Creating a Backup Partition

Bozebo · 4 Jul 2009 at 03:35

Hi, next week I am going to build a computer for a friend. What I want to do is have windows installed and get all the essential programs then copy that over to a backup partition so that, if the windows in use gets corrupted and/or slows down too much, documents can be backed up then the main partition can be wiped and replaced with the backup. I have seen that many shop-bought computers have a system like this that can be booted into.

So, are there any particular tools/utilities that I should use to achieve this? Or can a partition editor or something similar simply format the main partition and copy the backup one into the main one so it's all cleared out?

If it is relevant, the version of windows is Vista Home Premium 64 and the system specs are as follows:
q6700
p5ql pro
WD Caviar Black 500GB

Also, is it within the windows license to do this? I would be surprised if it isn't, but it is of course something I should consider.

Thanks for your time.

Greenlizard0 · 4 Jul 2009 at 03:54

I'm pretty certain it's fine to do this with Vista.

Acronis True Image is a popular program here.

Mattus · 4 Jul 2009 at 04:08

Yep, TrueImage is what you need. And I don't see why it would be prohibited by the license, so long as you're not running more than one copy at once.

muon · 4 Jul 2009 at 04:14

There's also Norton Ghost.

Bozebo · 4 Jul 2009 at 04:58

Great replies thanks, I'll check TrueImage out. Thanks for confirming my considerations of the windows license.

raptormonkey · 4 Jul 2009 at 11:05

Is there a program available that i can make a recovery dvd of my pc / family's pc's so that i can pop them in and do a complete recovery of the pc as when first built?

theheyes · 4 Jul 2009 at 14:38

raptormonkey said:
Is there a program available that i can make a recovery dvd of my pc / family's pc's so that i can pop them in and do a complete recovery of the pc as when first built?

You might as well just clone the install and stick it on an external drive. Easier to do and quicker to restore from.

Mattus · 4 Jul 2009 at 14:39

Yeah - a DVD only holds 4.7GB, so you're going to need a lot of DVDs.

raptormonkey · 4 Jul 2009 at 14:57

I was thinking along the way that some PC manufacturers supply a recovery dvd with a new PC. Any software that will let me do that?

Adam18290 · 4 Jul 2009 at 15:01

Yeah acronis is pretty decent for this type of thing, but remember their current documents 6 months down the line will not recovered automatically, but just get them to back up their files before they return to the original image.

raptormonkey · 4 Jul 2009 at 15:19

So, Acronis will be able to make a recovery DVD?

Mattus · 4 Jul 2009 at 15:22

It'll be able to make an exact backup of the hard drive. Then, if that backup is smaller than 4.7GB, you'll be able to put it on a DVD. That's never going to happen if it's Vista, though. You're really much better off having a backup on a hard drive in a different place.

Bozebo · 4 Jul 2009 at 16:17

I am thinking of simply cloning now. Why is acronis an application? It doesn't make sense to me. I don't want the kind of thing that doesn't do a destructive restoration, plus acronis isn't free and cloning er... is.

The dvd thing is simply to verify the recovery and boot into the software (linux based probably) that handles the reformatting and recovery of the main partition.

theheyes · 4 Jul 2009 at 16:20

Acronis has a lot of features. It can handle file based backups, hence the installation. It can also be run as a Live cd for cloning/restoration.

If you want a free beer cloning solution try CloneZilla.