Backup whole PC

CHR15

User accounts sit in c:\document and settings (assuming XP).

Depending on how your system is set up security wise, you may not have access to their files and folders though.

Its not so much their Desktop, screensaver etc, more their documents, pictures, music etc and the stuff they may need backing up.

chunter

I find it better just to back up documents to DVD. Then wipe the entire thing.
1) Gets rid of all programs I installed but never use.
2) Get's rid of all the documents I no longer need to dvd. If there's any I need , I copy them across.
3) Get's rid all cookies and spyware and general rubbish stuff that builds up when you're on the internet.
4) My bookmarks are "Foxmarks" so they're imported when I install the Firefox plugin.

But you need to have the discs, the drivers and the time, otherwise it's a complete non-starter.

rmg1

My XP disc is a "wipe-disc" apparently. It formats the hard-drive before doing anything else, so that would give me a clean start, I suppose. Then It's just installing everything else again.

That should take a while!

wakandem

It is sometimes easier to wipe everything and reinstall. As long as you have the disks for the progs you want & a backup of all settings accounts etc. It can take longer and sometimes more stressfull trying to reinstall a backup of the whole pc. It will always take time whatever way you do it.

skiddy2k

I need to do something like this as well... not exactly a backup, but more of a copy/image... I have harddrive A which has all my stuff installed on it, including Windows... is it possible to use the programs suggested above to transfer it all to harddrive B (which is larger than harddrive A)... also, harddrive B will be fully formated with nothing on it.... then can i remove harddrive A and use harddrive B the same way as i was using harddrive A... (as in "c:\" with all programs installed on it still working)?

if the programs mentioned above do not do this, what shall i use? how do i do it?

Aiadi

ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE will create an exact image of everything on your PC onto the PC itself, External HD or DVDs.
Back up to DVD is the safest option but the least convenient as you may need multiple DVDs and back ups are usually slower. For me I create a back up image and put it on two different external hard drives. Hard drives will eventually fail at one point but hopefully two of them dying at the same time would be very unlikely.

And yes it will back up the whole thing like the applications (unlike what another poster has mentioned above) including MS office and antivirus programs as well as all your registry settings.

CHR15

I'll try and clarify this a bit.

There is a difference between an Image of a disk and a Cloned disk.

If you Image a disk. You will end up with a single huge file either sitting on your external drive or spanned across many DVD's.

This image will contain an exact replica of your hard drive, with all installed programs, cookies, junk etc.

This image will have to be restored (using Acronis) before it can be used (basically unzipped) again.

If your disk is Cloned to another hard drive, It will finction in Exactly the same way as your existing drive (you can unplug Hard drive A and connect Drive B and it will function in exactly the same way). The drive has to be made bootable as one of the options in Acronis.


It is NOT POSSIBLE to single out installed programs like Office and back them up seperately from Windows. The Windows registry holds too much of the installation/ operating perameters, library files have been spread all over the place not necessarily in the installation folder.

There will be exeptions to this but generally it is not possible.


Everyones C: drive is different, mine is currently at 96GB
For this reason, I disagree backing up onto DVD's is the best option.

If you have fresh install with hardly any progs installed, perhaps.


My original suggestion of making a Fresh install of Windows, Fully updating, installing all relevant applications, setting up favorites, email settings etc. and THEN creating the image/clone onto another disk is the best method.

Aiadi

Can't understand why a lot of unnecessary and sometimes confusing information are given. No one is talking about CLONED discs here and the op was asking about backing up his/her PC image. Disc cloning is used mainly if you want to replace your hard drive and is not quite the subject being discussed.
Once again when creating an image then the whatever is on your PC will be backed up exactly as it is, which is what you would want if your HD goes belly up as you can restore the whole thing in less than 30 minutes in most cases.

albertross_2

skiddy2k asked about cloning..

Also, for skiddy's benefit, most hard disk manufacturers have a freeware cloning solution on their website, to allow you to clone a disk, e.g. Maxtor has maxblast/Migrate easy.

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=MaxBlast_4&vgnextoid=7add8b9c4a8ff010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD

But Trueimage and ghost can clone as well as image.

CHR15

Did you miss #16 ??

The OP wants to know about disk imaging, that was answsered adequately in reply #2, #3, #5 and #6

The post went off on a tangent, although not really off topic.
All the questions posed have been answered.

One of the questions was about backing up installed programs before reinstalling Windows, I said this isn't possible.... which is correct.


edit: bah, beaten to it!