What free software is best to clone/image hard drive please?

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  1. Posts : 6,021
    Win 7 HP SP1 64-bit Vista HB SP2 32-bit Linux Mint 18.3
       #1

    What free software is best to clone/image hard drive please?


    Good evening,

    I got an old laptop running XP Pro for my sister and have managed to set it up so she has everything that she needs, programs etc and it is running nicely.

    My question is, what do you guys use to clone/image your hard drives?
    I ask this question because I know in the not too distant future that I will get it back because she has totally mucked it up.
    When I do, what I would like to do then is just backup her my documents and re-clone/re-image the hard drive back as to how it is today, which includes the OS and all the programs, drivers etc and then just copy her my documents back.

    The used disk size is 22GB and I have a 32GB Kingston USB which I have already formatted as NTFS.
    I have searched the net and there are many different softwares that appear able to accomodate this task, but I wondered what the best free software that you guys recommend and use to achieve this.

    Thanks in advance.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 640
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
       #2

    Hi Paul,

    Many here use Macrium free. Imaging with free Macrium

    You can burn the iso file to a CD or Create Bootable Rescue USB Drive.

    Do let us know how it goes.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 6,021
    Win 7 HP SP1 64-bit Vista HB SP2 32-bit Linux Mint 18.3
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thank you C-11, I will look into Macrium etc.

    I assume that Macrium initially formats the C: drive first and then copies over the whole OS and additional programs, drivers etc?
    That is probably what I would want to do first, format the C: drive and then copy everything back as it is now.

    Thanks again.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,379
    Win7 Pro 32-bit, Win8 Pro 32-bit
       #4

    An image backup does not actually copy folders and files, instead, it copies sectors.

    So, when you do a restore, it rewrites the entire partition that you imaged.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 6,021
    Win 7 HP SP1 64-bit Vista HB SP2 32-bit Linux Mint 18.3
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Thanks for the reply Mark,

    Mark Phelps said:
    An image backup does not actually copy folders and files, instead, it copies sectors.

    So, when you do a restore, it rewrites the entire partition that you imaged.
    Sorry, I am being a bit slow today, no change there then!
    Are you saying that an image restore is just like formatting the C: drive and reinstalling the whole OS with updates, additional programs, settings etc, so an identical copy of how it is now?
    Thanks in advance, Paul.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 5,956
    Win 7 Pro x64, Win 10 Pro x64, Linux Light x86
       #6

    Hi Paul Black

    Macrium free is by far the best backup application I have ever used and I have used quite a few, so try it I don't think you will be sorry you did :)
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 4,751
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit - Build 7600 SP1
       #7

    Paul Black said:


    Sorry, I am being a bit slow today, no change there then!
    Are you saying that an image restore is just like formatting the C: drive and reinstalling the whole OS with updates, additional programs, settings etc, so an identical copy of how it is now?
    Thanks in advance, Paul.
    If you made an image of your system today and wanted to do a Restore next Thursday, it would restore the system to how it was today, not Thursday. You would lose a little, but not that much. I use Macrium and do an image every week so that I am never more that a week removed from a good image.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 6,021
    Win 7 HP SP1 64-bit Vista HB SP2 32-bit Linux Mint 18.3
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Thanks for the reply bigmck,

    I am I right in saying that this process is different to formatting the C: drive and doing an image restore. By that I mean, I can't format C: and then do an image restore because that wouldn't work?

    Thanks in advance.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 6,021
    Win 7 HP SP1 64-bit Vista HB SP2 32-bit Linux Mint 18.3
    Thread Starter
       #9

    I have just done some investigating and realised that I was getting cloning and imaging confused to a certain extent.

    My understanding now of cloning is that once you have cloned an entire disk, that you can in fact format the C: drive and copy it back with everything including the OS, additional programs and settings etc. I don't think it can be done this way with just an image of the C:?
    This is useful if I bought a new bigger HD and wanted everything that was on the old HD on the new HD. I could then disconnect the old HD and the computer would boot into Windows and it would be just like my computer before but with a bigger HD.

    Edit: I suppose having a clone of your HD is always a good idea just in case you have a complete HD failure and there is nothing that can be done to retrieve it so you need to buy a new HD, then you can just use the cloned copy to reinstate your OS, additional programs and settings etc.
    Can you clone the HD to a 32GB memory stick by the way?

    My understanding now of imaging is that it will copy everything back as at the time the image was taken and deletes everything else?

    I still find it confusing to a certain extent the subtle differences between the two, or am I just over complicating the situation?

    Any advice would be gratefully appreciated!
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 4,751
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit - Build 7600 SP1
       #10

    Paul Black said:
    I have just done some investigating and realised that I was getting cloning and imaging confused to a certain extent.

    My understanding now of cloning is that once you have cloned an entire disk, that you can in fact format the C: drive and copy it back with everything including the OS, additional programs and settings etc. I don't think it can be done this way with just an image of the C:?
    This is useful if I bought a new bigger HD and wanted everything that was on the old HD on the new HD. I could then disconnect the old HD and the computer would boot into Windows and it would be just like my computer before but with a bigger HD.

    Edit: I suppose having a clone of your HD is always a good idea just in case you have a complete HD failure and there is nothing that can be done to retrieve it so you need to buy a new HD, then you can just use the cloned copy to reinstate your OS, additional programs and settings etc.
    Can you clone the HD to a 32GB memory stick by the way?

    My understanding now of imaging is that it will copy everything back as at the time the image was taken and deletes everything else?

    I still find it confusing to a certain extent the subtle differences between the two, or am I just over complicating the situation?

    Any advice would be gratefully appreciated!
    There is a difference but I am not sure exactly what they are. I have always used Macrium Refect Imaging. It does both. Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download I am sure it tells you somewhere in the link the difference. If you restore to a previous point it will make it just like it was previously. If you had added a program since the image was made, that program would not be in the image restored. That is why frequent backups are important. I do mine once a week as I do not add many things, if any, during a weeks time. == This tell you about Cloning vs Imaging. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2029832/backing-up-your-entire-drive-cloning-vs-imaging.html

    In a nutshell, cloning makes copies of files exactly. Imaging compresses them so that the file is smaller, in the case of Macrium about half the size of the original file. When restored they expand to the original size. Either method gives you an identical copy of what you had.
      My Computer


 
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