Disc Imaging Software: Give me your short list (3)

Presently, I have a backup strategy that works at a minumal level but needs improvement. When I buy my new computer this fall, I want to buy some disc imaging software too. Although I have plenty of time, I am probably not going to try out 5 or 6 products. I will probably try out 2 or 3.

As for how I will use them, I am still getting people's opinions but I will probably do an incremental backup daily and a full disk image backup weekly (to an external HD).

So, you are going to try only 3 backup utitlies for disc imaging, what would they be? I am thinking about: Storagecraft Shadow Protect, Acronis True Image, Paragon drive backup. Keep in mind, I am of average computer literacy, not completely a newbie but not very technical.

 

What is BartePE?

How do I know if I have it?

 

Hello,

Disk Imaging - Acronis.
BartPE / UBCD4WIN - coolest tools for Windows.

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

http://www.ubcd4win.com/

Mrk

 

Drive Image XML (Freeware) is the only one that I use now. Have tried Ghost (all versions) and True Image (up through version 9) and they did not work out. Old versions of Ghost are OK and some are even good but are a little more difficult to use.

Bart PE is needed for Drive Image XML too but only if you are restoring the C: drive (with operating system). Other partitions and drives can be restored without it. Bart PE is not difficult to create and use and was actually a lot of fun for me.

DriveImage XML is by Runtime software which is a data recovery service. I have never had a failure with it.

I edited this reply later. I have also have and have used Paragon Drive Image and it is a very good program too.

 

1. shadow protect desktop
2. paragon drive image
lodore

 

Shadow Protect
IFW/ IFD/ IFL
?

 

Pay
Paragon Drive Backup
BING/IFW/IFD

Free
DriveImage XML + UBCD4Win


Free DriveImage XML never fails for me.

 

1. Acronis True Image
2. Shadow Protect
3. Paragon Drive Backup

 

for Data the google strategy

multiple computers each with parity arrays (IDE SX6000, old SCSI Dot Hill SANnet externals) and multiple locations with generally at least one computer "offline"

plus DVD hard media backups


each box however has its own ghost image of the OS parked on partitions near the spindles of various HDDs, each OS has ap data and shell objects forwarded to data partitions, and are strictly the OS + registry dependent applications. Unless they are Linux

generally there is more than one HDD per box, and generally there is an OS install on each, sometimes I bother to make them cross bootable, sometimes I just use the BIOS boot order, but each gets imaged to the "dead zone" near the spindle where you really dont want the HDDs arm to stray for a seek during real operation and where the sustained transfer rate is the worse. An ideal place to park rarely employed data or images. Drives are cross imaged. (and typically are on separate IDE channels as well)

use Ghost 2003, G4U, HDClone (freeware)
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

 

ejr,
Whatever image back software you choose and all the good ones have been mentioned in this thread, make sure it works on YOUR computer and take care of backup FIRST, before you start doing anything else on your computer. Test the backup and above all the restoration.
If the backup works doesn't mean that the restoration will work.

I read too many posts, where users should have taken a backup first before fooling around with their computer, but they didn't and that's where the real misery starts.
Always take your precautions when you try something big, that might screw up your system. Having an Image Backup software isn't enough, you also have to USE it at the right moment.

I also advice a minimum of two internal harddisks and an external harddisk with a large volume.
A larger external harddisk gives you more elbowroom to manipulate your two internal harddisks in the future and allows you to store several images of different situations and/or several restore points in case you want to re-install your computer in the future.

 

^ good advise

elsewhere on his board members are having issues with Ghost 2003
it predates widespread SATA, doesnt have USB drivers, works from DOS
works great with IDE drives, and you can get it to work with SATA and USB but there are hoops to jump through
(drivers, pre-install environment see links below)
has an awesome lineup of advanced switches and casting (network) abilities
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/pfdocs/1998082612540625


http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/
http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1119240262
http://ghost.radified.com/

what you end up choosing is going to have a lot to do with how you want to employ it
a basic clone from a smaller drive to a larger, you can employ all sorts of freeware, often included by drive manufacturers themselves, casting gets specialized, but L4U or G4U are good freeware
personally I appreciate not starting from inside the OS as is now the "norm" with most imaging
as many issues can develop, simply another level of complexity, Id rather add the missing drivers to a DOS or BSD environment

Ive largely avoided the SATA issue so far because I invested in so many IDE drives back when
and its worth it to me to jump through those hoops as I migrate to SATA drives

 

Who cares to discuss why someone would use Acronis True Image over Paragan Drive Backup and vise versa?

dja2k

 

I agree with Erik. No matter what one chooses, use it on some kind of regular basis and fully test it. Only doing backups and then believing one's self to be protected is very naive.

FWIW, I use Shadow Protect and Image for DOS. I'm not interested in incremental images. So there's no need or desire for me to use any others at this point...