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- speedyrev, on 01/07/2009, -0/+18Acronis!
Mount your image as a drive and pull individual files off if needed. - willsani, on 01/06/2009, -1/+14Save your money and use DD to get it done... http://www.nilbus.com/linux/disk-copy.php
- chanop, on 01/07/2009, -1/+10You lose
- slamtv7, on 01/06/2009, -1/+9I have been looking for this. Well explained article thanks.
- forcedfx, on 01/07/2009, -0/+7By commenting on his article you helped get it to the front page.
- Snappysnap, on 01/07/2009, -3/+9SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner for Macs.
- paidhima, on 01/07/2009, -0/+6Other considerations for disk imaging:
1. Do you want to image the system disk (usually drive C:) while running Windows? If so, you'll need an app that can do it - most modern apps can, but it's worth making sure. Generally these apps use the MS Volume Shadow Copy services (though some, like Acronis, have their own vss providers they install). VSS can be a horrendous pain in the ass if it's not working correctly, so be aware that you may need to do some troubleshooting/registering dlls. If the image fails in progress, check the Windows event viewer's Application events for VSS errors (Control Panel > Admin Tools > Event Viewer or run eventvwr.msc).
2. Is your disk image going to be used to deploy or restore multiple machines? You'll want to use the sysprep tool to avoid issues in the future, should your hardware change or multiple machines receive the same image. Sysprep is a not particularly user friendly, but there are a number of good tutorials on the web, some of which even supplement the sysprep tool with a batch file and/or other tools to prepare a system for cloning. Be aware, however, that if you do need to use sysprep, you will also need to image the drive while not booted to the system. Use Clonezilla, the UBCD or Hiren's to image this system, as booting back to Windows after sysprep completes undoes everything sysprep has done in the first place.
3. Very, very important: Verify and test every image you create! If you think testing an image by restoring it to another drive is not worth the time, consider this: your hard drive dies and is completely inaccessible. You replace the drive and restore your neat little image only to find out that it's corrupt - taking all of your data with it and/or forcing you to do a complete, and often lengthy, reinstall from scratch.
The final point can't be stressed enough, particularly if you are cloning your drive as a backup solution. - AlKo, on 01/07/2009, -0/+5Hmm, I've generally used Partition Magic or Ghost...
- ncc74656m, on 01/07/2009, -0/+5Acronis: The only way to fly.
- rolosworld, on 01/07/2009, -0/+5dd if=/dev/hdb of=/dev/hda
ftw! - john72carter, on 01/07/2009, -0/+4I been using DriveImage XML for ages to do a weekly backup of my 10GB C: partition.
if you are interested the bat file is below
:: ensure the z:\ drive is mapped
net use z: \\NAS1\shared /USER:john
:: parse the output of date /t into dom(1-31) mon(1-12)
for /f "tokens=1-4 delims=/ " %%A in ('date /t') do (
set Dom=%%A&set Mon=%%B&set year=%%C)
:: create folder in livingroom in yearmonthday format eg 20070617
echo "trying to create Z:\partition_images\livingroom\%year%%mon%%dom%" > dixml_auto.log
mkdir "z:\partition_images\livingroom\%year%%mon%%dom%"
if [%errorlevel%] == [1] goto END
echo "starting backup" >> dixml_auto.log
time /t >> dixml_auto.log
:: backup c: into the newly created folder
"C:\Program Files\Runtime Software\DriveImage XML\dixml.exe" /bC /c /t"Z:\partition_images\livingroom\%year%%mon%%dom%\c_drive"
:: ##########################################################################
:: hint. ensure logging is enabled. tools->options (loggin not on by default)
:: ##########################################################################
copy "Z:\partition_images\livingroom\log.txt" "Z:\partition_images\livingroom\%year%%mon%%dom%"
find "completed successfully" Z:\partition_images\livingroom\log.txt
if [%errorlevel%] == [0] goto COMPLETED
echo "backup not complete" >> dixml_auto.log
del "Z:\partition_images\livingroom\log.txt"
echo "%year%%mon%%dom% incomplete removoving" >> Z:\partition_images\livingroom\livingroom.log
del /S /Q "z:\partition_images\livingroom\%year%%mon%%dom%"
rmdir "z:\partition_images\livingroom\%year%%mon%%dom%"
goto END
:COMPLETED
del "Z:\partition_images\livingroom\log.txt"
echo "completed backup copying log" >> dixml_auto.log
echo "%year%%mon%%dom% backup complete" >> Z:\partition_images\livingroom\livingroom.log
time /t >> dixml_auto.log
:END
echo "end" >> dixml_auto.log - Probatus, on 01/07/2009, -1/+4The article (not the comments) includes only freeware so it doesn't cost anything to begin with.
- 007isbond1, on 01/07/2009, -1/+4You can't tell me what to do.
- tdaddy11, on 01/07/2009, -0/+3I've restored at least five remote servers with Acronis and even a citrix server(which was huge as it was on a Saturday). A total noob can run the Acronis restore from disc, which is great, because most of the users are at my company's remote sites. I also use their imaging software SnapDeploy, which allows imaging of different machines with one image(requires universal restore add on). I don't work for Acronis. Just a big fan.
- dxgg, on 01/07/2009, -1/+4You can't tell me what to do.
- jbond, on 01/07/2009, -0/+3dd_rescue for the win. And qtparted. on a systemrescue thumb drive.
- hyaena, on 01/07/2009, -0/+3Cost has little to do with using dd. It's really about simplicity.
- BOFH139, on 01/07/2009, -0/+3Clonezilla?
- antdude, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Norton Ghost (prefer DOS version from 2003).
- HappyScrappy, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Kinda funny, I've been trying to dd my laptop drive to a new one on my Mac for the last 10 hours. There's clearly something wrong with my USB to SATA adapter I'm using. I'm thinking of taking both drives out and put them in my PC and use linux to dd it, that'd be a lot faster. But it feels like giving in.
- deadmoo, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Clonezilla is the only good choice on that list.
- H3llr41s3r, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Norton Ghost is another handy tool, always have used it and nothing had gone wrong so far.
- PorchSong, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Agreed. Acronis True Image kicks ass. I have a single clone image (38 G) of Vista and Ubuntu 8.10 with a total of 5 partitions of ex3 and ntfs. You can bring back just the Ubuntu (or any partition within) without a hitch. It also allows for incremental backups, etc.
- ariez84, on 01/08/2009, -0/+2EASEUS Disk Copy is what I used to clone my 250HDD to my 1.5tb HDD. Free and easy.
- inactive, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Yep, cold backup imaging is way more reliable than hot imaging.
- UnFriendlyFire, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Symantec (Norton) Ghost
- paidhima, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2You say "or", but Partition Magic is not an imaging app. You might be thinking of Partition Image.
- MattBD, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Can anyone recommend one that will easily convert an existing machine to a Virtualbox .vdi file? Ideally one that works off a bootable CD.
- eddie72, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Yeah that's my absolute favourite Hard Drive imaging program as well as it has never failed
- jenrzzz1, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2No.
- EntropyFan, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2I love Acronis. Works perfect every time.
And with Universal Restore, I can take the image an spin it up in a VM with idiot like simplicity.
Which helps. - jbond, on 01/07/2009, -0/+2Just as long as /dev/hda isn't your main hard disk. :(
- qhan7, on 01/07/2009, -1/+3dd ftw!
- MovieBlog, on 01/07/2009, -1/+2More than anything, I just want to encourage everyone to make regular backups! I don't care if you use one of these free options, a paid product, a dedicated NAS/backup solution or a server. Just do it!
Drives are going to fail. PCs are going to get infected. You are going to accidentally delete a critical file. I don't care how you back up, just do it and do it regularly!
Personally, I've set up a Windows Home Server so it is a "set it and forget it" backup of every PC daily. With single-instance storage I can backup every PC in the house and have access to any image for those PCs for the last few months.
Trust me, you have all those digital memories from photos, videos, documents, program settings, etc. You don't want those to go away forever.
Make it your new year's resolution to find a backup solution for yourself. Do it now! - macslut, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1Apple's own Disk Utility is free and is already on your Mac as well as your original system disc. The great thing about having it on your original system disc is that you can boot up off of it and then clone your startup disk when it's already in shut down mode. If you clone a Mac startup disk running the software when the disk is already running, you'll get a clone of a Mac that wasn't properly shut down.
You can put SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner on a secondary startup disk or hack it onto another system disc, but why bother? - kd1s, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1The free version of Macrium Reflect works just fine. That's how I replaced the hard drive in my laptop. I got a new drive, an external USB 750GB drive and use the Macrium software to image the drive and then restore it onto the new one.
- KeiOthic, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1I used foxmarks password sync feature. I'm not sure if KeePass manaage passwords outside of firefox, but then again, I don't have passwords on my programs.
- AtomicTheory, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1If he's getting buried, then it's forward psychology... assuming he really wanted to get buried.
- AtomicTheory, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1No actually, to be helpful you should go into a lot more detail.
- themastersb, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1perfect timing. Right when I'm about to buy a new hard drive.
- AtomicTheory, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1My understanding is that partition magic is for partition management, not drive cloning/imaging. I've used ghost 2003 for years, because it has a simple boot disc that takes you to a simple gui. I used that religiously until I started getting into linux, who's filesystem ghost wouldn't touch. So now I'm "in the market" for a cross-platform ghost-alternative.
- kevyn, on 01/09/2009, -0/+1this may sound like a stupid question, but If I clone a 500gb then will that be a 500gb file? or if say, I'm only using 200/500gb, will the image still be 500gb?
thanks - ZetaVu, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1Wouldn't that be similar to using a clonezilla livecd?
- DontGiveADamn, on 01/08/2009, -0/+1That's what Google is for, once you know the key words they unlock the puzzle.
- pwdrskier, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1useful as i need to clone my hard drive to switch over to my new on!
- sadisticmind, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1Do to what me tell me, cant you?
- KiraDnote, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1Maxtor Maxblast is free and works great from Windows. Requires at least one Maxtor or Seagate HDD online (could be via USB).
- adkenc, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1i've always used either g4l or g4u. sometimes one or the other won't detect hardware right, but free is nice and they both work pretty well.
- melonhedd, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1Buried for promoting the idea that you need to overwrite your drive more than once.
- AtomicTheory, on 01/07/2009, -0/+1what the hell did you just say?
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