System disk backup-- best way?

[Mason C]

I have a new external HD for backup.
It is 160 GB NTFS formatted.

My "data" is on partitions D: to X: and I can copy
those files - no problem. But the *system on C:*??

What's the best way to backup my 20 GB C: system disk
for rescue if my internal C: fails?

I only need occasional backup, not continuous.

I see these described:

Ghost
Casper XP
Retrospect Express (mentioned in my HD user's guide]
BootItNG
Acronis True Image
BounceBackExpress

Any advise much appreciated. I am a heavy user but
not a computer expert. And running scared.

Mason C

 

[Jim]

I have a new external HD for backup.
It is 160 GB NTFS formatted.

My "data" is on partitions D: to X: and I can copy
those files - no problem. But the *system on C:*??

What's the best way to backup my 20 GB C: system disk
for rescue if my internal C: fails?

I only need occasional backup, not continuous.

I see these described:

Ghost

Seen a lot of ppl having weird problems w/ v10 (see Amazon reviews, ugly),
v9 seems more reliable. Overall, I've been getting more and more nervous
about Norton/Symantec products. Quality seems to have been in steady
decline over many years. But there's always a loyal crowd that swears by
them.

Casper XP
Retrospect Express (mentioned in my HD user's guide]
BootItNG

I use BootIt NG myself, have for MANY years (6-7), works perfectly, plus you
get a boot manager and partition manager all in one. And I haven't paid for
an upgrade since purchase @ $30 all those years ago. I love this software.

Acronis True Image

Seems reliable, big advantage here is it can image the "live" C: partition
(it uses some sort of special locking mechanism from what I understand,
preventing file updates, but this may prove problematic in some cases). But
it generally gets good reviews.

Jim

 

[Jim]

Btw, just remembered, one complaint about Norton Ghost, some ppl claim that
although they could backup the image to external USB storage, Ghost wouldn't
recognize that same external USB storage on recovery. Not a very nice thing
to discover when you desparately need to recover. Like I said, Norton
Ghost, v10 anyway, seems to have some issues.

Jim

 

[Mason C]

I have a new external HD for backup.
It is 160 GB NTFS formatted.

My "data" is on partitions D: to X: and I can copy
those files - no problem. But the *system on C:*??

What's the best way to backup my 20 GB C: system disk
for rescue if my internal C: fails?

I only need occasional backup, not continuous.

I see these described:

Ghost
Casper XP
Retrospect Express (mentioned in my HD user's guide]
BootItNG
Acronis True Image
BounceBackExpress

Any advise much appreciated. I am a heavy user but
not a computer expert. And running scared.

Mason C

Thanks, Jim, for the comments.

Here's another:

Drive Backup 7.0 (Paragon) (says the image is stored as
an "ordinary file") huh?

 

[Mason C]

I have a new external HD for backup.
It is 160 GB NTFS formatted.

My "data" is on partitions D: to X: and I can copy
those files - no problem. But the *system on C:*??

What's the best way to backup my 20 GB C: system disk
for rescue if my internal C: fails?

I only need occasional backup, not continuous.

I see these described:

Ghost
Casper XP
Retrospect Express (mentioned in my HD user's guide]
BootItNG
Acronis True Image
BounceBackExpress

Any advise much appreciated. I am a heavy user but
not a computer expert. And running scared.

Mason C

Thanks, Jim, for the comments.

Here's another two:

Drive Backup 7.0 (Paragon) (says the image is stored as
an "ordinary file") huh?

Drive Image XML (free) http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm
I'll try it. Does it work??

Mason C

 

[Jim]

Mason, this is one area where everyone seems to find their own way. There
are so many apps out there that support backup, some only in DOS mode,
others like Acronis w/ a live OS, others to limited media, others w/
USB/Firewire support, some total imaging while others incremental, and so
on. There's just too many to pick from and they vary widely enough making
it difficult to say "yeah, this is the one". I suggest trying the freebies,
I'm not a stickler for telling people "this is the way" when it comes to
this topic. Experiment and see what works best for you.

All I can real contribute is comments I've heard and personal experiences w/
some of these products (Drive Image XML isn't one of them). Most are
non-destructive, lots of them have free trials, and the only real cost is
your time. Heck, I even find that initially I like something, then learn
more about it over time, and suddenly find it unacceptable Truth be
told, it's far more important to use SOMETHING, ANYTHING, however bad it may
be, so you're protected, then take your time and learn what works best for
YOU. Ppl tend to be very particular about backup products and strategies,
rarely find two ppl that had the same preferences/choices.

Here's one tip that has NOTHING to do w/ the quality of product, but just a
super bargain if interested. If you go to Buy.com, they have Norton Ghost
10.0 for FREE (after rebates, $40 and $20, free shipping, not even sales tax
for most ppl). The $20 is a competitive upgrade rebate. Now go to
http://www.ntius.com and download NTI Shadow 2 for only 99 cents. Shadow is
a real time incremental backup program, and it's gotten a 4/5 review from PC
Mag ( http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1887864,00.asp ). Besides the
fact it's cheap, it qualifies for the Norton Ghost competitive upgrade $20
rebate! All you need to do is send Norton the email confirmation from your
NTI purchase. IOW, you can get a total backup solution + incremental
solution for the some total of 99 cents (and some stamps)!

Again, I'm not commenting on whether these are the *right* products, heck,
you may hate 'em or love 'em. But they certainly are cheap. And Norton
rebates are paid religously and quickly (I've received rebate checks in as
little as 10 days from mailing).

Just a Thanksgiving day present, me to you

HTH

Jim

I have a new external HD for backup.
It is 160 GB NTFS formatted.

My "data" is on partitions D: to X: and I can copy
those files - no problem. But the *system on C:*??

What's the best way to backup my 20 GB C: system disk
for rescue if my internal C: fails?

I only need occasional backup, not continuous.

I see these described:

Ghost
Casper XP
Retrospect Express (mentioned in my HD user's guide]
BootItNG
Acronis True Image
BounceBackExpress

Any advise much appreciated. I am a heavy user but
not a computer expert. And running scared.

Mason C

Thanks, Jim, for the comments.

Here's another two:

Drive Backup 7.0 (Paragon) (says the image is stored as
an "ordinary file") huh?

Drive Image XML (free) http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm
I'll try it. Does it work??

Mason C

 

[Mason C]

Just to close the thread:

I appreciate Jim's suggestions.

I've downloaded six .pdf manuals and three program trials and
a Consumer Digest review: .

The Acronis manual and program look good. I've run a test on the
15-day trial: made a back-up of C: and restored it to another
partition. (Crashing my C: and doing a *real* restore is beyond
my courage -- I'll wait for it to happen -- not challenge fate.)
Acronis seems to have a good collection of features -- things it
can do. So I'll send them the $50. And pray I never really
test it. I'll let you know in 20nn .

Mason C