acronis, Symantec, etc. reviews and simply get more confused. My WD external hard drive came with Memeo software, but I find it difficult to use and will not purchase it now that the 30-day free trial has expired. Any solid opinions welcome. Thanks. Joe


A successful backup strategy goes WAY beyond the choice of program.
Saying, "backup a windows computer" is like saying, "I need a flashlight battery". There are several kinds of flashlights, each with their own
battery types/issues.
Specifically, VISTA has issues. XP has issues.

WHY do you want to backup?
I backup to recover from malware, lost files, failed installs, M$ upgrade funnies.

I don't need to backup my audio/video collections every day. I don't need to image anything that can be easily reinstalled. I don't need a gigabyte
of Streets and Trips on every backup. I don't need a gigabyte of MSDN
on every backup. My objective is to have the "C" drive image fit on a DVDRW...worked until Vista.

So...

Make a small "C" partition. I used 8GB. Plenty of room for apps.
(had to go to 16GB for VISTA when the bloat exceeded 8GB)
Plenty of space for working files. Disk image fits on a DVDRW if you
cleanup tempfiles, empty the trash, blow away old restore points before you start.
Make a directory tree for personal files. I never put anything I want
to keep in the "documents and settings" tree. Put it in its own
tree so you can copy it to D: with one click...and to a flash drive.

Install BIG programs like MSDN, GAMES, music collections, Mapping programs onto the "D" partition. The only things you want on "C"
are things that you can't recover...read things M$ roadblocked for THEIR
protection...sorry for any inconvenience.

The older FREE versions of Acronis7 and 8 can boot from a CD and create
a "C" disk image onto the "D" partition quite easily. Copy the image
to a DVD or backup directly to DVD periodically to safeguard against complete
disk failure.
Also supports imaging directly to many USB drives. Problem I had was
that the driver didn't support USB2 for onboard ports. Makes it
painfully slow.
PCI NEC-chip USB2 ports worked fine at high speed.
So, I just backup to "D" and copy to DVD from windows, which does support
high speed usb2 for onboard ports.

Win2k works great. I've had issues with restoring XP because you may have to boot the recovery console from the XP cd and run fixboot
to get the restore to boot. Vista always fails to boot, but will automagically fix itself
from the recovery console...there's even a vista recovery console download
that fits on a CD for those systems without a DVD.
It's an extra restore step, but how often do you do it?

Copy all the other stuff on the D partition to alternative media as
frequently as you think necessary. You don't need stuff that can be
easily reinstalled. Most of it is already compressed anyway. An
"image" of the "D" partition is rarely a benefit.


The objective is to make it so EASY to backup that it gets done.
If you're backing up 100GB onto CD, it won't get done.

But that's not the whole story.
In a school environment, theft or damage to a laptop is a great concern.
They're gonna steal the backup drive too.
One of the "genuine advantages" of M$ software is that the image from
your stolen computer probably won't run on your replacement computer.
"sorry for any inconvenience..."

Independent backup of personal files in a second location is critical.

Are we having fun yet?
.

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