How do you do a REAL backup?

AWBbox · 14 Oct 2006 at 11:04

Is there a program or process anyone can recommend for backing up a system completely? I have a large external hard drive and what I'd like to be able to do is backup onto it, then if my PC dies it's just a simple matter of transferring everything back exactly as it was before. I think this is what Windows' file and settings transfer wizard is supposed to do, but it really doesn't seem to cut the mustard.

Thanks

Scythe · 14 Oct 2006 at 11:08

Acronis true image or Norton Ghost will do it. It is a imaging program that takes a snapshot of your pc and restores if needs be.

AWBbox · 14 Oct 2006 at 11:14

thanks for the fast response, i'll give them a go

no_1_dave · 14 Oct 2006 at 12:06

How big are the images?
If I used Norton Ghost & have 80Gb installed would the image aslo be 80Gb?

mikeymike · 14 Oct 2006 at 12:14

firstly the max size = however many gigs you have used, secondly, it compacts it a lot, i backup a 74gig drive filled to 28gig and it usually compresses it to ~17gig, a brand new windows install of 2.5gig will go down to under a gig normally, beware files like .avi's of movies and mp3s are already very compressed so the program will not usually be able to compress them any more, so if your hdd is full of videos, then the compressed image will likely still be close to the same size

mikeymike · 14 Oct 2006 at 12:24

one thing to note with norton ghost, you cannot backup the windows drive you are currently working from, so if you only have one big C: drive, then you wont be able to back it up from that computer, you will either have to nip it into another computer and back it up from that one, or have several HDD's installed and boot into a different one (i do this to backup my C: drive with windows on by having a 2nd windows install on my G: drive) i hope i explained that simply enough to understand

paradigm · 14 Oct 2006 at 12:25

mikeymike said:
one thing to note with norton ghost, you cannot backup the windows drive you are currently working from, so if you only have one big C: drive, then you wont be able to back it up from that computer, you will either have to nip it into another computer and back it up from that one, or have several HDD's installed and boot into a different one (i do this to backup my C: drive with windows on by having a 2nd windows install on my G: drive) i hope i explained that simply enough to understand

Or just use the ghost CD to boot off, then you can back up the one drive you have.

mikeymike · 14 Oct 2006 at 12:26

oh yeah or that :]

no_1_dave · 14 Oct 2006 at 13:08

Cheers for the info guys!

V|per · 14 Oct 2006 at 14:40

Originally Posted by mikeymike
oh yeah or that :]

I was about to get the n00b's out when i saw ** post about not being able to back up windows

Your reply made me laff though

I use Norton ghost, even though i hate norton, its not bad, and relatively fast to backup (considering the ammount of data i backup)