Automated OS backup/snapshot tools.

[Nick Rhodes]

Hi

I am going to be reinstalling Win XP with my slip streamed SP3.

What I want is a tool that will create backups to a separate physical drive, essentially to be a system restore replacement.

Now I want to take some kind of base image or snapshot and then back that up to DVDs, would it better to use ghost (as I currently do) and use a separate product for snapshots or is there a program that can do a base/image with off line restore AND do snapshots ?

Obviously free is better :D

[Peter2150]

Nick

Free, I can't help you. But what you describe might well be fit by ShadowProtect's continous incrementals. First it makes a baseline image, and then takes incrementals thru out the day at specified intervals. At the end of the day it collapses them to one daily image. Same at the end of the week, daily's get collapsed to a weekly etc.

Pete

[Nick Rhodes]

Cool, reasonably priced, might consider it.

[Mrkvonic]

Hello,
You could try Partimage. Runs in Linux. Supports network backup.
In Windows, I like Acronis True Image. But it can also read ext and reiserfs partitions.
Mrk

[RAD]

I can vouch for Paragon Drive Backup. It does all those things, and it is on sale now for $30:
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-personal/

The free trial recovery CD may not see your USB drives, but the Recovery CD that comes with the purchased program does see my USB drives.

[Nick Rhodes]

-{ Quote: "Nick

Free, I can't help you. But what you describe might well be fit by ShadowProtect's continous incrementals. First it makes a baseline image, and then takes incrementals thru out the day at specified intervals. At the end of the day it collapses them to one daily image. Same at the end of the week, daily's get collapsed to a weekly etc.

Pete" }-

I installed the trail today (will try the evaluation when that runs out) and I like how Shadowprotect can do these continuous backups.

But, I am having performance issues backing up from one hdd to another I am only getting 2 or 3 mb/s - but only taking 19s to run per hour which is fine.

[Aaron Here]

-{ Quote: "Nick

Free, I can't help you. But what you describe might well be fit by ShadowProtect's continous incrementals. First it makes a baseline image, and then takes incrementals thru out the day at specified intervals. At the end of the day it collapses them to one daily image. Same at the end of the week, daily's get collapsed to a weekly etc.

Pete" }-
Can SP do that for specified partitions when your HDD has 2 or more partitions?

[Peter2150]

-{ Quote: "Can SP do that for specified partitions when your HDD has 2 or more partitions?" }-

Not sure. No way I can test, as I only have one partition. But I suspect it can.

[Hairy Coo]

Agree with Pete re SP.

However if you are still considering a freebie,DriveImage XML is a good,simple backupper HERE (http://www.snapfiles.com/screenshots/DriveImageXML.htm)

Review HERE (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2259185,00.asp)

[Nick Rhodes]

-{ Quote: "Not sure. No way I can test, as I only have one partition. But I suspect it can." }-

You can select multiple partitions for continuous backup in the wizard, I am assume it will create them are independent images, will test it tonight.

[ErikAlbert]

Yes, use Image Backup to do that kind of job, much safer and you can create as many images as you want. Forget about snapshots.

Image of an activated Windows
Image of an activated Windows + Drivers
Image of an activated Windows + Drivers + Applications
etc, etc, etc.

[Peter2150]

-{ Quote: "You can select multiple partitions for continuous backup in the wizard, I am assume it will create them are independent images, will test it tonight." }-

Actually let it run a couple of days and see how imagemanager handles the daily collapse.

[Aaron Here]

-{ Quote: "You can select multiple partitions for continuous backup in the wizard, I am assume it will create them are independent images, will test it tonight." }-
Please let us know what you find out re: SP's automatic incrementals and daily colapsing for multiple partitions - thanks!

[Nick Rhodes]

-{ Quote: "Please let us know what you find out re: SP's automatic incrementals and daily colapsing for multiple partitions - thanks!" }-

Just to let you know, Its now running on my OS partition plus my data partition (both on same drive) which I am downloading via emule with, should be a good stress test.

[Nick Rhodes]

Cannot image the 2nd partition, got this error, twice:

30-May-2008 21:38:39 sbvol 503 Fatal I/O error on \\?\STC_SnapShot_Volume_21_1 offset 22086e000 on read (-31 A device attached to the system is not functioning.)

I shall investigate tomorrow.

[Aaron Here]

-{ Quote: "Cannot image the 2nd partition, got this error, twice:

30-May-2008 21:38:39 sbvol 503 Fatal I/O error on \\?\STC_SnapShot_Volume_21_1 offset 22086e000 on read (-31 A device attached to the system is not functioning.)

I shall investigate tomorrow." }-Good luck (and thanks for testing this)!