PowerQuest Drive Image

Has anyone used this software? Does it work well for backups and how condensed is the image?
Is there a better backup software?

 

Do not see your OS but can highly recommend Drive Image
generally. Using a high compression factor, your drive will
be stored in half it's size.
regards

 

merlin, are you familiar enough with drive Image to tell me on it's Explorer to Restore Images.
Is it possible for instance to make a Image of my C: drive (I have C:-D:-E then Install a new hard drive unplug the drive that has the C: on it and Install a new version of WIN 98 SE on the new drive plug the old on in again Format C: and Restore using Explorer all except WIN OS 98SE in my case.

curious
hawk22

 

Do you have just one physical hard drive with C, D and E
partitions ?
If so, you can use Drive Image as you post BUT
1. you will need the Drive Image floppies
2. some apps will not run correctly as they are not registered
in the newly created Window registry
What is the reason you want to do what you post ?
regards

 

I am using win xp pro.

 

Try it out !
I only mentioned the OS because there is a new version for XP
you might like. The older versions (eg I have 5.0) should work
anyway regardless of the OS, as Drive Image is a sector
reader/copier not dependent on OS or disk format.
regards

 

Hawk 22 You can install to the new drive, either the C:\ intact from the old drive, so long as it will fit on the new drive. That is, the new drive can be bigger or smaller.

Or, you can fresh install Windows 98SE to your new drive. You can extract FILES from the saved image file and put them where you please. But you can use the Explorer feature to extract PROGRAMS to install to the new C:\.

brew 01 If you are going to use Drive Image 2002 or 5.01, and you want to restore from images on the hard drive, the partition that has that image must be in FAT 32.

You can save images to NTFS partitions. But then, you have to burn those images to a CD or something in order to use them to restore your computer.

The new Drive Image is slick. But it is expensive. But I think you can go straight with NTFS. You can get 2002 for a lot cheaper here:

http://ebargainsoftware.com/powerquest.html

It was $24 a couple of weeks ago.

 

Hi, thanks,

I am looking for a easy way out I guess at present I am using a 40Gig HD with C: - D: - E: as my partitions. I have a new 40Gig HD and would like to clean install my OS WIN 98SE preferably with 2 partitions on the new one.
I don't want to loose any of my Programs and or Files on the system. I would like to have the OS on its own on the new C:. Hence my question regarding using Explorer on Drive Image to restore only what is needet back on C: and all other stuff to any other drive. As long as Windows can find it again, this seems always a problem when moving things.
I have moved Programs with Mover 98 and Windows could not find it anymore.
If it can be done without to much trouble, I would like to find out how.
I also have Partition Magic 8 on hand.
Ray you say that I can restore a Drive Image to a new (different) drive, I was always under the Impression that you can only restore to the same HD where the Image was made from.

regards
hawk22

 

I am looking for a easy way out I guess at present I am using a 40Gig HD with C: - D: - E: as my partitions. I have a new 40Gig HD and would like to clean install my OS WIN 98SE preferably with 2 partitions on the new one.

I see possible problems here. Key words being CLEAN INSTALL and going from a 3 partition drive to a 2 partition drive

Making an image of a stuff on a 3 partiton drive and then restoring them to a 2 partiton drive I do not believe would be in your best interest.

Especially if you clean install the OS.

Nothing is going be where the image says it is. Many .INI files will be wrong. And things would not be registered properly.

If you are going to go new then I think it would be best to go new all the way.

BillyBob

 

G'day,
So, if I understand it correctly the best way would be to create 3 Partitions on the new drive, Install a new Windows 98SE and then Restore the Stuff D: to D: and so on.
what about My Documents can that be moved to a other drive say D: where the rest of the programs are.
I have heard BillyBob say that it can be done.
curious to know
thanks
hawk22

 

And G'Day to you too.

1st things first.

WHAT VERSION of 98SE do you have ? That is very important here.

FULL, UPGRADE or UPDATE

The full or UPGRADE are fine. But if you have the UPDATE then you would be out of luck if anything goes wrong. You wold have to put 98 back in first. Which you could not do without formating as it would not go over newer version.

Yes that it the general idea.

But, if you CLEAN INSTALL a new 98SE You can still copy D: & :E. BUT you will need to re-install most program in order stuff for them to work properly. And you would need to make sure that it goes back in the same folder. I can tell you that that is a BIG PAIN IN THE BACKSIDE.

But what you can do to help is to COPY the C:\Windows\START MENU ( complete ) to another drive and then copy it back afer the install and then you can see what is where.

And before copying the Start/menu you can N drop any destop folder into in and save them too.

You can do the same with My DOcs and Favorites.

I have another wild idea. If you want to (almost ) clean install 98 SE then why not try an overtop install after booting from the Startup floppy ? It is darn near clean and at the same time preserve what is there. I have not had the fail me yet.

BUT, it should not be attempted if you have any hardware problems or other problems with the OS. Other wise they will carry over also.

YES. To my Docs. That and Favorites. That way they do not get lost if a format is needed. Also you can keep a COPY of the Start Menu. I have never try MOVING that one.

I began the proverbial CHICKEN there.

If you do move them is is best to do a MANUAL regedit to make sure that all references get changed.

BillyBob

 

Hawk 22 Are you having any problems with your current installation of Windows 98SE that requires a fresh installation? If not, go with what you have.

How do you have your old drive setup? C: has OS and what; D has what? Programs and Files? E: has programs and files? Also, what size and how full are the partitions on the old drive?

Some may have faster methods. But I use a bit slower method to make sure I don't dump anything I want to save. I tried quick once, and I wiped out the wrong partition!

 

G'day BillyBob & Ray,

OK, I will try to answer it so it will cover all the open questions.
My 98SE is a (OEM) Full Version Install I have the CD including the Key.
My OS runns very sweetly no problems, once it is running.
In other words it is slow to boot 2 - 3 min.
This only started after I had a big crash after re-installing my DIV X by recomendation of DX DIAG. But it is not my Start UP Menu as I am using Start Up Cop and it is exactly the same setup as before the crash.
I did re-install Windows over and it has everything running well except the slow boot.
This is my reason why I thought of a clean Install but don't get me wrong I am open to suggestions re: ( I guess I am looking for a easy way out). Slow is fine with me as long as at the end it works, that is all that matters

My HD iis a IBM 40 GIG and my Partitions are:
C; 15.1 Gig with 6.5 Gig Free OS - My Doc. and some Prog
D: 16.1 Gig with 11.3 Gig Free Files and Programs
E: Backup 8.1 Gig with 6.2 Gig Free Backup's.
I used Partition Magic 8 to create those Partitions after I had used the Drive for around 12 to 18 Month and it created them whithout loosing any Files.
The new drive is also 40 Gig Maxtor ATA 100 7200rpm same as the IBM
I Paste Partition Magics Partition Info. just in case it is any use to you. The Drive 2 that is mentions in there is a old 6Gig HD that I am not using it is ATA 33. Funny though it is not in use unplugged but it is still seeing it.

PowerQuest PartitionInfo 8.0 -- Windows 95/98/Me Version
Date Generated: 08/25/03 21:20:44
Copyright (c)1994-2002, PowerQuest Corporation
Permission is granted for this utility to be freely copied so long
as it is not modified in any way. All other rights are reserved.

PowerQuest, makers of PartitionMagic(r), Drive Image(tm), and DriveCopy(tm), can be reached at:
Voice: 801-437-8900
Fax: 801-226-8941
Web site: http://www.powerquest.com/support/
E-mail: magic@powerquest.com

General System Information:
Total Physical Memory (bytes): 402,071,552
Used Physical Memory: (bytes): 367,960,064
Maximum Page File Size: (bytes): 524,288,000
Current Page File Size: (bytes): 138,944,512



===========================================================================================================
Disk Geometry Information for Disk 1: 5005 Cylinders, 255 Heads, 63 Sectors/Track
System PartSect # Boot BCyl Head Sect FS ECyl Head Sect StartSect NumSects
===========================================================================================================
S 0 0 80 0 1 1 0C 1023 254 63 63 31,053,582
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
0 0 80 0 1 1 0C 1932 254 63 63 31053582
0 1 00 1023 0 1 0F 1023 254 63 31,053,645 49,351,680
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
0 1 00 1933 0 1 0F 5004 254 63 31053645 49351680
DRIVE_D 31,053,645 0 00 1023 1 1 0B 1023 254 63 31,053,708 32,949,252
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
31053645 0 00 1933 1 1 0B 3983 254 63 31053708 32949252
31,053,645 1 00 1023 0 1 05 1023 254 63 64,002,960 16,402,365
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
31053645 1 00 3984 0 1 05 5004 254 63 64002960 16402365
BACKUP 64,002,960 0 00 1023 1 1 0B 1023 254 63 64,003,023 16,402,302
Info: Begin C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Info: End C,H,S values were large drive placeholders.
Actual values are:
64002960 0 00 3984 1 1 0B 5004 254 63 64003023 16402302

===========================================================================================================
Disk Geometry Information for Disk 2: 787 Cylinders, 255 Heads, 63 Sectors/Track
System PartSect # Boot BCyl Head Sect FS ECyl Head Sect StartSect NumSects
===========================================================================================================



===========================================================================================================
Partition Information for Disk 1: 39,260.4 Megabytes
Volume PartType Status Size MB PartSect # StartSect TotalSects
===========================================================================================================
C:S FAT32X Pri,Boot 15,162.9 0 0 63 31,053,582
ExtendedX Pri 24,097.5 0 1 31,053,645 49,351,680
EPBR Log 16,088.5 None -- 31,053,645 32,949,315
DRIVE_D FAT32 Log 16,088.5 31,053,645 0 31,053,708 32,949,252
EPBR Log 8,009.0 31,053,645 1 64,002,960 16,402,365
E:BACKUP FAT32 Log 8,008.9 64,002,960 0 64,003,023 16,402,302


===========================================================================================================
Partition Information for Disk 2: 6,173.4 Megabytes
Volume PartType Status Size MB PartSect # StartSect TotalSects
===========================================================================================================
Unallocated Pri 6,173.4 None -- 63 12,643,092


===========================================================================================================
Boot Record for drive C: (Drive: 1, Starting sector: 63, Type: FAT32)
===========================================================================================================
1. Jump: EB 58 90
2. OEM Name: MSWIN4.1
3. Bytes per Sector: 512
4. Sectors per Cluster: 64
5. Reserved Sectors: 32
6. Number of FAT's: 2
7. Reserved: 0x0000
8. Reserved: 0x0000
9. Media Descriptor: 0xF8
10. Sectors per FAT: 0
11. Sectors per Track: 63 (0x3F)
12. Number of Heads: 255 (0xFF)
13. Hidden Sectors: 63 (0x3F)
14. Big Total Sectors: 31053582 (0x1D9D70E)
15. Big Sectors per FAT: 3798
16. Extended Flags: 0x0000
17. FS Version: 0
18. First Cluster of Root: 190 (0xBE)
19. FS Info Sector: 1
20. Backup Boot Sector: 6
21. Reserved: 000000000000000000000000
22. Drive ID: 0x80
23. Reserved for NT: 0x00
24. Extended Boot Sig: 0x29
25. Serial Number: 0x2A1213EE
26. Volume Name: S
27. File System Type: FAT32
28. Boot Signature: 0xAA55

===========================================================================================================
Boot Record for drive D: (Drive: 1, Starting sector: 31,053,708, Type: FAT32)
===========================================================================================================
1. Jump: EB 58 90
2. OEM Name: MSWIN4.1
3. Bytes per Sector: 512
4. Sectors per Cluster: 16
5. Reserved Sectors: 36
6. Number of FAT's: 2
7. Reserved: 0x0000
8. Reserved: 0x0000
9. Media Descriptor: 0xF8
10. Sectors per FAT: 0
11. Sectors per Track: 63 (0x3F)
12. Number of Heads: 255 (0xFF)
13. Hidden Sectors: 63 (0x3F)
14. Big Total Sectors: 32949252 (0x1F6C404)
15. Big Sectors per FAT: 16074
16. Extended Flags: 0x0000
17. FS Version: 0
18. First Cluster of Root: 2 (0x2)
19. FS Info Sector: 1
20. Backup Boot Sector: 6
21. Reserved: 000000000000000000000000
22. Drive ID: 0x80
23. Reserved for NT: 0x00
24. Extended Boot Sig: 0x29
25. Serial Number: 0x3DA09E63
26. Volume Name: DRIVE_D
27. File System Type: FAT32
28. Boot Signature: 0xAA55

===========================================================================================================
Boot Record for drive E: (Drive: 1, Starting sector: 64,003,023, Type: FAT32)
===========================================================================================================
1. Jump: EB 58 90
2. OEM Name: MSWIN4.1
3. Bytes per Sector: 512
4. Sectors per Cluster: 8
5. Reserved Sectors: 32
6. Number of FAT's: 2
7. Reserved: 0x0000
8. Reserved: 0x0000
9. Media Descriptor: 0xF8
10. Sectors per FAT: 0
11. Sectors per Track: 63 (0x3F)
12. Number of Heads: 255 (0xFF)
13. Hidden Sectors: 64003023 (0x3D09BCF)
14. Big Total Sectors: 16402302 (0xFA477E)
15. Big Sectors per FAT: 15988
16. Extended Flags: 0x0000
17. FS Version: 0
18. First Cluster of Root: 2 (0x2)
19. FS Info Sector: 1
20. Backup Boot Sector: 6
21. Reserved: 000000000000000000000000
22. Drive ID: 0x80
23. Reserved for NT: 0x00
24. Extended Boot Sig: 0x29
25. Serial Number: 0x3DA0A62F
26. Volume Name: BACKUP
27. File System Type: FAT32
28. Boot Signature: 0xAA55

Eager to find out more

hawk22

 

In other words it is slow to boot 2 - 3 min.

Are you speaking of before the Desktop comes up or after.

MY SE destop usualy comes up about 30 seconds. But it stll takes SE at least another 2 minutes to get FULLY booted even though the lights or the hour glass show no activity.

And if I have made changes it may take longer yet.

And If I do anything in the meantime it may (and has) cause(d) probelms.

I think this is a very common mistake that users make. They think just becasue the Desktop is showning and the lights are out windows is full booted.

This only started after I had a big crash after re-installing my DIV X by recomendation of DX DIAG.

I have as yet to pay any attention to DX Diag. At least not since 98FE where I believed it and made changes. And like yourself ran into problems.

Even if DX Diag says a drivers is not certified ( or what ever it says ) means NOTHING as long as no problems exits.

Microsoft does not always know best. Even as hard as it trys to make us think it does.

The behaviour of your machine says a LOT more.

BillyBob

 

hawk 22 You have no quick and simple solution, as you have programs loaded all over. Programs are usually location specific. If you don't have the setups any longer, then it's a different story.

But juggling things around with Drive Image and Partition Magic could be a lot of problem and hassle. Definitely, it's not going to be faster than doing a fresh load.

Note, that if you have multiple physical hard drives in one computer, the letter sequence is a bit odd in FAT 32. For lack of better description, it goes VERTICLE then HORIZONTAL:

First the sequences are PRIMARY PARTITIONS of EACH PHYSICAL DRIVE:

C: First physical, first partition
D: Second physical, first partition

Then the sequences follow:

First Physical, Extended/Logical partitions in sequence
Second Physical, Extended/Logical in sequence

That is E is the first logical, F is the second logical, etc
When the logicals in the first physical are exhausted then the logicals in the second get sequenced.

When I run multiple partition drives, I have my OS and Programs on the same partition. That's what gets goofy and can benefit from restoration. Data can be backed in regular manners.

I keep the DATA partitions as large as possible. I use folders and subfolders to identify the tree, instead of separate partitions.

My Documents has no documents. It is essentially a type of My Computer shortcut containing shortcuts to heavily used data folders that are located on the Data partition(s).

I send folders to the desktop. I click and drag those folders into My Documents Since My Documents always pops up for SAVE and SAVE AS, the links are in there. It saves a lot of time.

Personally, I'd just use the old hard drive as the Master and just slave the new one. To get around the sequencing and not move a lot of things around:

On the old hard drive, create a new very small (100 mb or so) partition between C and D. Use Drive Mapping of Partition Magic to get everything to be recgonized on the correct D and E.

Install the new hard drive. Fdisk it or use partition magic to set it up. It'll be quicker with PM.

Then MERGE the partitions on C and the new D on the old hard drive.

Rather than try to remember letters, I give partitions VOLUME LABELS so I can keep my partitions straight!

 

IF you put a Slave drive in with no primary partition ( which it does not need ) it will not mess up the drive lettering.

If the 1st HD is C: D: E: the slave will start with F:

But what a slave drive WILL DO is to messup CDROM lettering It will move them up by the number of partitions on the slave drive.

I myself get around this ( even in XP so I found ) is to set the CDROM(s) up to higher letters as soon as the OS is installed. I use S: and T: Then you can add HD partitions up to and including R: with no problem.

In XP my 1st HD is C: D:E:F:G:H:. The slave went right to I:J:K:. and the CDROMS stayed at S:T:.

BillyBob

 

G'day,

Thanks BillyBob, do you think that maybe if I try again to do a over Install of 98SE that just maybe it could speed things up a bit.
The 2-3 minute boot is the time before I get a Desktop, and if I have changed any settings and have to do a reboot it can take 15 minutes easy, not always though.
Maybe if I do one of Mike Flynn's cleanups before the install.
I guess it can't harm can it.
regards
hawk22

 

Thsi may shock certain readers that know me but;

In this case I say ABSOLUTELY NOT to an overinstall. Problems exist that will just get carried right over. And could even make things worse.

That 2-3 minutes to get even the desktop if FAR from being proper.

You are correct about the drive lettering when adding the 2nd HD.

Christer is correct about the CRDOMs.

OK, Now that I have a basic idea of what you would like to do and it appears that a clean reinstall is evident.

1- before formating the C: drive. copy My Documents, Favorites and the C:/Windows/Start Menu over to another partition.

Then when you get the new OS installed you can just copy them back. And the Start Menu will be a great help to find out what what was where so you can re-install to the same place.

2- Add the 2nd HD and make sure that the BIOS picks it up correctly and the two CDROMS.

3-Format the C: drive ONLY.

4-Re-intall the OS.

5--Once you get the OS installed immediately go to Device Manger and change the CDROM letters to S: & T: and restart the machine. Now they will be up out of the way so that they will not be bothered by adding or removing HD partitions.

And this will also keep them in one place for any installed programs that may need them.

Also I suggest a change on the Startup floppy so the in the autoexec.bat the end of the line that contains MSCEDX.EXE reads /L:S.

That will keep the CDROMS the same in DOS as they are in Windows.

BillyBob