Topic: Creating a Drive Image

[Simon]

Now I have my second hard drive, I might be more interested in creating an image of my 'C' drive, to restore if things go tits up.  What's the best way to do this, and which is the easiest software to use?

Tony, I know you've been through all this before, but it went in one ear and out the other!  

[Sandra]

Norton Ghost or Powerquests Drive Image are the most commonly used ones Simon.
Just install the program, have a flopy or two ready as it will make bootable floppies which allow the programs to run so that you can restore the image, and just follow the instructions  

[Simon]

But presumably there's not a lot of point in making an image of my current 'C' drive, with all the crap still on it?

[Sandra]

Most people image the drive after a clean install and they have their main programs on.
Theres nothing to stop you making another one at a later date, if everythings going ok, as it would save you downloading any OS or AV updates again up to that point  

[joudi]

Simon,

I did that many times and used both "Drive Image" & "Norton Ghost".

Both programs are Ok. Maybe "Drive image" is a little faster (not much though). You can create the image by following the instructions which are not really complicated to understand. That may take with you about 8 minutes.

To restore the image, you must have the program "drive image" installed on your system. It's not really necessary to have a boot floppy, but it could be good idea too. It'll take about 5 minutes to make the restoration of the image...

Important to watch, to restore the image to the correct partition.

When creating the image it'll be necessary to put the image on another partition of course. You can even burn the image directly to a DVD or some CD's together. But the restoration from the image on the DVD will take much more time, maybe about 30 minutes.

I can suggest that before making the image you prepare your system to the state which you want it to be, with all the wanted programs installed already. You may try to restore the image to another partition while keeping your system on "C". In that case you'll have two (same) systems installed on your PC, where you can boot the one which you want by a little modification in the BIOS. If it works well, then you can now have the corrage to install the image to "C" drive, and wipe away the other one which you first tried on the other partition. (Attention: Any partition having that same image installed on it will get the name "C" partition.)

Well, I think that those are the most principal points to know. If I remember another point I'll add it. Tony will add his too when he's here later.

Good chance ... And welcome to our club of the drive "IMAGE"    

[Simon]

Thanks Joudi.  I don't really know whather I want to do this or not.  The new hard drive is intended just as an extention to my original hard drive for extra storage.  If I use the original drive just for the OS and Programs, and pile everything else onto the new one, including a drive image of the original drive, it doesn't seem a very efficient use of disk space, as I will then have my original drive, probably only 20% full, and will have used about 30% of the new drive, purely for data from the original drive, thus kind of defeating the object of having the extra space.  Do you see what I'm getting at?  I think the more sensible way would be to wait until I next fully upgrade my system, then start playing with partitions and drive images.  I think if I try to do this now, I'll only cock it up, and have a lot of rubbish I don't really need, in the drive image.

[Tony]

Jeez Simon, stop arsing about will ya,  because you have not fully grasped the concept of imaging C:Drive [ a polite way of saying your clueless  ] just trust us and do as your told  

Because the reality is, to have such an abundance HD space, yet refuse to set aside say a 10GB partition on one of the hard drives, on which to store an image of C:Drive, is mind bogglingly stupid.

Listen very carefully...I shall say this only once  

If I were you, I would set the jumpers on both your Hard Drives to "Cable Select" That way you can choose to boot from either Drive it one fails at some point, but more of the reasoning behind that later.

Then you want to make 3 partitions on the new hard drive, using Partition Magic, is dead easy honest.

No 1. Primary 10GB
No 2. Locical 133GB
No 3. Logical 10GB labeled [Backup]

[The partitions can be added to, enlarged or whatever later on as easy as anything.]

You then install a copy of your OS on to the Primary partition, and all your software and security updates and service packs. But you do not need to do it all at once, you can do it if and when it suits. Using your existing OS set up as normal in the mean time. You can however start using the big 133GB partition for storage right away. See all you have out of circulation is 20GB, out of a 153GB HD.

Now considering the fail safe protection this is going to afford you in the future. Plus never ever again having to go through the hassel of putting together a replascement OS install, under stress of a Hard Drive failure. What I'm saying is, in the face of your existing Hard Drive dieing, you can be up and running on a full system with in the time it takes to reboot to the new Drive. It must surely be the biggest No-Brainer option avaliable

 
I'll go on a bit more, I would suggest you just install the OS and security programs and updates first. Then using Drive Image  [which you have either already loaded onto your existing drive or the new one. You do a test Image of the new OS install, save it to the Backup partition, then restore that image back. As it appears it is your fear of cocking things up that is the big problem here   Because in all of this, you have not once touched one iota of your existing setup or your inputted data.

Once you realise how easy it is, load all your programs at your leisure onto the new C:Drive and save that image. That way you have a clean new image of C:Drive at your disposal...for when the "s**t hits the fan"  because it is not a case of if, its  more a case of when.

But as I suspect you will revert to form and "wimp out"  I shall post only the above on the subject as of now  

I will go into moving your "My Documents"  folder onto another partition, so it to can be imaged and stored on the Backup partition for safe keeping, if you chose to go ahead, otherwise its pointless and time is important to me ....at my age