How do you create a disk image?

[Force Flow]

How do you create a disk image? What program is used? I can't use MS backup anymore because I've reached the file size limit.

[reboot]

Nero will do it. It will create an image of anything.
Ghost will also do it, although you must use Ghost to recover it.

[Force Flow]

If I used Nero, how would I restore the image (if I needed to)?

[Iman74]

Reboot, when you suggested Nero, are you saying that you can use Nero not only for cd making but also to make images of your HDD?

[reboot]

Yes, Nero will make an image of anything. If it's small enough, it will burn to CD in a data format.

[Iman74]

Interesting. Okay, but technically to do an image of a HDD you can't be loaded onto it. So how do you do it with Nero?

[Force Flow]

Hmm...I can't find an imaging option anywhere. Where is it? I'm using Nero 5.5.9.13

[Iman74]

Honestly Force, I don't think it can create an image of your HDD. Nero is for creating images on CD's.
So if you use Ghost or Drive Image, make an image of a HDD, then assuming it is small enough to fit on a CD, you would then copy it to the PC with Nero on it then using Nero burn the CD.

But like I said before, I have serious doubts that Nero can be used to make an image of a HDD.

[reboot]

When in Nero, Click on Recorder, Choose Recorder, and select Image. Then go to file, HD backup, select the drive/partition to backup, and burn it to an image.

[Iman74]

Did you do this yourself? If yes, have you tried backing up the partition that has Nero on it and everything else? Better yet, have you tried this on a HDD which only one partition?

[David_Jones]

Using Nero like that makes me feel nervous.

Generally, I wouldn't want to back up an application or OS, using that application or OS itself.

Seems safer to use, say, Ghost from another OS / boot disk, and be sure you have a complete, safe image.

Happy to be proved wrong of course!

David.

[reboot]

I just put the image somewhere safe, on another partition/disk. I use ghost and partition magic extensively, ghosting the boot drives to other drives/partitions, resizing as needed with PM.

[Force Flow]

That's probably a good idea; making an image from another O/S. Once I get my dual boot working, I 'll try it. Thanks guys!

[Ghidrah]

Windows 98 back up has an option to back up using a CDR/RW. I was looking through it a few months ago before I bought Norton's Ghost 2002. I've cloned my C:\ to my D:\ and unplugged it. I just bought a Plextor48X24ta, as soon as I figure out the hardware and whether I like the Roxio or not, I'll but the full version and image C:\ to a CD or 2

[reboot]

The only problem with backing up a full install plus programs to CD, is that it will take between 20 and 50 CDR's.
Are you sure you want to do that?

[Ghidrah]

After 4 years of owning a pile I only have a pinch over 2 gigs. At 650mb per CD, I could do it in 4 CDs

[reboot]

Heh, run Nero's backup program, and see how many it wants
I know that's only one way of doing it. I much prefer a second (or third or 4th) hard drive, and Ghost it.

[Force Flow]

Is there any free ghosting software that I could use to make a disk image?

[David_Jones]

I'm pretty sure there is - but I couldn't find a reference after a quick look.

Play around in Google for a half an hour - you'll probably be amzed what comes up!

I vote for Ghost and a second HDD too. If you are fixed with one HDD, then partition it, and backup the OS / Apps to the other partition.

David.

[Jomama]

I use NTI Backup for backup and imaging. It also allows spanning over multiple CDRs

[Rick Hall]

I just recently backed up a system of 7 gig and used BackUp MyPC and it took only 5 CD's. Using disaster recovery, it will also make 2 floppies to boot with and restore your system so that you do not need the original software to restore nor do you need the OS installed first.

[Force Flow]

Now that sounds interesting.

[Jomama]

With NTI I can image my c drive in 4 CDs 2.8Gigs used in a 4G partition. If I have to restore, I just set the comp to boot from the CD and using the DOS Restore program I can restore the OS.
Then I can either reinstall NTI and used their program to restore everyting else or go a DOS box and further used the Restore.exe program for each folder or directory.
I works and on this drives speed (4x @ CDR) takes 4 hours or so
Still, it is worth the time.

[Ghidrah]

It's only takes 7 minutes to ghost drive to drive. once it's done, I shut down, disconnect the slave and reboot. If and when the Master crashes, (it has happened since I first ghosted the slave), I switch the drives jumpers and I'm going again. I reformat the original Master and ghost it. This all takes less than an hour.

[David_Jones]

Ghosting to another partition on the same disk, or better still, another HDD is definately fast.

I like fast, since it makes me more likely to do regular backups.

David.