Which disk image creation software is good for Vista?

[Jack]

Hello,
In previous years I used Ghost to create the image of my harddrive.
It was simple, easy procedure and very fast.
I booted up computer to the command prompt and restored harddrive in few
minutes!!!
But it was FAT32 system.
Now, with Vista I do not have a choice but to use NTSF file system.
Which program offers the most features for disk image creation?
I know it will be impossible for me to restore image from command boot
option, but what the options I have?
Can I for example take the harddrive to another computer and restore the
image in there?
Or create bootable CD (DVD?) and restore the image that way?
Or I have to first install Windows and then restore?
What are the options?
Your experience is welcomed,
Jack

 

[Malke]

Hello,
In previous years I used Ghost to create the image of my harddrive.
It was simple, easy procedure and very fast.
I booted up computer to the command prompt and restored harddrive in few
minutes!!!
But it was FAT32 system.
Now, with Vista I do not have a choice but to use NTSF file system.
Which program offers the most features for disk image creation?
I know it will be impossible for me to restore image from command boot
option, but what the options I have?
Can I for example take the harddrive to another computer and restore the
image in there?
Or create bootable CD (DVD?) and restore the image that way?
Or I have to first install Windows and then restore?
What are the options?
Your experience is welcomed,
Jack

I highly recommend Acronis True Image.


Malke

 

[dgmacmi]

Hello,
In previous years I used Ghost to create the image of my harddrive.
It was simple, easy procedure and very fast.
I booted up computer to the command prompt and restored harddrive in few
minutes!!!
But it was FAT32 system.
Now, with Vista I do not have a choice but to use NTSF file system.
Which program offers the most features for disk image creation?
I know it will be impossible for me to restore image from command boot
option, but what the options I have?
Can I for example take the harddrive to another computer and restore the
image in there?
Or create bootable CD (DVD?) and restore the image that way?
Or I have to first install Windows and then restore?
What are the options?
Your experience is welcomed,
Jack

Ghost has been compatible with NTFS file system for a number of versions.
Ghost Version 12 is Vista compatible.
The Ghost installation CD has been bootable for a number of versions. You
may need to reset your BIOS to boot from CD. If you have more than one
DVD/CD drive only one will be boot capable {in a tower system it is usually
the top drive}.

I recently changed to Acronis True Image for a new computer. So far I like
it; but have not needed to use it to restore. I did a number of restores
with Ghost versions 10 thru 12. For non-Windows drive or a drive with Ghost
installed, I could restore from within Windows.

Don

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I also VERY highly recommend Acronis True Image, as much as it grieves me to
agree with Malke on something.

 

[philo]

I also VERY highly recommend Acronis True Image, as much as it grieves me to
agree with Malke on something.

I also use Acronis...
it works very well

 

[AlexB]

I recently downloaded and installed WinImage Pro for 60 bucks. Haven't had a
chance to really figure out how the little devil works.

How does it measure up with Acronis.?

Before I downloaded it I frantically searched the web for comparative
information and was quite confused.

Thanks.

 

[Iain]

Hello,
In previous years I used Ghost to create the image of my harddrive.
It was simple, easy procedure and very fast.
I booted up computer to the command prompt and restored harddrive in few
minutes!!!
But it was FAT32 system.
Now, with Vista I do not have a choice but to use NTSF file system.
Which program offers the most features for disk image creation?
I know it will be impossible for me to restore image from command boot
option, but what the options I have?
Can I for example take the harddrive to another computer and restore the
image in there?
Or create bootable CD (DVD?) and restore the image that way?
Or I have to first install Windows and then restore?
What are the options?
Your experience is welcomed,
Jack

Which version of Vista do you have?

If that version is > Home Premium, I highly recommend native "Complete
PC Backup and Restore". Excellent programme.

 

[Dave T.]

Which version of Vista do you have?

If that version is > Home Premium, I highly recommend native "Complete
PC Backup and Restore". Excellent programme.

Business, Ultimate and Enterprise only, correct? Not Home Premium.

--
Dave T.

"Many people die at twenty-five and aren't buried
until they are seventy-five".
Benjamin Franklin

 

[Michael Jennings]

Like Acronis and Ghost, BootItNG will make and restore images.
It restores from its boot GUI and handles image CDs and DVDs.
Priced at $35: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=BootItNG

 

[Iain]

Business, Ultimate and Enterprise only, correct? Not Home Premium.

Correct.

 

[the wharf rat]

I highly recommend Acronis True Image.

Boot your Linux partition and make a copy of the filesystem with dd

 

[Kerry Brown]

Which version of Vista do you have?

If that version is > Home Premium, I highly recommend native "Complete PC
Backup and Restore". Excellent programme.

I agree it does a good job. The problem is it doesn't compress the image.
Acronis True Image, Norton Ghost, etc. offer varying levels of compression
so that more images can be stored.

 

[Telstar]

Hello,
In previous years I used Ghost to create the image of my harddrive.
It was simple, easy procedure and very fast.
I booted up computer to the command prompt and restored harddrive in few
minutes!!!
But it was FAT32 system.
Now, with Vista I do not have a choice but to use NTSF file system.
Which program offers the most features for disk image creation?
I know it will be impossible for me to restore image from command boot
option, but what the options I have?
Can I for example take the harddrive to another computer and restore the
image in there?
Or create bootable CD (DVD?) and restore the image that way?
Or I have to first install Windows and then restore?
What are the options?
Your experience is welcomed,
Jack

One word: Acronis. It has the most robust boot CD available (written in
Linux).

 

[CB]

Hello,
In previous years I used Ghost to create the image of my harddrive.
It was simple, easy procedure and very fast.
I booted up computer to the command prompt and restored harddrive in few
minutes!!!
But it was FAT32 system.
Now, with Vista I do not have a choice but to use NTSF file system.
Which program offers the most features for disk image creation?
I know it will be impossible for me to restore image from command boot
option, but what the options I have?
Can I for example take the harddrive to another computer and restore the
image in there?
Or create bootable CD (DVD?) and restore the image that way?
Or I have to first install Windows and then restore?
What are the options?
Your experience is welcomed,
Jack

Acronis True Image

C.B.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Hello,
In previous years I used Ghost to create the image of my harddrive.
It was simple, easy procedure and very fast.
I booted up computer to the command prompt and restored harddrive in few
minutes!!!
But it was FAT32 system.

That shouldn't be an issue anymore.

Now, with Vista I do not have a choice but to use NTSF file system.
Which program offers the most features for disk image creation?
I know it will be impossible for me to restore image from command boot
option, but what the options I have?
Can I for example take the harddrive to another computer and restore the
image in there?

If you have the imaging software installed on that PC and have the stored
image file, yes.

Or create bootable CD (DVD?) and restore the image that way?
Or I have to first install Windows and then restore?

If you have to install Windows first, you didn't image, you backed up
specific files.

What are the options?
Your experience is welcomed,
Jack

Would suggest Acronis TrueImage. Very flexible, not expensive, fast and
easy to use. I use it all the time for service tasks, and can generally
create an image of a hard disk in under half an hour including moving the
drive to my host system.

HTH
-pk

 

[Kevin Weaver]

One word: Acronis. It has the most robust boot CD available (written in
Linux).

That must be the reason why it could not find a ext usb DVD drive to boot
from huh ? Installed a IDE which it would boot, But then it could not find
the drive which had the Image. Biggest POS There is.

Installed Ghost. Saw USB drive and also the IDE Hard Drive.

 

[cqui3]

That shouldn't be an issue anymore.


If you have the imaging software installed on that PC and have the stored
image file, yes.



If you have to install Windows first, you didn't image, you backed up
specific files.


Would suggest Acronis TrueImage. Very flexible, not expensive, fast and
easy to use. I use it all the time for service tasks, and can generally
create an image of a hard disk in under half an hour including moving the
drive to my host system.

HTH
-pk

I also mentioned Ghost andAcronis earlier in this newsgroup.
For some reason of my own I now use Ghost, but
Acronis is a really good utility. Not expensive and easy to use.
I really do not know which one to recommend. Both !

 

[Bernie Sterzenbach]

Hello,
In previous years I used Ghost to create the image of my harddrive.
It was simple, easy procedure and very fast.
I booted up computer to the command prompt and restored harddrive in few
minutes!!!

Hello,
Ghost 12.0 is very good. Also for Vista and NTFS. Some versions
between old DOS Ghost and Ghost 12.0 were imho not good.

Bernie

 

[Jack]

Thank you all.
I have tried it and I am very disapointed with Ghost 12.
Or I do not know how to use it or it does not create disk image as a single
file.
What it does it just copy one drive into another one, which is not the same
as creating an image I can do with it what I want.
I am trying now Acronis and will report that later.
Jack

 

[Jack]

Acronis is what I like.
It created compressed .tdb file (6.8 GB) out from my C drive (180 GB).
I restored that file to another drive (20 GB) and booted computer
successfully with it.
Interestingly, when trying Ghost and choosing 'Copy Files' option Ghost
refused proceeding with that operation complaining that my 20 GB drive is
too small!!!!
Acronis wins!!!!
Jack