Offline or online images?

Hey all,

Just curious what people prefer...offline (boot form CD/USB) image or online images and why? Also, what do you use? Kind of an informal poll I guess...

Thanks.

 

Thanks Pete. I usually use Image for Linux for all my offline images. I am warming up to the idea of using online images too (so using both essentially). Not sure if it makes sense to use Image for Windows to do this (as awesome as it is) since it's the same technology. Might make sense to use two different products...

 

I do all mine off-line using the free WD Edition of Acronis TI. Offline, as I only use it to maintain a small number of system partition snapshots of my various installation stages (i.e.: OS clean install + last SP, + system hardening and tweaking, + security and core software, + latest additional software) and I don't change / add to my software very often. I don't generate many data files for backup, either, so I tend to copy those manually to an external drive, as needed.

Therefore for me, it's reasonably pointless having the imaging application installed.

 

I agree. I spoke to TerabyteUnlimited support once and even they agreed offline images are the only truly "safe" images as any live image dealing with open and changing files is open to errors. Granted, I have never had a live image go bad on IFW or any other imaging app, but I don't like the risk. My home machines don't need to be on 24/7 like a corporate mail server or something so taking them offline for an image is no issue.

 

for what it's worth i never had problems doing online images & restoring with Windows 7 own utility.
that's more than over 100 restores in over 2 years.
maybe not as many imaging though but pretty close.

i'd say the technology is ready to do online imaging.

 

I'm mostly an offline imaging person. Started a few years back with ATI V9 and eventually ATI V11, both of which are now retired from my perspective. Besides my general inclination toward offline, I don't think Acronis software in general is very robust within the installed Windows environment (generally from the perspective of freezing up, based on a bit of direct experience plus many many posts on Wilders and Acronis' forum over the years). I used BartPE exclusively for both of these ATI versions.

After a cup of coffee with Macrium Free, I've been using IFW from BartPE most of the time, though I will occasionally use IFW online as well. No issues with IFW to date either way; been about a year now.

Doug

 

I have done both online and off line images (Image for Windows/Image for DOS/Image for Linux) without any problems. I still use Windows XP Pro 32 bit as my OS for all of the Windows PC's that I Image.

 

I think both methods are reliable. I use online only with the Windows 7 program. With others, like Paragon, I only work from WinPE boot media. I don´t have any imaging or partitioning program installed.