Will True Image work for me?

I just recently built a new PC, all is well and I have a clean install of Vista configured exactly the way I like it.

So I would like to take a bootable restore snapshot of Vista in the event something goes wrong in the future.

I have another drive that has all my personal files, email etc. so the OS drive could be wiped and restored and I would be good to go. It also may be good to just to a clean restore every once in awhile so Vista does not get bloated.

Now the thing is I used to use Ghost to accomplish this. Older versions of ghost simply had a stand alone program you could launch that would create an image of your drive and span it across multiple cd's and the first cd in the set had everything you need for your restore and was bootable if your OS died.

You did not have to install a suite of programs or have a ton of services running all the time. I don't want what the latest version of ghost is about. I do not want to permanently install anything the rides on my pc hogging resources and that boots up before the OS.

So anything out there now that will just let me manually create a bootable restore across multiple Dual layer DVD's like the older version of Ghost used to do with cd's?

No massive installs no permanant services running all the time etc.

I simply want to click on a stand alone .exe file check a box to create a bootable image of an entire drive point the image creation it to my DVD recorder and hit go.

 

If you buy the CD versin, you can boot it and run the prog from there.

If you donwload it, you have to intall the prog to be able to create the bootcd.

 

Can I install the software, create a boot disk that then creates an image of my C: across multiple dual layer dvd's then uninstall the software after the image is created? And if so will I be able to simply pop in the first DVD boot from it and have it restore my HD image?

I really hate all these install suite stuff that these products force you into. I do not want scheduled backups or other plug ins services or extras, I do not want bloated services running all the time or post boot screens popping up.

Does anyone just make a simple stand alone point and click bootable cd image restore utility like the old versions of ghost used to be?

I'm tired of wiping my OS and reinstalling all my software and getting it setup again how I like it if I have OS issues.

 

If you don't want to have the software permanently installed, follow these steps:
1. Before you install it, create a Windows Restore point.
2. Install the software and make the bootable Rescue Media CD.
3. Uninstall the software via the Control Panel>Add Remove Programs.
4. Restore your system using the Restore point created in #1.

BTW, if your Image size requires more than 3 DVD discs, when it comes time to do a Restore (and you should do a test restore to a spare drive) numerous disc swaps will be required - you'll be pulling your hair out. With an Image on 3 dvds there are still several swaps required during a restore but it is tolerable. It's much better to use an external hard drive for the Images.

 

swamlee,

As to whether you can successfully create and restore from DVD is a question often asked but very few posters have ever replied yes. The majority of postings that we see is that many people have problems and unable to achieve this goal. Remember, if one DVD has a problem, the whole set is worthless.

Most of the forum regulars (IMHO) will often suggest that you use another or additional method for storying your backups. External drives, other internal drives, network drives--all seem to be better solutions. Many of us use a combination of these type drives for backup storage.

TrueImage Home works very well (for most) when its use is mostly for full disk image creation and for image restores as needed.

 

Thanx for the input, I appreciate everyones help, please excuse this next rant but after doing a lot of research into this it must be said,

Why is this so difficult to do nowadays?

Back in the windows 98 days I would use a single small ghost exe file launch it without installing anything and it would record a bootable image of my hard drive that spanned several cd's and then I could very easily boot into the 1st cd of the set and within about 30 mins have a brand new image. This was on Windows 98 with little memory and old hard ware.

My base Vista install is about 14GB a program using decent compression should be able to fit that on a Single Dual Layer DVD.

It should be fairly simple and straight forward the dual layer dvd is bootable with the small dos or linux based launching program that would be able to restore the image that was created on the same Dual layer DVD.

So is this simply not possible anymore?

I'm just a single home user and can't backup to a network and would rather not have to buy an external hard drive.

I simply want a bootable, restorable snap shot of my base Vista install preferably on a single dual layer DVD. Easy, Simple, Cheap, Portable and if need be I could just make several copies of that one Dual Layer DVD for safety.

If my OS screws up I just want to change the boot order in my bios, pop in the DVD, launch a small program on the dvd and then click put this image on the C drive

 

Yes, that can be done, read these two very recent threads:

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=218237

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=218348

 

Thanx that is kind of the right direction I'm wanting to go into.

However it seems that the people in these threads are still having difficulty getting the boot sequence and the actual image on the same disc. I don't want to have to buy ultraiso and TI to manually combine the two in a single iso.

Also no one has said if they got any of this working with a single 8.5 GB dual layer DVD.

 

I seem to remember one of the users say that the free Image Burn works for the purpose?

 

That's cool,

Just so I can stop researching is it safe to say their is currently NO single tool in existence that works like older versions of ghost?

I.E. single .exe that does not need an installation that can burn an image and the bootable tools on a single disc to restore an image?

 

True Image can do something very similar, but you have to have the software installed on the computer - which you didn't want to do.

Look under Tools/Options/Default Backup Options/Media Components/Advanced tab.

 

Ok so looks like I will have to compromise. Before I install True image even as a trial is their options in the install to make it as light as possible on my pc?

Like with no permanent services that have to be running all the time and I do not want it to mess with my boot sectors so it boots this program before the OS starts.

So can this be installed like a normal program that only runs when I manually launch it?

 

The installation will put three entries into your StartUp unless you have monitoring software to alert you - I like the free WinPatrol which gives you the option to disallow such. The only time it will change your boot sector is if you opt to activate the Startup Recovery Manager - it's easy to avoid this one.

 

Can the software run properly in a manual type fashion if I disable the startup entries that it creates?

 

Yes, it will ... you only lose the ability to schedule automatic backups.