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Best/Cheapest form of HD Backup on XP

Discussion in 'Windows XP' started by Tom1971, 2006/08/03.

  1. 2006/08/03
    Tom1971

    Tom1971 Inactive Thread Starter

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    Folks,

    Wasn't sure exactly where to post, but here it is.

    I'm thinking of bidding for a couple of notebooks on e-bay and noticed that while many come pre-loaded with a fresh OS installation only a very few come with a re-installation disk.

    What's the cheapest, most effective way I could take a snap-shot of the hard-drive and preserve that as a backup should the system become corrupted via viruses, spyware, etc....

    I'm thinking NortonGhost would do the trick, but it is somewhat expensive. Would I be right? Any other cheaper, better options?

    Tom
     
    Tom1971,
    #1
  2. 2006/08/03
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Acronis tends to be favoured by some on the Board, although Ghost has it's advocates too. $20 cheaper.
     
    PeteC,
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  4. 2006/08/03
    Welshjim

    Welshjim Inactive

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    Welshjim,
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  5. 2006/08/04
    Tom1971

    Tom1971 Inactive Thread Starter

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    This may sound ridiculous, but why would anyone buy backup software when windows can do it for free?

    Is the Windows version "good" meaning can I create a snapshot of the computers hard drive, save it to disk and use that snapshot to restore to original conditions if I needed to?
     
    Tom1971,
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  6. 2006/08/04
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    If you want to make a snapshot, i.e. a ghost copy of the Windows drive you can use a part of Windows Backup - Automated System Recovery, but it has it's limitations. It does not, for example back up to CD/DVD, you must back up to another drive or partition, etc and you need a floppy drive. When using ASR to restore the XP CD is required, the drive is formatted and XP installed followed by all the other programs and data. It works extremely well if your system meets the requirements - as mine does and I have used it with success several times.

    Read more here ....

    http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/howto-18.html
     
    PeteC,
    #5
  7. 2006/08/04
    Tom1971

    Tom1971 Inactive Thread Starter

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    Okay, so what I'm understanding is that if I DON'T have an XP copy I should go with Acronis or Ghost which will give me the ability to created a full blown Windows re-installation CD that I could create up front before using the machine for anything.
     
    Tom1971,
    #6
  8. 2006/08/04
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    That is correct, Acronis or Ghost will produce an image of the drive which can be restored as and when required.
     
    PeteC,
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  9. 2006/08/04
    sorinso

    sorinso Inactive

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    Free tools

    I would use one of the LiveCDs, that are filled with free tools. I can tell you that I checked Knoppix (Linux-based) and Bart's PE (WinPE-based) and they both have such tools.
    The disdvantage of Knoppix is USB-related: I didn't manage to make it recognize an USB-connected disk (to save the image on an external disk, that was connected to the computer through an USB-to-IDE adapter). But if you plan to use an internal disk, it's of no importance.
    By using LiveCD, you are making the image with the OS files and threads closed, thus making a better image.

    Just an idea.

    Good luck.
     
    sorinso,
    #8
  10. 2006/08/04
    Tom1971

    Tom1971 Inactive Thread Starter

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    I have no idea what that means, but thanks anyway.:)

    Thanks everyone for the help. I did pull the trigger and did some checking with Acronis. Looks like I'll go that route.
     
    Tom1971,
    #9
  11. 2006/08/04
    Welshjim

    Welshjim Inactive

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    Tom1971--Most PC makers who supply only an OEM restore CD will sell you a full version XP CD for a small fee.
     
    Welshjim,
    #10

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