BleepingComputer.com: Cloning/disk Imaging

Hello,

Had my XP PC for around 3 years and had never gotten round to doing a fresh install. Finally have done so and have almost set it up to my base requirements having removed the crapware and added the appropriate drivers, software etc.

I have heard that you can create an image (I assume .iso?) of the hard disk in this state and keep it so that in future you can effectively restore your PC to exactly the way you prefer. Is this correct and if so how and what do I use in order to do so? I think I read Norton Ghost and Clonezilla can do this? I'll be looking for a simple freeware app

Thanks in advance.

If your computer utilises a Seagate or Maxtor drive, the free Seagate DiskWizard software can be downloaded from Seagate's website. This provides Acronis TrueImage, branded to function only if a Seagate or Maxtor drive is found.

I highly recommend Acronis True Image Home, but the full version... not a freeware version. I found a copy at a local OfficeMax store for about 20 dollars. It was version 10, but I was still able to use it on Vista 32bit Home Premium and XP 32bit Home. It kind of explains itself as you go through the procedures for backing up and restoring, but it's good to first set up the preferences/settings and read the built in help files first.

Currently I think Acronis is at version 11 (as of late July 2008). I think probably Vista support is better now. Acronis doesn't use ISO images as far as I know. But it's archive data image files can be compact and can also be mounted and browsed I think. I haven't tried it yet; I just use the regular backup and restore functions in conjunction with an extra hard drive I have installed. The files can be verified for integrity before and after use too.

The nice thing is that Acronis can be run from a boot CD, so if your system isn't working right, you still have a way to boot up and access the backed up data image archive files on the second hard drive.

For .ISO use, there are other programs out there, freeware ones too. But I think ISO's are probably less secure than the Acronis files specifically designed for active hard drive backups.

This post has been edited by BlackBurst: 28 July 2008 - 06:23 PM

I have a (very old) Fireball (?) drive and an external WD hooked up. I'm not actually sure what the original drive in this system is so I will check that out. I am backing up an XP system, another Linux system and possibly a Vista one in the future. That should give you an idea of the compatability I require, but the most important one is the 32-bit XP running machine. I am also in the UK and Acronis costs £20 and I am unsure if/when I will use it again. Since this will be the first time I'm using an image as a backup I would rather use something free or even trialware before I decide to buy it.

So any more suggestions?

I write a lot of documents and keep them stored and organized with Keynote, and having True Image to backup these files and keep that image current is a must. If you have similar needs, this is a worth while investment.

benny269, on Jul 29 2008, 10:05 AM, said:

Quantum was absorbed into Maxtor/Seagate, so it may be that DiskWizard will operate with a Fireball. I can't say for sure, but if you wanted to experiment, it costs nothing to try.

This post has been edited by Platypus: 29 July 2008 - 04:32 AM

Turns out the native HDD is itself a Seagate so I downloaded and installed the Seagate Disc Wizard. I need your help in using it now.