W7 System Imaging

[patio]

Keep in mind no matter which application you use to create your images store them on a seperate drive/partition that does NOT get de-fragged ...image files hate this.

Also most of the image apps...at least the paid ones have an image verifying tool built in.
This takes approx. the same amount of time to run as creation of the original image file but it should always be used prior to burning an image to CD/DVD.

 

[Ztruker]

ATI 11 is not supported on Windows 7, nor is ATI 2009, though it works very well except you can't mount an image, but you can browse it to get to any files or folders you want.

I just upgraded to ATI 2010 which is certified for Windows 7 and so far, everything works well.

I use Microsoft's SyncToy to do my data backups with and have it scheduled to run every 2 hours. Some data I backup to another internal hard drive, other data I backup to a drive on another computer. Gives me a nice, warm feeling

 

[gregrocker]

I use Microsoft's SyncToy to do my data backups with and have it scheduled to run every 2 hours. Some data I backup to another internal hard drive, other data I backup to a drive on another computer. Gives me a nice, warm feeling

How do you avoid SyncToy making another file or folder for synch'd files?

Is there now a setting to make it just update the remote file without having it back up the old one?

 

[Ztruker]

I have not seen SyncToy create a backup of existing files in the backup folder and I don't see any setting that controls it. I've been using it for about 2 weeks now, running every two hours.

I backup the entire C:\users folder and no backups that I can find, and that's a very active folder tree.

 

[patio]

Did you get the addon Pack they were offering with the ATI 2010 update Ztruker? ?

 

[Chipper]

I now have created three "backups" on external drive K:[298GB].
1. C Drive [saved]
2. C Drive [image backup]
3. Thunderbird Email [backup]

I created the images using Paragon. It works quite well, and is a bit easier and more accessible than Acronis [IMHO].
Email was backupped using Thunderbird Backup 2.9f.

What I don't understand, is that the saved C Drive on K: came in at 14.5GB; and the real C Drive presently takes up 41.7GB.
Also, during the save, a dozen or so files demanded 'permission' to move them. The only thing I could do was click skip, and move on.
Something just doesn't seem right, here.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Any particular reason you "saved" your entire C drive, as opposed to particular folders?

When you say the saved C drive is 14.5---did you create that by simply dragging and dropping (copying with the mouse)? Depending on what you "skipped" that may amount to a lot or a little.

The difference between 14 and 41 may be explained by slack space in the sectors copied--just a different way of measuring. Imagine you had 50 gallon jugs, each containing only 1 quart of water. You copy them. One method of measuring would say you have 50 gallons at the new location. The other method would say you had 50 quarts. That's just a guess. "Slack space" would represent the 3 quarts of empty space in each jug.

Your C drive contains Windows system files. They don't like to be moved around and it doesn't really accomplish anything--particularly C program files directory. Why copy that? Why copy C Windows directory?

If you want to make a copy of an entire partition, do it as an image.

But your "saved" stuff should be specific folders and specific folder trees--not entire partitions. Most people keep their "stuff" somewhere in C Users Theirusername and so would "save" only that folder--not the entire drive.

Even if you use some other folder structure, you should "save" particular folders, not entire partitions. Leave the partitions to images.

 

[Chipper]

Thanks gnatzatsonic for that comprehensive reply as to what one should precisely save from C:\

You answered your own question, in a way. I saved entire C:\ because I really don't know what's important or not to save. And then too, C:\ is so vast and daunting, I figured let's just save the whole deal. What can it hurt? I have the room. Looking all over C:\ and trying to decide should I save this, should I save that, and then worrying over whether I should have saved it, would just be so time consuming, plus the fact I don't really know much about a lot of mysterious-looking files [system files].

So, with this new info in hand, I'll delete the saved C:\ [on xtrnl K:] and pick out only personal stuff. I know where most of that is. And then save it to K:.

Once again, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[gregrocker]

Normally you're safe saving your and anyone else's User file.

In addition I would save C:windows/system32/drivers for all of your installed drivers in case any are later missing.

 

[Chipper]

Thanks Greg,

I'll go back and save 'system 32 drivers'.

I just saved users/monsonman [all the personal stuff, now] - but I can put all of users there, too.

I know this is not on-topic, but for some reason, I am not getting any email alerts about W7Forums replies. I looked in my personal settings and I don't know where to go make sure the 'alert signal' is checked off or not.
In the beginning, I was getting those alerts.

Also: these files were rejected (just like many were in the full C:\ save); are they worth losing sleep over? I can't do anything about it anyway. Just annoying, that's all.