Cold vs. Hot Imaging

Discussion in 'polls' started by Aaron Here, Jun 20, 2011.

?

Which of the following disk-imaging methods do you rely on?

  1. Cold Imaging - from a pre-boot environment

    50.0%
  2. Hot Imaging - from within the host OS (e.g., Windows)

    50.0%
  1. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    Both Cold and Hot Imaging are useless. Therefore, in the poll there should be a third option for not imaging. I will further write on this later on.

    Best regards,

    KOR!
     
  2. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    Cold imaging, Acronis! :D
     
  3. Aaron Here

    Aaron Here Registered Member

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    KOR,

    Surely you must be joking! ...right? (otherwise I fear that senility has set-in). :eek:

    Aaron
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2011
  4. appster

    appster Registered Member

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    I've heard and read many ourtrageous statements, but this one 'takes the cake'. :gack:
     
  5. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    Probably he considers imaging as a whole useless :blink:
     
  6. appster

    appster Registered Member

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    That would also be absurd. While I might understand someone preferring another backup method (e.g., file-by-file backup, disk-cloning, or whatever) to disk-imaging, that doesn't make imaging useless!
     
  7. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    Dear Old Coot,

    LOL! Sanity at my age is very common, so I wouldn't doutb it! :D

    Beside being King of Rapture, I am also King of Format. King of Rapture is in honor of Prince of Peace Jesus (Shalom on Him), whose Kingdom I am desperately awaiting as a Shia Muslim to unite the whole of mankind in the Kingdom of God.

    Now to King of Format.

    What is the objective of imagaing.

    1. Is it to make an image of the operating system and the installed programs?

    OR

    2. Is it to make an image of the operating system and the installed programs and user data?

    The former results in a very small image and the later can be as large as user data.

    Don't get me wrong, imaging is a must for an organization where all computers have same configurations. One image suffices for all computers held in an organization, where data is kept on the servers and backed up continuously.

    Now, for the home users, it is a different story where each computer is a different configuration. So, two options are available for the home users:

    1. Periodic imaging with either incremental or differential imaging, which is wastage of time.

    OR

    2. Format, either when the hard disk fails or when the system comes to grinding halt which is very common with Windows Operating System.

    My System:

    1. Static User Data: This data on my system is very static and hardly changes. It is kept on two machines and if any changes to it, I back it up right then. For this I use a program which I bought long, long time ago and paid almost nothing called SyncBackSE. This program is updated on a constant basis. This data is kept on Z drive, on a seprate drive on the desktop and on a seperate partition on the laptop. This data can never be lost.

    2. Dynamic User Data: This data changes on a daily basis, which I keep in cloud in Dropbox (free) and in two computers, again a desktop and a laptop. Any changes to this data is automatically synced after any changes made to the data. Someone might object to keeping the data in the cloud, but even if it is not kept in the could it can be synced on a daily basis and very quickly. One can use SyncBackSE. This data is kept on Z drive, on a seprate drive on the desktop and on a seperate partition on the laptop. This data can never be lost.

    3. Operating System and Programs: One can make an image, and then use either incremental or differential image. Cold or Hot. Daily, weekly or monthly. Spend hours on hours. If the hard disk fails or something goes wrong, one can restore the image, but it is not guaranteed and fool proof. I install lots of programs and after some time I delete these programs. Windows leave lots of poops in my drive and in my registry. After a while Windows comes to grinding halt, even using registry cleaners and poops cleaners. My solution is to format and re-install Windows and programs. Maximum it takes me four hours.

    Best regards,

    KOR!
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2011
  8. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    Since, rejoining this forum late last year I have purchased a lot of imaging programs and spend lots of money. None of the programs have been satisfactory.

    1. Terabye IFW/IFD/IFL
    2. Terabye BootIt Bare Metal
    3. Paragon HardDisk Manager 2011™ Suite
    4. Paragon Drive Copy 11™ Professional
    5. Macrium Reflect Plus Additions Bundle
    6. Acronis True Image Home 2011 with PLUS
    7. EASEUS Todo Workshop
    8. Keriver 1-Clk Restore

    I believe there is lot of confusion between imaging programs and data back-up programs. With Dropbox, data back-up programs have become redundant too.

    Best regards,

    KOR!
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2011
  9. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    I have spend almost $400 in the last six months on all the above imaging programs. The cheapest and the best has been Keriver 1-Clk Restore, for which I paid $10 as a member of Wilders Forum and Mr. River allows me to use this program on all my nine laptops and desktops in my home.

    I am about to add another laptop with 16gb memory, called ASUS Republic of Gaming:

    http://www.amazon.com/G73SW-A1-Republic-Gamers-17-3-Inch-Gaming/dp/B004I1J864
     
  10. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    The question is?

    1. How many hours it takes to format and install programs, having a lean, clean Registry and Windows?

    VERSUS:

    2. Either Hot or Cold imaging and then either incremental and/or differential imaging with wasted of tons and tons of hours, with no guarantee that the image will restore, and even if it does, having the crippling and stagnated Windows back?

    Best regards,

    KOR!

    P.S. Hopefully imaging has nothing to do with periodically backing-up user data either through a data syncing program and/or automatically backing-up data with Dropbox and alike.
     
  11. moontan

    moontan Registered Member

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    it takes me 6 to 8 hours to reformat and re-install all my programs.
    it takes me less than 4 minutes to restore a clean image.

    i don't do incremental/differential.
    i do a full backup once every 2 weeks or so and the restore has never failed on either Windows 7 or using IFW.

    now, i only reformat for a new OS or a new Service Pack.
    my computer doesn't feel in no way crippled.

    YMMV, of course...
     
  12. guest

    guest Guest

    He must be Joking
     
  13. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    You must have a super duper fast, fast computer where it takes you 4 minutes to restore and 6 to 8 hours to reformat!
     
  14. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    And, why the need to restore when where thing is hunky dory!

    Must also take you 4 mintues to make a full image every two weeks!
     
  15. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    You must use 30 to 40 mintues to make a full backup every 2 weeks. In 26 weeks, six months time, you use 7 to 9 hours to make full backup. Compare this, to 6 to 8 hours it takes you to reformat.

    In a years time, you use 14 to 18 hours to make full backup.

    If your computer and/or Windows crashes in less than six months, you are maybe better off making full backup and restore.

    However, if your hard disk fails, then your restore might take up another 2 to 3 hours and reformat might be a better option.

    If your compurer and/or Windows crashes after six month, you are better off reformating your computer timewise, and especially if your hard disk crashes.

    Now, we are not taking about user data. We are basically taking about imaging the operating system and the installed programs.

    Best regards,

    KOR!
     
  16. moontan

    moontan Registered Member

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    takes me about 4 minutes as well.

    i keep my data on other drives so the OS/programs drive image is small.
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2011
  17. moontan

    moontan Registered Member

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    i was talking about the reformat plus all the programs install, if you read my post above.
     
  18. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    @King of Rapture: Restore time is much more important than backup time. You can't do anything else while restoring or re-installing. It's obviously faster compared to your 4 hours as well.
    Also, if you have a lot of programs (like me), complete re-installation is not possible within a day. All settings are lost, along with licenses, which is a pain to restore.
    The user data of course is a different story, which should be separate from disk imaging.

    I have more time to spend on better things than re-installing.
     
  19. moontan

    moontan Registered Member

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    when you are able to restore in less than 5 minutes an imager can become the perfect uninstaller.

    and also almost a 'boot-to-restore-' solution. ;)
     
  20. Osaban

    Osaban Registered Member

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    I spent $180 to get 2 licenses of ShadowProtect in the last 4 years, and out of all the money (I hate to do the math, as it makes me feel foolish) that I have spent for security this has been the most rewarding investment.

    Re-installing Windows versus imaging can't even compare as they are different processes altogether. It takes me 3-4 hours to install Windows to its basic operation, and another 2-3 days to configure and fine tune it to become my personal OS. I have re-installed Windows many times, and it has always been a very time consuming boring business.

    Enter imaging in the equation: 10 minutes to restore (average depending on the data size), never had a failure (over 100 restores), many choices of Images (Windows without programs, with programs, 32-64 bit types, different types of configurations, the list can be very long indeed).

    I can only see advantages in imaging, lately there are many excellent programs to choose from and the procedure has become approachable even by laymen.
     
  21. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    Imaging takes me 15 mins on a clean install which is the only moment i do a backup (So i don't have to reformat).
    There are special cases where i backup after the clean install one but its rare.
    Back up takes me like 15 and restoring takes me about the same. :D
     
  22. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    This is a very good solution for imaging.
     
  23. Sully

    Sully Registered Member

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    I used to use ghost many years ago. I then started creating my own automated installation dvds that installed and configured just about everything, so rather than image I reformat/reinstall.

    Then I used Macrium free. I liked it so much, especially the restoration with bartPE, that I modified how and where I put my data/installed applications. Now I have a baseline image, and that is what I make all my other images from. If I try some new programs/settings, and I want to keep them, or I want to remove some programs, I put my latest baseline image on, modify the system, then make a new baseline image.

    When I restore, it takes about 7 minutes including reboot times. Once I get rebooted, all of my data/programs are existing at d:\program files. Only my small applications exist on c:\program files. I go out of my way to keep registry entries so all I need to do is merge what I need after an image restoration.

    I would not go back to reformating/reinstalling now unless there was a very compelling reason. But on the same token, my images are only about 4gb with win7, and were about 2-3gb with XP because I have modified how and where I store/install. The end result is that I can restore my image, and within minutes have everything working that I need. I would say that inside of 10 minutes I can be back up and running with very little left to do.

    10 minutes of restore time beats the hours of configuring I would have to do with reinstalling, even with lots of automating. I have to do a little more maintainance to have it this way, but after the initial phases, it is not much time at all.

    Sul.
     
  24. sm1

    sm1 Registered Member

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    I prefer cold imaging. I use clonezilla:) Hot imaging with scheduled backups is useful to those who like trying new software:)
     
  25. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    Hi Sul,

    I have four licenses for Macrium Reflect with Additions. What operating system are you using?
     
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