gparted - how to convert a HD partition to an iso file

[sobriquet]

Hi.

I want to use gparted to backup a bootable system partition that
contains all installed windows programs to a usb drive by copying the
partition to the usb drive as a partition. If possible, I'd like to
convert the copied partion on the usb drive to an iso file somehow, so
I can store multiple iso files without requiring separate partitions
for them. Is there a tool that can convert between partitions and iso
files (writing a partition to an iso file and vice versa) and maybe
mount iso files as virtual hd partitions similar to how you can mount
virtual cds?

kind regards and thanks in advance for any suggestions, Niek

 

[Rod Speed]

I want to use gparted to backup a bootable system partition that
contains all installed windows programs to a usb drive by copying
the partition to the usb drive as a partition. If possible, I'd like to
convert the copied partion on the usb drive to an iso file somehow, so
I can store multiple iso files without requiring separate partitions for them.

There's hordes of apps that can produce a file of a partition.

They are usually called imagers.

I like True Image myself.

Is there a tool that can convert between partitions and iso files
(writing a partition to an iso file and vice versa) and maybe mount
iso files as virtual hd partitions similar to how you can mount virtual cds?

And decent imager allows browsing of the image file.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Hi.

I want to use gparted to backup a bootable system partition that
contains all installed windows programs to a usb drive by copying the
partition to the usb drive as a partition. If possible, I'd like to
convert the copied partion on the usb drive to an iso file somehow, so
I can store multiple iso files without requiring separate partitions
for them. Is there a tool that can convert between partitions and iso
files (writing a partition to an iso file and vice versa) and maybe
mount iso files as virtual hd partitions similar to how you can mount
virtual cds?

kind regards and thanks in advance for any suggestions, Niek

I don't think gparted can copy between different disks. Maybe
you want to use something like copying the partition to a file
using cat/dd/dd_rescue. You can then mount it via loopback
and make an iso image in the standard way. You cannot convert
a filesystem to ISO, you can only copy the files to ISO,
leaving the strucutr and names as intact as possible.

Arno

 

[sobriquet]

I don't think gparted can copy between different disks.

It can. You can copy and paste between partitions of the same size on
different
disks (even usb disks).

Maybe
you want to use something like copying the partition to a file
using cat/dd/dd_rescue. You can then mount it via loopback
and make an iso image in the standard way. You cannot convert
a filesystem to ISO, you can only copy the files to ISO,
leaving the strucutr and names as intact as possible.

On linux it seems possible with a utility called "partition image" as
can be seen in one of the screenshots on the following page:
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/larry/livecd/livecd.htm

( http://gparted.sourceforge.net/larry/livecd/screenshots_0348/livecd-06c.png
)