Partition backup if no cd drive

Hi, this is my first post on this forum.... Glad to be part of it.

My wife is considering buying a small new laptop running winxp, but the laptop does not come with a cd rom drive nor any floppy drive.

I'd like to backup the partition before she starts using the laptop, so I can go back and restore the whole system as it was on day 1 if necessary.

But I can't use the same procedure as the one I usually use, that is reboot from bartPE cd and use Drive Snapshot since the laptop doesn't have any cd rom drive.

How to proceed? What other backup/restore free utility can I use?

Thanks for your help...

 

Here's an outline of what you can do:
1. Make a new partition and install Windows and your backup program on it. You need this because you may not be able to run the backup program from your main Windows partition.
2. Make a new partition to store your backups.

 

accessalternative,

If there is no CD drive how can you install software or an OS?

 

The OS is preinstalled.

Once all of that is done, how do I get access to the new partition if the first one is out of use? How do I boot and select the second partition?

 

Since you already have a bartPE CD you can use PeToUSB to make a bootable flash bartpe drive.

 

Does it have USB ports IF so,IMO I would buy a inexpensive usb drive you can use thishttp://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express Free.

 

Hi GlobalForce,

that guide is very nice in case the accessalternative want to install XP, but if he only wants to make a backup image PetoUSB is all he needs.
With PetoUSB you point the falsh drive you want to make bootable and select the files where bartPE resides. After that is all automatic.

Panagiotis

 

@accessalternative
Can you give a few more tech details about the HW you are getting: this will help advice:
HD size
USB ports: how many?
MB/BIOS Bootable from USB?
You willing to spend some $$ ?

If you have a BartsCD you are no novice: depending on set-up, lots of alternatives..
Couple of posters above have a bit of accumulated wisdom..

http://www.eeeguides.com/2007/11/installing-windows-xp-from-usb-thumb.html
Nice page..ta

 

Since experience with PE is next to nil, that's a good point to know Panagiotis. Thanks for sorting the details.

Steve

 

definatly the best option. it has the option to create a boot usb recovery environment. same as the paragon standard Linux recovery environment and boots faster as well. i have it on one of my old usb pens.

 

For free even makes it better

 

Active@boot disk is the solution for ur questions works from usbdrive.

 

I'm guessing @ctive's "limited functionality" means no purchase, no recovery. You have an answer for us Raakii?

S

 

Hi guys...

The laptop is Acer Aspire One. No complete setup cd nor recovery cd, despite what the vendor told me before I bought it.

Nevertheless, the Bios is setup to be able to boot from usb-cd-drive if necessary, so I made snapshots using drive snapshot, and simply use BartPE to restore when needed.

All things considered, it's a good buy finally, I just wish I had not spent these few hours scratching my head as to how I would proceed in case I needed a restore.

So an external usb cd drive has to be taken into account when buying such a laptop - and I do mean in the price, too.

Thanks for your answers.

Merry Christmas