imaging utility / bootable recovery DVD ?

[Bjoeboo]

I'm looking for free software similar to Powerquest driveImage, Ghost,
or Acronis TrueImage that will let me image a pc and make a bootable
recovery dvd that will clone the image back to hard disk. For a
recovery disk. Any ideas? I actually have all the paid versions of
the software I mentioned above but none will let me create bootable dvd
for a recovery disk. The closest one is Powerquest Drive Image but you
have to boot to floppy set then point it to image on the dvd. I want
it idiot proof so my parents can do it to recover. Or friends when
their computers stop working they can recover to the state where I
imaged it. Easily via bootable media. OEM recovery cds suck because
they have it loaded with crap like aol and Symantec 6 month bloatware
trial, and Office 60 day eval... yuck!!

 

[Juzme]

I'm looking for free software ... [to]image a pc and make a bootable
recovery dvd....

Go to http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/backupandimage.shtml and
scroll down to the subsection titled "Free Hard Disk / Partition Imaging
and Cloning Software." AFAIK, most of the freeware programs now worth
trying for what you want to do are listed here. IMHO, DriveImage XML as a
plugin to BartPE is about as easy and reliable as it gets now but I use it
to save to and restore from a USB HDD. I don't know if DIXML supports
writing directly to DVD. I haven't tried or studied that out but, if it
doesn't, I suppose you could install DIXML to the C Drive, then copy the
image made on C, or elsewhere, to DVD and reverse the process to restore;
using a PE as and if required. Please post again after you've found
freeware to do what you want. It'll be interesting to know how you
approach the tasks. Juzme