use sector by sector drive backup to be able to clean install xp?

[Delta007bhd]

Hi there,

I have just done a fresh xp reinstall with the most important programs
installed. I would like to save myself time the next time I do a clean
install of xp by creating a disk image with Acronis True Image Home
2010. I am not sure whether to select sector by sector backup of my C:
drive or not. It takes a lot more disk space and takes longer to
backup if I select sector by sector.
What is the best backup if I intend to use it to restore my pc to this
state (clean install xp from the image file)? And is the best place to
store the image my external usb drive or my freecom nas network drive?

Thanks in advance

Alex

 

[Bill in Co.]

Hi there,

I have just done a fresh xp reinstall with the most important programs
installed. I would like to save myself time the next time I do a clean
install of xp by creating a disk image with Acronis True Image Home
2010. I am not sure whether to select sector by sector backup of my C:
drive or not. It takes a lot more disk space and takes longer to
backup if I select sector by sector.
What is the best backup if I intend to use it to restore my pc to this
state (clean install xp from the image file)? And is the best place to
store the image my external usb drive or my freecom nas network drive?

Thanks in advance

Alex

I never check that option, and have successfully restored the system backup
drive images (that is, restoring my C: partition as needed with the backup
image).

I think the only reason that option is there is if you want a forensically
identical backup copy (identical down to all the sector levels, with and
without any usable data), of a failing disk, to either mess around with, or
to have as a identical backup copy (instead of messing around with the
actual failing disk), such as for forensic purposes.

 

[Andrew E.]

XP already has its own software for doing that "XCOPY".Youre best bet
is to purchase another hd,then run XCOPY to mirror the entire OS to the
new hd.

 

[Bill in Co.]

Sorry, but I don't think XCOPY is quite able to cut it (to clone or image a
bootable system drive to a new HD).

 

[dadiOH]

Hi there,

I have just done a fresh xp reinstall with the most important programs
installed. I would like to save myself time the next time I do a clean
install of xp by creating a disk image with Acronis True Image Home
2010. I am not sure whether to select sector by sector backup of my C:
drive or not. It takes a lot more disk space and takes longer to
backup if I select sector by sector.
What is the best backup if I intend to use it to restore my pc to this
state (clean install xp from the image file)?

Sector by sector means sector by sector, used or not. Why store empty
sectors?

And is the best place to
store the image my external usb drive or my freecom nas network drive?

Why not both?

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

 

[John John - MVP]

Don't listen to Andrew E., he doesn't know what he is talking about.
XCOPY cannot cannot clone an up and running Windows XP installation.

John

 

[Bill in Co.]

That makes one wonder if Andrew has ever tried some of his suggestions.
It's pretty dangerous "advice", though.

 

[Delta007bhd]

Sector by sector means sector by sector, used or not.  Why store empty
sectors?

No idea, but what I understand from help files is that with a sector
by sector backup you do a complete drive backup with bootable info and
system info and so on, and otherwise you just backup data. But now
that Bill in Co says that he has successfully restored bootable drives
without selecting sector by sector I would say this is the best way
(takes less time to backup and less space), right?

Why not both?

I agree, but I was thinking of the most reliable method to access your
image when you want to do a reinstall? No disadvantages or advantages
such as reading problems?

Any other tips or things that I should pay attention to when making a
drive image with acronis true image? I really appreciate your tips
And when I restore my image to a complete fresh windows state, do I
simply startup my pc with the rescue disc and select the image from
the usb drive or the network drive and restore it?

 

[smlunatick]

No idea, but what I understand from help files is that with a sector
by sector backup you do a complete drive backup with bootable info and
system info and so on, and otherwise you just backup data. But now
that Bill in Co says that he has successfully restored bootable drives
without selecting sector by sector I would say this is the best way
(takes less time to backup and less space), right?



I agree, but I was thinking of the most reliable method to access your
image when you want to do a reinstall? No disadvantages or advantages
such as reading problems?

Any other tips or things that I should pay attention to when making a
drive image with acronis true image? I really appreciate your tips
And when I restore my image to a complete fresh windows state, do I
simply startup my pc with the rescue disc and select the image from
the usb drive or the network drive and restore it?

Sector to sector backup will be useless. You will then need to find
an exact "double" of the the current hard drive in order to restore
this image copy. There is hardly ever two "exact" duplicate hard
drives.

As long as the True Image "backup" is completed successfully, it
should be able to recreate a "similar" partition (same size) and
restore your files.

The only time to attempt a sector by sector backup / copy is when
there are "known" bad sectors and you must complete the backup / copy.

 

[Delta007bhd]

As long as the True Image "backup" is completed successfully, it

should be able to recreate a "similar" partition (same size) and
restore your files.

So for instance, if my hard drive is 200GB with one large partition
and my disk image 27GB, I can restore this image to the hard drive
which will overwrite everything as if I would do a complete fresh
install of winxp and install programs to the point where the image was
created?

 

[Bill in Co.]

So for instance, if my hard drive is 200GB with one large partition
and my disk image 27GB, I can restore this image to the hard drive
which will overwrite everything as if I would do a complete fresh
install of winxp and install programs to the point where the image was
created?

That's the general idea. When I make a backup of my C: partition
(selecting menu options: "My Computer", "Disks and Partitions", and then
selecting the C: partition), I also select the two hidden Dell FAT
partitions while I'm at it.

The image creation process in my case takes about 11 minutes (for about 20
GB or so of data, and this is on a 1.6 GHz system, using a second internal
SATA drive for the backup).

The Restore Image operation takes about twice that long (20 or so minutes),
and it requires a reboot, of course. I do this fairly frequently after
trying out some software, just to get the system back to the pristine state
it was in before I did the tests.

 

[Delta007bhd]

The Restore Image operation takes about twice that long (20 or so minutes),

and it requires a reboot, of course.   I do this fairly frequently after
trying out some software, just to get the system back to the pristine state
it was in before I did the tests.

That sounds great. This way I can keep one image that I created after
a fresh xp install with all my programs on it and create another image
each time I want to test software out and then restore the image to
clean all the traces

For the time I think I have enough info so thanks all for your super
fast help!-)

 

[sgopus]

Xcopy doesn't make an image of the hd, it only copys files, and it misses
system files, ATI is a better product make a clone and use a portable USB
drive, or SATA if your pc is capable.

 

[dadiOH]

No idea, but what I understand from help files is that with a sector
by sector backup you do a complete drive backup with bootable info and
system info and so on, and otherwise you just backup data. But now
that Bill in Co says that he has successfully restored bootable drives
without selecting sector by sector I would say this is the best way
(takes less time to backup and less space), right?
I agree, but I was thinking of the most reliable method to access your
image when you want to do a reinstall? No disadvantages or advantages
such as reading problems?

I can't advise you on that as I have/use neither. I keep my images on a
second, internal hard drive. I really should copy one to DVDs...
____________

Any other tips or things that I should pay attention to when making a
drive image with acronis true image? I really appreciate your tips
And when I restore my image to a complete fresh windows state, do I
simply startup my pc with the rescue disc and select the image from
the usb drive or the network drive and restore it?

Again I can't advise you as I use Paragon's Hard Drive Manager Pro. With it
you it, you start it and tell it you want to restore an image; it then
reboots and does the restore from DOS. It also has a separate DOS program
(on a CD) from which one can boot and restore (I'm sure True Image has
something similar). I also have a second, small XP install on my second
internal drive...I can boot to it, run Paragon from the install there and
restore a first drive image directly from that XP install.

Keep in mind that when you restore an image you are destroying what it
replaces...if the image is bad, all is hosed. Windows is very defensive
which is why a restore can't be done to a running Windows system, gotta be
from DOS or a second Windows install.

One thing you should do...after making an image and stashing it, boot from
the "rescue" disc and assure you can access the image location. I would
also suggest you give each drive partition a label - a name - to avoid any
possibe confusion with drive letters when selecting a drive to restore. By
the same token, it is useful to give the images you make a name reflecting
the drive from which it was made. Date too.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

 

[Bill in Co.]

I can't advise you on that as I have/use neither. I keep my images on a
second, internal hard drive. I really should copy one to DVDs...
____________


Again I can't advise you as I use Paragon's Hard Drive Manager Pro. With
reboots and does the restore from DOS.

With Acronis True Image, it does something similar, although I don't think
it's DOS, but is a UNIX clone, or variation of such.

It also has a separate DOS program
(on a CD) from which one can boot and restore (I'm sure True Image has
something similar).

With True Image, IF you have made their recommended bootable CD, *or*
purchased the program in the package (where it already comes on such a
bootable CD), you can use that option, if needbe. (That's a good fallback
position, in case you can't boot normally under XP to do the Restore
operation).

 

[Delta007bhd]

OK I hope I have enough info now to do the job. Thanks all for the
help

 

[smlunatick]

So for instance, if my hard drive is 200GB with one large partition
and my disk image 27GB, I can restore this image to the hard drive
which will overwrite everything as if I would do a complete fresh
install of winxp and install programs to the point where the image was
created?

That is the general to way is works. I have yet to use my True Image
2010 but my previous tests (other software) seems to also indicate
that some option might exist to change the partition size at restore
time.

 

[Bill in Co.]

That is the general to way is works. I have yet to use my True Image
2010 but my previous tests (other software) seems to also indicate
that some option might exist to change the partition size at restore
time.

Partitions can be resized, but not right at restore time. You do that
either long before, or after it's been restored. You just have to have
enough room in some existing partition to put the image file for it to be
successful. (If there isn't enough room to create the backup image,
presumably it will warn you, or, worst case, just abort creating the backup
image).

 

[Bharath Nemarugommula]

Hi there,

I have just done a fresh xp reinstall with the most important programs
installed. I would like to save myself time the next time I do a clean
install of xp by creating a disk image with Acronis True Image Home
2010. I am not sure whether to select sector by sector backup of my C:
drive or not. It takes a lot more disk space and takes longer to
backup if I select sector by sector.
What is the best backup if I intend to use it to restore my pc to this
state (clean install xp from the image file)? And is the best place to
store the image my external usb drive or my freecom nas network drive?

Thanks in advance

Alex

after installing a fresh xp,take complete backup (before installing
your softwares)
so,u can restore when system crashes & saves time.
u can take incremental backup after installing ur softwares when u
need.

 

[Delta007bhd]

after installing a fresh xp,take complete backup (before installing

your softwares)
so,u can restore when system crashes & saves time.
u can take incremental backup after installing ur softwares when u
need.

That's what I considered as a good approach too. Made an image after
the fresh xp install and when I finished putting my programs on I'll
make an incremental backup.

Thanks