Disk Imaging Software

[timlab1955]

Okay, in your OWN personal option, which software would you get to do the following:

1. Shink the image before writing.
2. Make a recue disk.

Thanks.

 

[Phone Man]

I use Macrium Reflex Free which lets you select the degree of compression of the image and has two types of rescue disks, one Linux and one Windows PE.

Jim

 

[wanchoo]

I suggest Acronis TrueImage for both. Kindly note that the image can be compressed to various degrees with Acronis but the more one compresses the more time it takes to create and restore the image. I therefore use the default "Normal Compression" for my images.

Okay, in your OWN personal option, which software would you get to do the following:

1. Shink the image before writing.
2. Make a recue disk.

Thanks.

 

[kado897]

I use Macrium Reflex Free which lets you select the degree of compression of the image and has two types of rescue disks, one Linux and one Windows PE.

Jim

1. Macrium Image compression in the moderate(default) setting will compress to about 60%

2. With the free edition to get the PE rescue disk you need to download the WAIK which is 1.7GB but it is worth it.

 

[pincushion]

I use Macrium Reflex Free which lets you select the degree of compression of the image and has two types of rescue disks, one Linux and one Windows PE.

Jim

+1

I have used this to image about 90 times now and have restored about a dozen times without any problems. I used the Linux boot disk if I recall correctly. I have also used Acronis successfully in the past but have no experience with the latest editions.

:huh:

 

[kado897]

You may wish to look at this tutorial on Macrium. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html?filter[2]=Backup%20Restore

 

[OldMX]

Beware of Acronis "Leftovers" Issues - Wilders Security Forums

I knew it a couple of years ago, moved to Macrium Reflect Free and never looked back, and yeah Macrium has good compression and also makes a nice rescue disk.

 

[C-11]

I like Win 7 backup utility because it's reliable on my PC.
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup - Windows 7 Forums
System Repair Disc - Create - Windows 7 Forums

Also like CloneZilla. Just boot from the CD.
Clonezilla Open-Source Image Backup - Windows 7 Forums

 

[Cato]

I have to chime in on the side of Macrium Reflect. I used the free version for a year or so and liked it so much I bought it. The paid version allows incremental and/or differential backups which I use regularly after creating the original image.

Since version 5.0 came out a few months ago, when using the paid version you get a menu at boot up to allow you to run Macrium (to do a restore) or boot regular Windows. You still need the backup disk in case your computer won't boot and you have to boot from the backup, but option at startup is a lot simpler if you can boot.

As they say, this is just my 2 cents worth.

 

[timlab1955]

I don't mean to sound dumb but what is incremental and/or differential backups ?

 

[kado897]

I don't mean to sound dumb but what is incremental and/or differential backups ?

Not dumb at all.

Incremental and differential backups start with a full image and then for subsequent runs just record the differences and so create smaller backups. In the case of incremental each backup starts at the full image and works through a chain of incremental images so many files can be involved. Differential backups always difference from the base image so only two files are involved.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[timlab1955]

Not really, can you give me an example. Say Day 1 you put the basic as 2 GB (Office and COD4). On Day 2 you add to the basic COD3 and COD2? Is this correct?

 

[kado897]

Ok.

Incremental.

base Image->inc 1->inc 2->inc 3 etc.

Diferential.

base image->dif 1
|
+->dif 2
|
+->dif 3 etc

So the incremental relies on the base plus all incrementals.
each differential relies only on the base.

 

[mjf]

Not really, can you give me an example. Say Day 1 you put the basic as 2 GB (Office and COD4). On Day 2 you add to the basic COD3 and COD2? Is this correct?

Kado897 can followup this.

But I would steer away from them for general system backups. Why- increase points of failure.
Windows Imaging does a slightly different thing. It stores the most current image and retains backward differences in shadow storage. I use Windows image with great success but NOT difference images. Just make one image, delete, or rename.

I would support Macrium Reflect as a solid well proven product and use it also.

 

[kado897]

Not really, can you give me an example. Say Day 1 you put the basic as 2 GB (Office and COD4). On Day 2 you add to the basic COD3 and COD2? Is this correct?

Kado897 can followup this.

But I would steer away from them for general system backups. Why- increase points of failure.
Windows Imaging does a slightly different thing. It stores the most current image and retains backward differences in shadow storage. I use Windows image with great success but NOT difference images. Just make one image, delete, or rename.

I find it useful to do a full image each week and differentials on the latest full image each day. This means that I can go to a full image that is only a maximum of a week old if necessary but have the convenience of a daily differential. I have restored from these several times without problems.

 

[kado897]

I found the article explaining the two.

v5: Incremental and differential disk images (Differential Image, Incremental Image, v5)

 

[timlab1955]

I had to do windows all over again. Not doing it again either. So someone told me about Macrium Reflect. So I downloaded it and followed the directions and up and running in no time. So my battle plan is to install two programs, run them and if the work the do an image of C. I put the image on D and then another one on my USB stick (32GB). However, I'm doing full images and they are taking like forever as I add programs to C. So which way do I go to make this process faster?

 

[kado897]

The speed of imaging depends on a number of things but primarily

1. how big is the disk you are imaging
2. The speed of your disk reads and writes.

A full image of C (90 GB) with Macrium takes 35minutes to a USB attached HDD creating an image file of 36GB.
A differential on that takes 10-15minutes and produces files from 500MB to 4GB depending on how much has changed.

The speed in my case is limited by the speed of USB.

 

[mjf]

Windows imaging does a form of "differential imaging" differently from Macrium as I stated and is definitely risky in my opinion.
Macrium differential imaging may be more reliable - I don't know. I would still stick with primary images. Macrium uses the normal differential imaging approach which adds the differential to a "parent" image. Hopefully if the differential gets corrupted, the parent remains in tact. Someone who has actually had this issue may care to comment.

A downside of Macrium Reflect is that from experience image recovery takes longer. This is why I still use Windows imaging. Both a full 50GB image and recovery take ~ 10 minutes each.

 

[timlab1955]

I thank you both and I think I'll stick with what I'm doing.