Image for windows and restoring c: drive

With ATI under Windows you can do this.
You just start the normal restore procedure and after verification of the image backup file, ATI will reboot, delete the actual system partition and restore the image backup file. That's why the verification before the restoration is important, otherwise ATI will reboot and delete the actual system partition and the restore would fail. In other words you have nothing anymore.
I've done this regularly, if there is something to restore, it's always my system partition. What else is there to restore ? My data is on another harddisk.
The system partition is the most vulnerable one and the main target of malwares and if it isn't the malware, your troubles will be caused by some new software or a beta version.

My advices are :
1. Whatever backup solution you choose make sure it fits in your knowledge and that you're in control.
Don't choose an attractive solution of somebody else, if you don't know how it fully works in detail.
I've read these attractive and fast solutions, but they usually don't tell you EVERYTHING, what you have to do and to know to accomplish these solutions.

2. 100% reliability is like 100% security, both do NOT exist, unless you are a dreamer or arrogant.
Whatever image backup software you use it will fail one day, including Acronis, Terabyte, Symantec, ...
So the question is what will you do when your restore fails ?
There are so many options, that you need another thread to discuss this.
I choosed FDISR to save me, when ATI fails and when FDISR fails, ATI will save me and when both fail, I can start all over again. The worst scenario is that my external harddisk crashes.

I can break any backup solution with possible disaster scenarios, but your fear/paranoia has to STOP somewhere and where it stops is a personal matter.
If you use three different backup softwares and three external harddisks, you will be safer, than an user, that uses only one or two backup softwares and one or two external harddisk.
If you like to spend the rest of your life on backup, use them all.

3. Don't use DVD's or CD's as MAIN backup media, use them as a second backup media if necessary. Disk-to-Disk is always better, safer and faster.
Store your backup files at least on another physical harddisk, never on another partition of the same harddisk, where your system partition is installed.
I prefer an external harddisk or removable harddisk, because you can keep them OFF-LINE and turn them off.

4. Whatever backup software you choose make sure it fits in your system.
Test your backup software as long as possible, not only your backup but above all your restore. If there is a Recovery CD or floppy involved test that one too.
I've read posts, where the poster never did a restore or is even afraid of doing a restore. What's the point of doing a backup, when you can't trust your restore. That's ridiculous.
I admit that restore is the most exciting one, while backup is the most boring one.

If your backup software fails from the beginning and you can't fix it easily, ditch it and try another one.
It simply means that your whole system doesn't like your backup software, whatever the reason may be.
Each software has fortunate and unfortunate users. I'm accidently a fortunate ATI-user and don't ask me why. I don't know and I don't need to know.

5. Do your backup and restore in the best circumstances far away from internet and security softwares or any other possible software that might disturb your backup/restore.
I used FDISR again to create a quiet environment without internet connection and without any security softwares.
Always VERIFY your backup file AFTER backup and BEFORE restoration.
If your backup software can't do at least ONE verification, ditch it.

6. All backup softwares have the function backup and restore in common, if you don't expect anything else from a backup software, choose one without luxury and gadgets.
ATI has alot of gadgets, which I don't need, but I liked two of them : "Tasks" and the possibility of adding "comments" to my backup files, which I sometimes use for rarely used backup files to remember why I created them. For regular backups, I don't need "comments".
"Tasks" wasn't a gadget for me, it guarantees that my backups are always done in the same way without manual mistakes.

Although I use ATI, I'm certainly not a fan of ATI. If you are a fan, you lose your objectivity. Love makes you blind.
I use ATI for quite some time and used IFW for one day and I have a list of complaints for both. So I have no reason at all to be a fan of ATI or IFW.
Reliability seems to be the only flag of IFW/IFD, I find it hard to believe that IFW/IFD never failed.
ATI never failed on me and there are enough ATI-users who would tell the same thing and use ATI alot longer than me.
Will ATI or IFW ever fail ? Of course they will. Isn't that obvious ?
If Terabyte had a forum at Wilders like ATI, we would know alot more about Terabyte.
Even FDISR, the solid software that rocks, has it problems and most of the time nobody knows exactly why it failed.
Softwares are made by people and they make as many mistakes like you and me, unless you believe that programmers are Gods.
It can takes years, before a bug shows up in a program and if nobody reports it, the bug remains in the program.
That's why I can't be a fan of any software, I just use them because they do their job most of the time.

 

Ooooops .... I mispoke earlier. I DID make a Bart PE CD WITH both ATI and IFW on it, so I DO have that as a second to my "conventional" ATI and IFD rescue CDs.

Is it hot in here ? Turn on the "FAN".

 

ti has incremental and differential updates, as well as providing for th mounting of volumes.

Mounting i svery important as it allows one to:

1. Remove malware from backup archives, otherwise one has to ditch the archive.

2. Run programs that can check the archive before restoring.
Such programs include:

ReadFile
GetFileTypeDistribution
CompareDrives