pls teach a newbie like me...

i have just bought this software and got it installed, i have also created a backup image of my OS, it turned out to be 1.5+ gb when the actual size of my OS(windows xp) drive is about 4+gb, is this normal?

second question here, how do i restore the image when my OS is down? can i run the ATI rescue disk and select the partition(for example E drive where i store my datas) where i store the image? can i burn the image out to a dvd as data format and restore from there?

last question here, can i reload the image to C drive even though my OS does not have any problem? so in this way i can go back to the OS where i create the image?

thanks a lot

 

1. yes its normal; the images use compression to save space
2. if the OS is down, u can restore an image either via the rescue disk or secure zone (it installs an option in the boot menu)
3 yes u can reload the C: image

 

another 2 questions here

1) how reliable is the reloading of image backup file? do i have to do it a few times in order to get a succesful restore?

2) how does the reloading of image file work? when i reload the compressed file back to my C drive, will it perform a format first?

thanks

 

The restore will be good the first time assuming your HW is working properly. If you have to do it multiple times and it finally works something is seriously wrong. The only way to be confident you have a working backup system is to do a backup and restore. If you have another drive of sufficent capacity use it to test the restore the first time. Generally a restore from HD to HD (or logical drive to logical drive on the same HD) are the least likely to give any problems. Before you do this run chkdsk X: /r on the logical drives or physical drives you will be using. "X" stands for the drive letter of the drive. This will give you confidence the drive is good.

I'm not sure of the exact mechanics of a restore. TI copies the sector data and that likely includes the format data so it has no need, I would say, to do the actual format. TI will delete the old partition first and then restore the image in its place. For this reason it is a good idea to check the box in the Restore wizard to Verify the image first. If the image cannot be verified the old partition won't be deleted. Once a restore starts do not cancel it, you will end up with unallocated space where the partition was.

 

ok, roger that, thanks u guys for the help, really appreciate it..

 

"Formatting" a drive does nothing except replacing the existing file system table with a blank new one. When recovering, TI deletes the partition and re-creates it. Then the whole partition (including the file system table) is restored. There is never a need to format the whole drive* under any circumstance**.

*modern hard drives.
**except when you want to wipe the drive clean.

 

Yes, when I was thinking about formatting I reverted back to my previous life where formatting a disk meant actually writing the sector format information. This "low-level" format is already on modern PC drives.

There is a difference in the regular format and the quick format. The regular one does a bad sector scan which takes a lot longer.