Norton Ghost OK? Other recommendations?

[Zenda]

@alexis

@Tommy-boy

I used to use Acronis True Image, but stopped. When it came time to fix a partition by putting up the image, it didn’t entirely work. I have also read a lot of users reporting frustration / problems with Acronis and Win7. I’m currently working with Symantec Backup Exec. Other than the fact that I utterly despise the interface, it seems to work well. Still need to try the acid test of putting an image back up.
Backup Exec (and Ghost) are now essentially Power Quest’s Drive Image Program. Symanted acquired Power Quest. I used to use Drive Image and thought it was by far the best program out there in terms of just working well everytime. So I have hope for Backup Exec.

So, if it doesn’t work, and everything melts …

I wonder if maybe I should use TWO different imaging programs, then test putting an image back up, using one at a time. The chances of BOTH failing seem infinitesimally small.

Two imaging programs makes sense to me. Like Matjones, I’m having a good run with Win7 imaging, yet I should get round to a second imaging system.

[Paul_Woodlock]

@alexis

I just downloaded the Paragon, but all of a sudden I’m getting sweaty palms … it seems it’s unavoidable that there’s a huge window of vulnerability when imaging … if something goes wrong, the downside could be horrific. Especially the 1st time.

I suppose there’s no getting around it!

(Except Paul W.'s method of having identical hard drives in use … [drool]icon[/drool]

I’ve always used 2 mirrored drives for data.

I’ve never bothered on a system drive though. In all my 16 odd years of computing i’ve only had to reinstall an OS once I think. Small program installsets ( like plugins and other utilities ) you can store on you data drives anyway

[shorty]

Paragon is very slick. You can boot from a USB pen, with your back up stored inside it.
Acronis is reliable but lately it´s better to install it, make the backup and restore disks and uninstall it. Too much bloat. Supports Dynamic disks. Which i don’t know if Acronis doest it.

[alexis]

This brings up the question in my mind …

How do I test to see whether the drive imaging (not talking back up here) was done correctly, so that if a catastrophe happens I have confidence it will restore my drive correctly?

Would I need to have a 2nd computer to load it on to for testing?

Or, would I have to test it on my “real” system drive … ?

[Paul_Woodlock]

@alexis

This brings up the question in my mind …

How do I test to see whether the drive imaging (not talking back up here) was done correctly, so that if a catastrophe happens I have confidence it will restore my drive correctly?

Would I need to have a 2nd computer to load it on to for testing?

Or, would I have to test it on my “real” system drive … ?

I suppose you need to disconnect the working system drive and connect the imaged drive. I always keep my previous generation computers so You could do that, but specific machine drivers, won’t work of course.

[system]

@Paul Woodlock

@alexis

This brings up the question in my mind …

How do I test to see whether the drive imaging (not talking back up here) was done correctly, so that if a catastrophe happens I have confidence it will restore my drive correctly?

Would I need to have a 2nd computer to load it on to for testing?

Or, would I have to test it on my “real” system drive … ?

I suppose you need to disconnect the working system drive and connect the imaged drive. I always keep my previous generation computers so You could do that, but specific machine drivers, won’t work of course.

Drive imaging doesn’t quite work like that.

For the record, I use Acronis. The latest version allows you to restore to completely different hardware, such as moving from a rotating platter unit to a solid state unit. It works, too.

[crofter]

@alexis

This brings up the question in my mind …

How do I test to see whether the drive imaging (not talking back up here) was done correctly, so that if a catastrophe happens I have confidence it will restore my drive correctly?

Would I need to have a 2nd computer to load it on to for testing?

Or, would I have to test it on my “real” system drive … ?

Paragon has a verify option you can use, that’s about as far as you can go without restoring to an actual drive,I usually keep the last two images as a bit of a fail-safe,never had problems,you can get a bit paranoid about this.

[system]

@alexis

This brings up the question in my mind …

How do I test to see whether the drive imaging (not talking back up here) was done correctly, so that if a catastrophe happens I have confidence it will restore my drive correctly?

Would I need to have a 2nd computer to load it on to for testing?

Or, would I have to test it on my “real” system drive … ?

If you learned to multi-boot with hidden partitions you could test it on one of them.

Acronis has a validation feature, but it’s never not worked here.

[system]

@mashedmitten

If you learned to multi-boot with hidden partitions you could test it on one of them.