making a copy of C drive

I am running XP pro and want to make a copy of my C drive. Well, to be more accurate, I want something that will put my computer back to normal should I have a crash. The computer came with a partitioned drive (D) that I believe will put the computer back to day one, but I would prefer to be able to put it back the way it is today. From reading other posts, I think I need to backup my entire C drive. I have Nero 6 installed, so I went to the backup wizard and followed instructions. Got an error saying "sectors xxxxx on disk are different from source ". I shut down my antivirus, firewall, and anything else I could think of and tried again. Got the same message. Can someone tell me if backing up my C drive is what I need to do and if so, what I am doing wrong in the Nero program? Also once I get this accomplished, how do you go about putting everything back if the system has crashed and you can't get into the Nero program to use the restore function? I have SOME computer experience, but have never tried to do this before as I am sure you can tell. In the past I had win 98 and would just reformat the hard drive in the event of a crash. Very time consuming. Am trying avoid that with my XP computer. A lot of info and questions, but if someone could offer a simple tutorial I would be most appreciative.

 

I would like to make the copy using DVDs if this is possible.

 

Hello Beth,

Can't "copy" Windows (the Operating system) from within windows - it has to be static and copied while windows is not running. For that, you need Drive Imaging software. Read this thread, Acronis is offering an older version for free: http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=58471

Your user data - folders that you established and the contents of My Documents can of course be copied by standard backup procedures.

A factor to keep in mind that imaging is done by Partition. I don't think you have established a partition for the OS only and another for everything else. So imaging is going to copy not only Windows and it's folders, but also anything else. So in case of a need for restore, your data as well as the OS will be restored like it was at the time of imaging. To get around that, the best way to handle that is to create a seperate partition for your data. Failing that, always keep up to date backups of your user data so that you can reload the updated user data on top if any drive image restoration.

Regards - Charles

 

What's the difference between disk imaging programs like Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost versus backup and disaster recovery programs like Stompsoft's "PC Backup? "

Here's info on PC Backup:

http://www.stompsoft.com/pc-backup/pc-backup.html

I have used PC Backup (actually it's predecessor program) to recovery from a total hard disk failure in the past. It restored my PC to the EXACT state it was in before the crash -- programs, data, settings, everything. And all without having to first re-install the operating system.

Does an imaging program do the same?

 

Hi Dave,

I don't use Ghost - Christer does, so if he reads this he can comment.

Backups like Stompsoft's "PC Backup" backup/image the same way ATI or other imaging programs do. Just have more bells and whistles - varying imaging programs are going to come with varying options, from basic to what Stompsoft seems to be. Or I should say the effect is the same. Technical details are going to differ.

Yes, per partition. If the Partition and drive overlap, which is the case for a majority of users, than the image contains non OS info as well - user data. And if restored, the result is: It restored my PC to the EXACT state it was in before the crash -- programs, data, settings, everything. And all without having to first re-install the operating system.

If an OS only partition, then the result is: the exact state of the OS as before.

Depends on what that partition contains.

Regards - Charles

 

I can tell you what works for me. I got Acronis Disk Director Suite and partitioned my HD into C: partition for OS and applications and E: partition for data (My Documents, Outlook Express Files and Favorites).

I use Acronis True Image Home to image my HD. The ticked boxes are my choices for an image of my HD:



When I need to restore I boot from a Rescue CD that ATI has you create. This disk runs in a Linux environment independent from Windows. You don't have to know anything about Linux to run it. The choices I have on restore are shown here:



If I tick Disk 1 then everything is restored and I lose any changes made to My Documents, Favorites and Outlook Express files since the creation of the image.

If I tick NTFS(C: ) then my OS and applications are restored.

If I tick MBR and Track 0, then my MBR is restored

I create my images on an internal Slave drive. I could equally well create them on a USB2 external HD. Imaging directly to DVD is not possible. What some do is to image to HD in files of size 1492MB and then burn to DVD. I think three such files fit on a DVD.

I see Newegg has the boxed version for $24.99. With this True Image version you can register with Acronis and update to the latest build.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16832200204

You can download ATI from here and register with Acronis.

Wilders is the offical forum for Acronis products. You can get excellent peer support as well as support from Acronis.

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=65

See this thread re splitting images in 1492MB chunks for burning to DVDs.

 

Sorry, but I am now totally lost. If someone could please just tell me what I would need to do to backup or image the drive so that if the computer ever crashes I could put it back the way it is now without having to reload windows and then all my programs one at a time. I have a C drive with windows and all data and a D drive that I cannot get into. It is 4.3gb in size and I think it contains data for a recovery, but that is probably just the operating system and maybe some programs that Gateway ships with their computers.

 

Hi Beth,

If you want to cut to the chase, go to the Acronis Website and throw down the coins for the latest version that they offer. That software will do exactly what you want, burn an image to your DVD drive and allow you to restore from it. It's good stuff and very user friendly.

You can do it other ways but it gets more complicated - you can even pull it off for free - but sometimes it's best to throw down the coins and get the full version along with all the free support it offers.

I use Acronis and have for several years. (version 6 through version 9) I recommend it highly. It's very sociable.

All the best.

ps. Although it would be nice to have a second hard drive to store your Acronis images on, it's not necessary - don't let that keep you from going forward with the DVD storage program. It'll still provide great protection and it'll still save your bacon when the unexpected occurs.

 

Download Acronis True Image and create the Rescue CD. Then create an image of your C: drive on a Slave drive, on a USB2 external HD or on DVDs.

In case of a disaster where you cannot boot to Windows, boot from the Rescue CD, locate and restore the image of your system. You will be up and running in a very short time. Restore time is about 1 min per GB of data in the image, depending on the compression chosen.

I use the Rescue CD routinely, most often when I want to get rid of a program. I find that uninstalling a program always leaves bits and pieces.

 

Has anyone used PC Backup from Stompsoft and Acronis as well?

If so, is Acronis easier, quicker, or more reliable? Or does it offer useful features that PC Backup does not?

 

Genarally, backups are fine but they are not as complete as drive images. You can retrieve your data from a backup but you can't restore a drive to 'bootability" as with an image.

There are some backup softwares that create bootable images so you must look carefully at what you are getting.

Do be aware that some programs require that you restore the complete drive image whereas some others will allow you to pick individual files from an archived image.

 

Without getting into the pros and cons of one program versus another, I used PowerQuest's Drive Image for years, until PQ was bought by Symantec, whose (more or less) comparable program was Ghost. Symantec still produces Ghost, but now it's actually Drive Image reincarnated. These days I use Acronis True Image Home 9.0 (current build 3677), and am quite satisfied with it.

The important thing to remember is not whether your system (or hard drive) will go south, but when. Always maintain a current backup.

 

Win XP Imaging

Beth--for a start, try some free applications. I just made an image using "Drive Image XML ". For over a year now I have been trying to get imaging/clone programs to work. Every image of Win2000 had problems but got fixed. No image of Win XP would boot. I have used Ghost2003, Acronis, Partition Magic, Seagate Tools, MaxBlast 3 and a few others. Many calls to support with no help. Many said winXP cloning was "problematic" which certainly has been my experience. ((Yes, I do understand about initial harddrive boot ID conflicts and such)).

I registered to thank "Barry" for the following post which **finally** gave me the recovery process. A tad confusing, but I got thru it the first time. You may want to note it for future reference.

http://windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=43059

Thanks Barry //// Bobbo

 

I wish I could take credit for coming up with the solution, but I was merely the one who was persistent enough to believe that there was an answer and find someone who was willing to share it. I am glad that this solution continues to work with more advanced systems. The beauty of WindowsBBS is that even people like me, with limited expertise, can help educate the world. Only knowledge will help us rise out of the negative results of ignorance that plague our planet. Continue to share. There is always someone who can truly appreciate what little we have to offer.