Making a bootable or network accessable backup image

[edacsac]

Hi all,

I want to create a backup image of my windows/gbpvr build. I want to make both bootable cd(s) and an image I pull over the network.

I already know how to do this in theory, and I do and have done a great deal of work with computers for many years, but my problem is I've never made an image successfully. I have an image making demon that follows me wherever I go. No matter what image creation program I use, at work or at home, windows or linux, server, desktop or laptop, it always fails. I'll make an image to cd's, then when I wipe the drive and test it, I always come up with a corrupted volume in the image span. Rebuild the machine, make an image, test, fail... Rebuild the machine, make an image, test, fail...

You can see where this gets frustrating.

So, I'm hoping someone can recomend a fool proof process or software (other than buying another hard drive). If I make and image and ruin my build testing it, I'll most likely abandon the whole deal out of frustration.

Thanks for any input!

[dneprrider]

Hi all,

I want to create a backup image of my windows/gbpvr build. I want to make both bootable cd(s) and an image I pull over the network.

So, I'm hoping someone can recomend a fool proof process or software (other than buying another hard drive). If I make and image and ruin my build testing it, I'll most likely abandon the whole deal out of frustration.

Thanks for any input!

I would recommend NORTON GHOST image creation software. I have created images of my C: partition containing XP SP2 & GBPVR setup complete with all other good apps I like to have. Then saved images to both another HDD on my system and to a DVD.
When a problem occurs I can restore my pristine setup from the HDD or DVD which ever I have at hand. Pop the DVD in the drive and reboot from DVD and click the image file and destination drive and a few minutes later. Reboot into a good clean known condition.

As I type this I am restoring from DVD an image I made in June because today my system started making 0 length MPEG files. I tried reinstalling the PVR150 driver but kept getting error messages so back to a good know state.

Remember before reinstalling an image to backup the XML recordings file for later re-import to GBPVR.

Hope this helps.

[stu8080]

Ditto, Back-up DVD's never seem to work for me either.

Ive never tried Norton Ghost however, so i'll be trying that myself as ive seen it recommended numerous times.

My favourite way however is with Acronis True Image, and in particular the 'Secure zone', a partition that is inaccessible by Windows and stores the backups.
It wont help a damaged drive, but means that if things do pear shaped, resoration is dead easy, and the restore app is accessible before windows loads.

[cosmocat]

I have just done this excercise preparing for the upgrade to 98.13. I used "System Rescue CD". -- http://www.sysresccd.org/Main_Page -- You can Download the ISO file for free and burn it to a CD.
Boot the PC from the CD and it starts up in cut down form of Gentoo Linux with various tool needed to image and restore your hard drive.
It has tools to allow this to be done over a network, but I saved my partition to a USB drive.
It works well and is free - what more could you want!.

Regards