�� InformationMost everybody is meticulous setting up proper antivirus programs and defenses. But should you catch a virus or some other malware despite all the care, you are often forced to reinstall the system.
The same is true when your system goes on the blink because you made a false maneuver with your system files or the registry as well as bad update and program downloads.
In some cases you can bail yourself out if you reset to a system restore point (if available). But that is not always a safe bet especially in the case of bad malware which may void this option.
But in all cases it is possible to reset the system to a system image if that is well planned. This write-up gives an overview of an imaging strategy based on my own experience. It may help you to plan your own approach.
After 3 years of imaging my systems, I have developed certain imaging strategies that work very well. Maybe they are useful for you.
These strategies are independent from any particular imaging program being used. I started with Norton Ghost 14, after that used Paragon, and now I use Macrium. In between I also experimented with a few others.
For my wife I have setup a Maxtor One Touch 2.5� USB2 attached disk with the Maxtor Manager. This is absolutely the easiest form of imaging. All she needs to do is to push the button on the disk and the Maxtor Manager gets started.
Hardware requirements
For any serious imaging you should have two additional physical disk drives � additional to the drive on which the OS resides. They can be 2 external disks or one external and one internal disk. An internal disk will obviously yield a faster speed when you image.
One external disk should be easily detachable (set off-line) and should be only on-line when in use. This will give you 100% certainty that nothing and nobody can access that disk and the images on it.
The space you need on the disks depends on the number of images you want to retain at any given time. The typical size of an image is approximately 50% of the data (not the partition) that is being imaged. If you have a 100GB OS partition but only 20GBs are occupied with data and 80GBs are free, your image of that partition would be 10GBs.
The 2 disks need not be dedicated to imaging � especially the internal disk (or the external disk that stays on-line). All you need is a defined folder on those disks and sufficient free space to hold the images you want to keep.
Software requirements
You do, of course, need an imaging program. There is a vast choice of free and paid programs. I like to break the available options into 4 categories:
1. The imaging facility that is built into Windows7. You access it through Control Panel\System and Security\Backup and Restore
2. Free programs which are usually versions of paid programs with reduced functionality. Free Macrium and free Paragon are examples.
3. Free programs that come with external disks of certain manufacturers. The Maxtor Manager is an example.
4. Paid programs are available from many providers. You can find a little selection on this link.
Imaging steps
Initial images are those that you take immediately after the installation of the operating system. Reinstallation from that image is a substitute for a total reinstall from the installation DVD or the recovery partition. The advantage over a total reinstall is that you do not start completely at square one and the reinstallation process is, therefore, a lot faster (20 to 30 minutes).
The initial image should be taken after all the updates that are available at installation time have been installed, the main programs that you use all the time (e.g., AV program, Office, etc.) are installed, and all the system and program settings that you deem important are made. I store this initial image in a separate folder on the external disk that is normally disconnected. This way I hope it will be in a safe place.
Ongoing images can be taken any time. I recommend to take one every day � that can be scheduled and automated in most imaging programs. The best place to store them is another internal HDD (but an external HDD that is permanently attached is OK too � just a bit slower).
I accumulate those daily images until Sunday when I transfer the Sunday image to a monthly folder on my normally disconnected external drive. At that time I delete daily images of that week.
On the last day of the month, I transfer the last image to a monthly folder which is also on the normally disconnected drive. And, I delete the monthly images of that month.
So at any given time I have this week�s images (maximum 6), this month�s images (maximum 4), and the images of every month since installation, including the initial image. This is a maximum total of 22 at the end of the first year after installation. But, usually, I do not keep 12 monthly images, but weed them out as I go.
Special considerations
A 100MB active boot partition is present on many Windows7 installations. This partition is needed to boot the system since it contains the MBR (Master Boot Record). Normally the content of this partition does not change. I therefore image it only with the initial image and keep it in the folder with the initial image (in a separate subfolder).
Should you, however, later add another operating system in double boot mode, you need to reimage this 100MB partition because its content has changed. I suggest you store it in a separate subfolder with the initial image. If you later decide to delete this second operating system, you need only restore the initial image of the 100MB partition and you have no trace of the second OS.
Special attention has to be given to the restore process of the OS partition if you have a separate 100MB active boot partition. You must not mark the OS partition as �active� during the restore process nor must you restore the MBR.
Note: The native Windows7 imaging facility automatically images the 100MB partition every time. Thus, a different procedure applies.User data that is stored in the OS partition will be automatically imaged with the imaging of the OS partition. It is, however, good practice to store the user data in a separate data partition and many people do so. In case you have such a data partition, you need to arrange for separate images of that partition. The same applies to any other partition where you care to backup the content.
Recovery CDs have to be burnt for all imaging programs. You do this best at the beginning of your imaging experience. The imaging programs provide the facilities for burning the CD.
The recovery CDs are needed to restore images. They contain the necessary software to manage the recovery process and will guide you through that process. You load them by changing the BIOS boot sequence to boot from the optical reader.
Timing will vary depending on the imaging program you use and the speed of the disks to/from you image. I have seen an image to complete in 3.5 minutes for 20GBs of data on a SSD imaged to an internal 7200 rpm HDD. In contrast an image of 80GBs of data from a 5400 rpm internal HDD to a 5400 rpm external USB2 attached disk can take over 1 hour.
The image restore process varies between 20 to 40 minutes � again depending on the used program and the speed of the disks.
Disk hardware malfunction happens rarely but imaging protects you against such an event too. In case that happens to you, exchange the HDD and restore your system from the last image.
Most paid imaging programs can restore to new partitions that are smaller than the partition from where the image came � as long as the image fits on the space. Many free imaging programs do not have that capability. You must therefore see to it that the target partition is at least as big as the originating partition.
For preparing and partitioning your replacement HDD I suggest the bootable CD of free Partition Wizard.
Laptops are a special challenge for imaging. They very rarely have 2 internal HDDs and often there is no external disk available either.
For the normal daily process I suggest to work with one external 2.5� USB powered disk. That provides a little less security than the 2 disk approach but beats doing nothing.
For laptops that are constantly �on the road� where you may not always want to carry an extra external disk, I suggest you define an imaging partition on the one and only internal HDD and place an occasional image there. That does not protect you against a disk hardware failure, but is still useful in case of a malware infection or some serious malfunction of the OS.
I rep'd you some time ago because of your sound and clear backup strategies, and the quality of advice and information you have shared with us here on the Seven Forums.
Have to "spread rep around" before I can rep you again, so here's a public thank you instead. I wish people would listen to you, understand the importance of a sound backup strategy. The three most important things in safe computing are backup, backup and backup
I've learned a lot from your posts and video tutorials.
Thank you.
Kari
Have to "spread rep around" before I can rep you again, so here's a public thank you instead. I wish people would listen to you, understand the importance of a sound backup strategy. The three most important things in safe computing are backup, backup and backup
I've learned a lot from your posts and video tutorials.
Thank you.
Kari
Kari, I appreciate your kind words, thank you. It was actually after you encouraged me last time that I started to make this write-up. I hope it will be useful for our work here and that many people will take the plunge into imaging.
Very will written, very well thought out.
While this may be a bit more extreme than what most people would need, it has some good tips.
Unfortunately, there are those of us too lazy to make a disk image, but don't mind reinstalling on the rare occasion it needs to be done.
This would be a good write up for anyone with data they deem irreplaceable (such as a business, or for cherished family photos).
~Lordbob
While this may be a bit more extreme than what most people would need, it has some good tips.
Unfortunately, there are those of us too lazy to make a disk image, but don't mind reinstalling on the rare occasion it needs to be done.
This would be a good write up for anyone with data they deem irreplaceable (such as a business, or for cherished family photos).
~Lordbob
Great work WHS, & this just answered a question i had "you do need to independently image the System Reserved Partition" as i just found out beta testing an AV 
Oh well first clean install in a long time, thanks again for another valuable piece of resource material
Oh well first clean install in a long time, thanks again for another valuable piece of resource material
I take a slightly different approach using the Win 7 built in utilities.
In addition to the usual first image, repair disks etc. I use the following cycle
1. Daily data file backup. I keep a months worth of backup sets. Usually four or five per month.
2. A weekly image every Sunday. I retain four or five of these on a FIFO cycle.
3. An image when I am sure any major software installation or update is stable. I retain this indefinitely. This is usually the weekly image following "patch Tuesday".
I naturally hope never to have to use these.
I am running a laptop which was configured without a separate OS partition which makes daily image backups impractical.
Does this look like a sound strategy?
In addition to the usual first image, repair disks etc. I use the following cycle
1. Daily data file backup. I keep a months worth of backup sets. Usually four or five per month.
2. A weekly image every Sunday. I retain four or five of these on a FIFO cycle.
3. An image when I am sure any major software installation or update is stable. I retain this indefinitely. This is usually the weekly image following "patch Tuesday".
I naturally hope never to have to use these.
I am running a laptop which was configured without a separate OS partition which makes daily image backups impractical.
Does this look like a sound strategy?
kado, sounds good to me. It is really a matter of your usage pattern. E.g. in my case the system changes a lot more often than my data (most of which is on external drives anyhow). So I need to image the system more often than the data. And for a laptop with no additional internal disk, weekly may be better than daily - although you can run imaging in the background - if you are worried about the length of time it takes.
Thanks for your kind words whs.
How do you run imaging in the background?
I always worry that running jobs like imaging and defrags when other work is going on will cause integrity problems so I avoid that as much as practicable. I guess it's my mainframe background where that was definitely not recommended.
How do you run imaging in the background?
I always worry that running jobs like imaging and defrags when other work is going on will cause integrity problems so I avoid that as much as practicable. I guess it's my mainframe background where that was definitely not recommended.
I nearly always run imaging in the background. It takes little CPU load and surfing the web is no hiderance. Just "hide" the imaging or start a browser.
Btw: I recommend to enable "System Protection" (Restore points) for the data partition (I assume you have a seperate Data Partition - if not, see the link). You have to create those manually from time to time. Should you ever lose a file or folder, you can recover it with Shadow Explorer from the Restore points.
Btw: I recommend to enable "System Protection" (Restore points) for the data partition (I assume you have a seperate Data Partition - if not, see the link). You have to create those manually from time to time. Should you ever lose a file or folder, you can recover it with Shadow Explorer from the Restore points.
Thanks for the info. I do indeed have System protection enabled and have on a few occasions needed to use it to recover from problem updates and driver installations. It is also my first recourse in restoring incorrectly modified files.
I will look at shadow explorer.
I will look at shadow explorer.
My point is, you do not have to restore the whole system only because a few files are mucked up. With Shadow Explorer you can get them back individually. Long time ago I made a video tutorial how to do that. You find it here:
Thanks for that. I tried to view the tutorial but the video stopped at 3 min 16 seconds. I have however looked at the How-To Geek's explanation and as a result I have downloaded it and given it a quick try. It looks like a very useful addition to my recovery options. Once again many thanks.
Yeah, you are right. It got all ruined. It used to be very crisp and now it is all fuzzy. I wonder what those Vimeo people did to it. I have to upload it again. Will post the new link later.
Here is the new tutorial link: I also updated the original posting.
Thanks whs. That's really good now if a little outdated.
The outdated part is only that it was done on Vista. Else the Shadow Explorer has not really changed. In fact, yesterday night I put the tutorial into our tutorial section. I thought that would be handier to refer to.
ShadowExplorer - Recover Lost Files and Folders
ShadowExplorer - Recover Lost Files and Folders
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs 
.
Hardware requirements
For any serious imaging you should have two additional physical disk drives � additional to the drive on which the OS resides. They can be 2 external disks or one external and one internal disk. An internal disk will obviously yield a faster speed when you image.
One external disk should be easily detachable (set off-line) and should be only on-line when in use. This will give you 100% certainty that nothing and nobody can access that disk and the images on it.
The space you need on the disks depends on the number of images you want to retain at any given time. The typical size of an image is approximately 50% of the data (not the partition) that is being imaged. If you have a 100GB OS partition but only 20GBs are occupied with data and 80GBs are free, your image of that partition would be 10GBs.
The 2 disks need not be dedicated to imaging � especially the internal disk (or the external disk that stays on-line). All you need is a defined folder on those disks and sufficient free space to hold the images you want to keep.
Hardware requirements
For any serious imaging you should have two additional physical disk drives � additional to the drive on which the OS resides. They can be 2 external disks or one external and one internal disk. An internal disk will obviously yield a faster speed when you image.
One external disk should be easily detachable (set off-line) and should be only on-line when in use. This will give you 100% certainty that nothing and nobody can access that disk and the images on it.
The space you need on the disks depends on the number of images you want to retain at any given time. The typical size of an image is approximately 50% of the data (not the partition) that is being imaged. If you have a 100GB OS partition but only 20GBs are occupied with data and 80GBs are free, your image of that partition would be 10GBs.
The 2 disks need not be dedicated to imaging � especially the internal disk (or the external disk that stays on-line). All you need is a defined folder on those disks and sufficient free space to hold the images you want to keep.
Quote:
Software requirements
Quote:
You do, of course, need an imaging program. There is a vast choice of free and paid programs. I like to break the available options into 4 categories:
1. The imaging facility that is built into Windows7. You access it through Control Panel\System and Security\Backup and Restore
2. Free programs which are usually versions of paid programs with reduced functionality. Free Macrium and free Paragon are examples.
3. Free programs that come with external disks of certain manufacturers. The Maxtor Manager is an example.
4. Paid programs are available from many providers. You can find a little selection on this link.
I would agree with most of that. The problem with external disks is usually related to the restore CD not being able to find them or not having the correct drivers. The Linux based disks are problematic for me. I have never had a problem with WinPE based disks finding external USB hard drives.
While it is true that all third party backup solutions use VSS to create the image as far as I am aware Windows Backup is the only one that uses shadow storage to hold incremental backups. It is that many of us don't like. I suggest that using more than one backup product is a good idea and I use Windows Backup (Single Images) for that.
While it is true that all third party backup solutions use VSS to create the image as far as I am aware Windows Backup is the only one that uses shadow storage to hold incremental backups. It is that many of us don't like. I suggest that using more than one backup product is a good idea and I use Windows Backup (Single Images) for that.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by ElectricRider I recently had an issue where many of the popular free and paid for imaging programs would not work for one reason or another. Acronis True Image Home, Paragon Backup and Restore Advanced 2011, EaseUS ToDo Backup 2011, Macrium Reflect Free Edition, DriveImage XML, all of them failed
�� Quote: Originally Posted by ElectricRider I encourage everyone to try the built in Windows 7 Imaging tool before spending time and or money downloading 3rd party apps.
Third party tools are good, but don't forget Microsoft's tools either. For most non-enterprises (SCCM), this will be MDT.
curious on re imaging, how oftern do you find you need new sn# for products or to reactivate them since alot of programs the activation codes are hard wired to the hardware
You shouldn't need to re-licence any software following an image restore unless of course you happen to be unlucky with new versions of paid software which is one reason to take a new image following such an upgrade.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Do NOT use Windows imaging for what you are trying to do. It is so restrictive and touchy that you will not be happy with it.
I suggest you use free Macrium or free Paragon.
I suggest you use free Macrium or free Paragon.
On the other hand the experience so far with Windows 7 Ultimate has ben quite good in so far as production of backup and doing a restore. I'm not sure what you meant in this context by "touchy" but apart from the multiple version problem of having to nama and rename it seems to work well
'Touchy' means that if you touch the image, it does not work any more. Yes Paragon is a bit longer, but after the initial image you can make differentials.
I actually use free Macrium all the time because it does the best job, has a lot of options and is very robust.
I actually use free Macrium all the time because it does the best job, has a lot of options and is very robust.
Thanks - I'll give Macrium a try.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by keith99 �� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Do NOT use Windows imaging for what you are trying to do. It is so restrictive and touchy that you will not be happy with it.
I suggest you use free Macrium or free Paragon.
I suggest you use free Macrium or free Paragon.
On the other hand the experience so far with Windows 7 Ultimate has ben quite good in so far as production of backup and doing a restore. I'm not sure what you meant in this context by "touchy" but apart from the multiple version problem of having to nama and rename it seems to work well
I use Windows imaging as my primary tool and Macrium Reflect as
1) a reliable secondary imaging tool in case Windows own fails
2) at times a more flexible tool.
In over 30 full system restores (2 PCs) including to new HDDs with a host of paid, licensed software, Windows imaging has never let me done. I do use Macrium from time to time for partition specific imaging that Windows imaging was not designed for. I may still need Macrium for item (1)....but I'm still waiting.
The difficulty I have had with it (apart from the total inflexibility ) - is there have been a number of times when the image cannot be found.
It has not been moved or renamed.
Windows Restore GUI and wbadmin refuse to acknowledge it is there.
Panic situation for the average punter
Of course , I could work around that - but why should I?
I have never had that issue with any other imaging software - over hundreds of restore operations.
The second major issue ( tho I have not experienced this myself ) is there are numerous reports of the restore process refusing the drive - even tho. it is exactly the same drive that was imaged in the first place.
You have been lucky so far.
I have had some success with imaging and restoring individual partitions using the command line - but given the occasions when the image was invisible to the restore process ( yet perfectly visible to me ) I would be foolish to rely on it.
It has not been moved or renamed.
Windows Restore GUI and wbadmin refuse to acknowledge it is there.
Panic situation for the average punter
Of course , I could work around that - but why should I?
I have never had that issue with any other imaging software - over hundreds of restore operations.
The second major issue ( tho I have not experienced this myself ) is there are numerous reports of the restore process refusing the drive - even tho. it is exactly the same drive that was imaged in the first place.
You have been lucky so far.
I have had some success with imaging and restoring individual partitions using the command line - but given the occasions when the image was invisible to the restore process ( yet perfectly visible to me ) I would be foolish to rely on it.
I already mentioned the restrictions in Windows imaging but I believe they meet most user requirements including mine.
I have stored images on numerous external HDDs and performed numerous full restores. Admittedly only on 2 totally different PCs. When you get to the stage of 30 successes (at least...I've lost count) and no problems I think it is more than luck.
What do I do:
1) Only ever make a single image via "Create a system image". No differecing images. Rename the image, moving with the same partition is fine.
2) On the rare occasion an image is not located I physically remove and reattach the external HDD and refresh.
I think Windows imaging has been a built in success story for many users. I also think some of the third party products are excellent and in some ways superior - I use them.
I have stored images on numerous external HDDs and performed numerous full restores. Admittedly only on 2 totally different PCs. When you get to the stage of 30 successes (at least...I've lost count) and no problems I think it is more than luck.
What do I do:
1) Only ever make a single image via "Create a system image". No differecing images. Rename the image, moving with the same partition is fine.
2) On the rare occasion an image is not located I physically remove and reattach the external HDD and refresh.
I think Windows imaging has been a built in success story for many users. I also think some of the third party products are excellent and in some ways superior - I use them.
I have been trying to like it - in many ways it is very ingenious.
Can't put with something that cannot find the image that is needed to restore from .
MS need to incorporate some kind of browse function - you browse to the vhd , select it , then point at where you want to restore it to.
Of course that would only restore the most recent image - but that's ok in most situations.
It can't be that hard to implement.
Can't put with something that cannot find the image that is needed to restore from .
MS need to incorporate some kind of browse function - you browse to the vhd , select it , then point at where you want to restore it to.
Of course that would only restore the most recent image - but that's ok in most situations.
It can't be that hard to implement.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by SIW2 MS need to incorporate some kind of browse function - you browse to the vhd , select it , then point at where you want to restore it to.
Of course that would only restore the most recent image - but that's ok in most situations.
It can't be that hard to implement.
As I'm sure you know Acronis seem to be able to do the job for Windows images.
Although I'm a nobody, MS should realize that images and image recovery is a key recovery tool. It's not just a nice thing to have.
This is an interesting discussion. So let me add my 2 cents.
In my computer club, we were at first teaching people to use Windows imaging because it appeared to be the simplest imaging route. But after a while, many were bitterly complaining because they were stuck with the recovery process that did not work for a variety of reasons. We then switched to teaching them to use free Macrium and there has not been a single complaint yet.
Maybe that is not statistically significant. But the club has over 800 members and a lot of those were attending those classes.
In my computer club, we were at first teaching people to use Windows imaging because it appeared to be the simplest imaging route. But after a while, many were bitterly complaining because they were stuck with the recovery process that did not work for a variety of reasons. We then switched to teaching them to use free Macrium and there has not been a single complaint yet.
Maybe that is not statistically significant. But the club has over 800 members and a lot of those were attending those classes.
I reimaged using Macrium this morning. It was simpler and quicker than unpicking some changes I had made that I didn't like.
The main thing is to have one or two imagining programs that you have a high degree of confidence in. I believe you will need to have carried out a few full system reimages before you can have some confidence. After that if you like it, use it.
Except for two or three instance, all the responses are from Seven Gurus. I wonder why most users shy away from imaging. I have tried to teach my office staff how to create and restore images and made them do it too, but they have done nothing after the creation of the first image under my guidance although some years have gone by.
I think the frequency of image creation that has been recommended in the tutorial is much too much. I just keep three images, a Basic1 as suggested in the tutorial with all updates in place, Internet connected and WLM installed. Then an incremental Basic2 with MS Office installed and updated. After that all other programs including the A-V and the third party Firewall are installed and imaged that I call the Perfect Image. I keep updating this perfect image every month. The A-V and Firewall are in the third image because they keep getting updated very frequently and may get discarded in the future for better ones unlike the OS and Office.
I may install some more third party programs during the month after creating the Perfect Image and evaluate them to make up my mind about which I want to retain and which ones I want to discard. Then I restore the month old Perfect Image, install the programs that I had wanted to retain, delete the month old Perfect Image and re-image to make another perfect image.
I have followed this procedure from 2006 when I first started on imaging and it has served me excellently well. It saves a lot of time in daily imaging and there is hardly any bloat on my C Drive. I keep the images in a separate folder on an external drive. Although my imaging program permits the creation of a "secure zone drive", I have not utilized this facility.
I think the frequency of image creation that has been recommended in the tutorial is much too much. I just keep three images, a Basic1 as suggested in the tutorial with all updates in place, Internet connected and WLM installed. Then an incremental Basic2 with MS Office installed and updated. After that all other programs including the A-V and the third party Firewall are installed and imaged that I call the Perfect Image. I keep updating this perfect image every month. The A-V and Firewall are in the third image because they keep getting updated very frequently and may get discarded in the future for better ones unlike the OS and Office.
I may install some more third party programs during the month after creating the Perfect Image and evaluate them to make up my mind about which I want to retain and which ones I want to discard. Then I restore the month old Perfect Image, install the programs that I had wanted to retain, delete the month old Perfect Image and re-image to make another perfect image.
I have followed this procedure from 2006 when I first started on imaging and it has served me excellently well. It saves a lot of time in daily imaging and there is hardly any bloat on my C Drive. I keep the images in a separate folder on an external drive. Although my imaging program permits the creation of a "secure zone drive", I have not utilized this facility.
Everyone must reach their own level of comfort in their imaging strategy. I worked for 30 years in mainframe IT where backups and recovery were essential to the well being of the company I worked for. So perhaps what I do now is habit and is overkill but it keeps me happy.
Hi Keith, I just see your new shining star. Congratulations. And regarding imaging - you are right. There is no 'one size fits all'. Everybody should chose the frequency with which they are comfortable. I now deviate a bit from my own tutorial. But that is OK. I still have plenty of images on 3 seperate disks.
Thanks Wolfgang.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Hi Keith, I just see your new shining star. Congratulations. And regarding imaging - you are right. There is no 'one size fits all'. Everybody should chose the frequency with which they are comfortable. I now deviate a bit from my own tutorial. But that is OK. I still have plenty of images on 3 seperate disks.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Right Gary. I had only tried the scheme with test partitions. But this was a real live experience.
Kari, it is a bad morning. I mix up all the names. I am up sice 5AM, had a bad night. Sorry guys, please forgive me.
Wolfgang, just teasing and joking!
Take care of yourself, don't forget to rest
Kari
Take care of yourself, don't forget to rest
Kari
I think I will relax in my hottub in the courtyard. It is supposed to get as high as 81F (about 26C) today. It's a nice day.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs I think I will relax in my hottub in the courtyard. It is supposed to get as high as 81F (about 26C) today. It's a nice day.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by LittleJay �� Quote: Originally Posted by whs I think I will relax in my hottub in the courtyard. It is supposed to get as high as 81F (about 26C) today. It's a nice day.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs �� Quote: Originally Posted by LittleJay �� Quote: Originally Posted by whs I think I will relax in my hottub in the courtyard. It is supposed to get as high as 81F (about 26C) today. It's a nice day.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by LittleJay �� Quote: Originally Posted by whs �� Quote: Originally Posted by LittleJay Sounds wonderful! Especially since it is suppose to drop down to -5 F tonight, with wind chills of -20 to -30F as well.
In which state do you actually live.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs �� Quote: Originally Posted by LittleJay �� Quote: Originally Posted by whs LOL, you live in the wrong part of the country.
In which state do you actually live.
Wow, 20 years into retirement already! That sounds awesome, congratulations on that! Yeah, Minnesota - the land of the 10.000 lakes and 10 trillion bugs. I tried to go canoeing once. Was nearly eaten alive by those buggers. And my car and trailer were a mess. For business I went a few times to Rochester.
What is retirement? WHS is active here and runs a computer club plus other things not shared. It's a state of mind.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Yeah, Minnesota - the land of the 10.000 lakes and 10 trillion bugs. I tried to go canoeing once. Was nearly eaten alive by those buggers. And my car and trailer were a mess. For business I went a few times to Rochester.
LOL Yeah, there are lots of bugs in the summer months, especially in the northern part of the state. Spring and fall are my favorite times. Up until now, winter has been pretty mild this year and I have actually been able to enjoy being outdoors.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf What is retirement? WHS is active here and runs a computer club plus other things not shared. It's a state of mind.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf What is retirement? WHS is active here and runs a computer club plus other things not shared. It's a state of mind.
What will be nice is having the financial freedom to engage in activities I like doing. Does anyone know much about Easeus ToDo backup? I've been using Macrium Free but my space is limited so I can only keep 2 or 3 full backups. I've noticed Easeus free version does incremental and differential images. Wondering if anyone had tried it out?
Haven't tried out Easeus. However if the back-up that it produces is a sector by sector copy of the drive like Acronis does, then there wont be much difference in size between the full, incremental and differential images particularly if the drive has been defragmented in between.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by Burdus32
�� Quote: Originally Posted by Burdus32 Does anyone know much about Easeus ToDo backup? I've been using Macrium Free but my space is limited so I can only keep 2 or 3 full backups. I've noticed Easeus free version does incremental and differential images. Wondering if anyone had tried it out?
Hi Wanchoo, I'm just trying it out now. It can do Sector by sector or without. I've backed up my 350mb SysReserved and 55GB windows drive, without Sector by sector and the backup image size is 20GB.
Does it make a lot of difference to the restore if it's sector by sector?
Does it make a lot of difference to the restore if it's sector by sector?
If case you have an option to create a non-sector by sector differential image then it should be very much smaller as compared to a sector by sector differential image. Please advise me the results.
It is my guess that there should really be no difference in the restoration times between the two types of images.
It is my guess that there should really be no difference in the restoration times between the two types of images.
Does anyone know if it's possible to assign a retention policy to Macrium image backups? They are quickly buidling up and chewing away at my internal HDD space. I think 2 weeks would be adequate on my internal HDD.
Then the next question is how to automatically transfer a weekly backup to my external HDD for long-term retention? Maybe there's a batch file (someone wants to share) that I can schedule via to copy / move the file?
Then the next question is how to automatically transfer a weekly backup to my external HDD for long-term retention? Maybe there's a batch file (someone wants to share) that I can schedule via to copy / move the file?
�� Quote: Originally Posted by denisl Does anyone know if it's possible to assign a retention policy to Macrium image backups? They are quickly buidling up and chewing away at my internal HDD space. I think 2 weeks would be adequate on my internal HDD.
Then the next question is how to automatically transfer a weekly backup to my external HDD for long-term retention? Maybe there's a batch file (someone wants to share) that I can schedule via to copy / move the file?
Then the next question is how to automatically transfer a weekly backup to my external HDD for long-term retention? Maybe there's a batch file (someone wants to share) that I can schedule via to copy / move the file?
But in your case, why don't you image to the external disk in the first place - at least every other time. Wouldn't that be easier. If you are concerned about the time it takes, let it run in the background and do something else in the meantime.
Spreading the images regularily over 2 disks gives you added security too in case one of the disks fails.
I run my Macrium disk image at 4:00AM when I'm sleeping - no worries about time to run the job.
I like having backups on more than one HDD - just in case. The scheduling functionality of Macrium is somewhat limited. It would be better if you could schedule based on day of the week and do as you said, have backups alternate days between different physical HDD's. Lack of a retention policy is surprising. That's a critical feature for backup. Does Macrium utilize a FIFO strategy to delete images if the disk fills up? If that's the case I can set my partition to the max size I'd like to consume for backup and let HDD capacity dictate my retention.
Does the paid for version of Macrium offer more features in this area?
Thanks WHS. As always, very helpful.
I like having backups on more than one HDD - just in case. The scheduling functionality of Macrium is somewhat limited. It would be better if you could schedule based on day of the week and do as you said, have backups alternate days between different physical HDD's. Lack of a retention policy is surprising. That's a critical feature for backup. Does Macrium utilize a FIFO strategy to delete images if the disk fills up? If that's the case I can set my partition to the max size I'd like to consume for backup and let HDD capacity dictate my retention.
Does the paid for version of Macrium offer more features in this area?
Thanks WHS. As always, very helpful.
1. You can schedule it on any day of the week and any time. See picture. And it is nifty because you can also schedule the start date and you can skip weeks.
2. What you do is schedule each XML seperately.
3. There is no FiFo strategy - or any other space management. When the space is full, it refuses to make more images. The space you have to manage yourself.
4. To tell you the truth, I have never used the Pro version. Not sure what it offers in addition. See here whether there is anything you like: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
2. What you do is schedule each XML seperately.
3. There is no FiFo strategy - or any other space management. When the space is full, it refuses to make more images. The space you have to manage yourself.
4. To tell you the truth, I have never used the Pro version. Not sure what it offers in addition. See here whether there is anything you like: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
Interesting.... I don't have those options.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs 1. You can schedule it on any day of the week and any time. See picture. And it is nifty because you can also schedule the start date and you can skip weeks.
2. What you do is schedule each XML seperately.
3. There is no FiFo strategy - or any other space management. When the space is full, it refuses to make more images. The space you have to manage yourself.
4. To tell you the truth, I have never used the Pro version. Not sure what it offers in addition. See here whether there is anything you like: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
2. What you do is schedule each XML seperately.
3. There is no FiFo strategy - or any other space management. When the space is full, it refuses to make more images. The space you have to manage yourself.
4. To tell you the truth, I have never used the Pro version. Not sure what it offers in addition. See here whether there is anything you like: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
1. You can keep an image for a certain number of days.
2. You can chose to retain a certain number of images.
It is not a part of the scheduler. It is in the definition file options
Thanks Keith for the update. Maybe I buy the pro version after all. My problem is that I use the free version on 6 PCs, so going pro will be expensive.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by denisl Interesting.... I don't have those options.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Thanks Keith for the update. Maybe I buy the pro version after all. My problem is that I use the free version on 6 PCs, so going pro will be expensive.
LOL - you beat me to it.
The 4 pack version is a lot cheaper than buying them separately.
It might be worth hanging on for a while.
Paragon has a new series coming.
You will be surprised - the interface looks the same -- but it is an entirely new engine, supports all the advanced formats and is the fastest imaging software I have ever used.
There will be a free version - also with the new engine. I think the free version will support gpt as well.
Don't know for sure yet.
Not sure how long before release.
The 4 pack version is a lot cheaper than buying them separately.
It might be worth hanging on for a while.
Paragon has a new series coming.
You will be surprised - the interface looks the same -- but it is an entirely new engine, supports all the advanced formats and is the fastest imaging software I have ever used.
There will be a free version - also with the new engine. I think the free version will support gpt as well.
Don't know for sure yet.
Not sure how long before release.
That sounds really interesting. I like Paragon, but they make it difficult to get the free key. Once had a 6 month free pro version for a test - that was nice.
Ah ha! OK - that option is available when you select "Weekly" on the previous selection - NOT "Daily". Go figure, select Weekly and you can pick the days of the week.
Thanks for the help... again!
OK -
Who has a sample .bat script that reads a directory and deletes files older the X days that I can schedule to run on a daily basis and keep my HDD from filling up?
Thanks for the help... again!
OK -
Who has a sample .bat script that reads a directory and deletes files older the X days that I can schedule to run on a daily basis and keep my HDD from filling up?
I noticed that you had used Ghost at one point. I know someone who solved backup problems when he read a suggestion on the net. Backing up drive C: while Windows is running is questionable at best. Here is the solution he (and others) built. Put Ghost on a Window Preinstall environment on a CD. Then when you boot to the CD, Ghost will load into a ramdrive in memory and drive C: will not be used at all. Ghost will then duplicate drive C: as an exact file. This method works absolutely. I know of a fellow who updated it with current USB3 drivers for externals. It is unlikey you will find a copy that you don't build yourself. Once when I got bit by a virus, it took me 4 1/2 minutes to be back in business. Norton AV let the virus through. I have never had one with Trend.
My work files are ALWAYS on partitions and drives other than C: and I find the free SyncBack (Google: download free syncback) perfect and amazing for free. It is so reliable, I quit checking up on its backups. I have no idea why I need the purchased version of SyncBack. I am not on a business network.
My work files are ALWAYS on partitions and drives other than C: and I find the free SyncBack (Google: download free syncback) perfect and amazing for free. It is so reliable, I quit checking up on its backups. I have no idea why I need the purchased version of SyncBack. I am not on a business network.
I know it's a personal thing but I like full control of what images stay and go. I generally image after a significant update or software install.
If you image very often, say daily, then I guess a policy manager can be useful.
If you image very often, say daily, then I guess a policy manager can be useful.
Good stuff, and a good forum. My first time here. I'll add my comments.
As others have said, for various reasons most don't keep images as they should.
No help for those who just never will, but for those who do want to, here are some suggestions to make it more realistic to image.
First, you want HD space. I've seen many computers sold with one massive non-partitioned hard drive. Don't buy that. You want multiple hard drives.
If you have a laptop, or otherwise are stuck with one internal drive, get an external drive (or 2) for your images.
What's the purpose of your image?
I'll say right now mine is for my system and core apps.
I don't want to reinstall and reconfigure everything if something goes wrong with the software or hardware. All my data (non-system) is simple files, and I don't image that. I do have that backed up, but that's an entirely different strategy.
So I'll just talk imaging my system and core apps.
I can't speak to imaging with networking, SDD, RAID, or anything but vanilla stand-alone single system PC's with standard hardware.
The first thing to think about is the size of the image. The lowest level for an image is partition size. So let's say the sweet spot for HD prices is 500gb.
But I don't want to image a 500gb drive. So I partition 90gb as my C: system drive.
Nothing goes there but Win 7 and my apps. The remaining 410gb is used for data, or "temporary" apps, such as games.
My images have never been more than about 25gb, so I never worry about the partition being too small, and am never tempted to put non-system data in there.
Image size is important for a couple reasons; time to image, and space taken by images. Time is important to me because I only image using the CD executables and with Win 7 down. Wouldn't be so important for those who image with Win 7 running, but of course time and space used are closely related.
And the less time it takes to image, the more likely it gets done.
My images typically take about 15 minutes reboot to reboot.
But that's 2 images, one to each of 2 drives.
It's actually faster making a new image than copying one to a different drive on my setup. Probably safer as to data integrity too.
A restore takes about 5 minutes. I use Ghost 15.
Whatever imaging software you use should be thoroughly tested. Imaging and restoring should be "second nature." The first restore is the only "scary" part, because the first thing that happens is your partition gets hammered. I've used different imagers, but used Ghost for many years with no issues, so naturally went that way.
I was initially pleased with the built-in Win 7 imaging, but rejected it after testing portability of images. Don't know if I missed something, but I found that moving images around broke it. Can't remember the details, except it had something to do with disk id's, and I just didn't want any doubts or hassles. I'm really a KISS fan.
I'm sort of a fanatic about images, because I really got soured on reinstalling earlier version Windows and apps when Windows broke.
I hate reinstalling. I had my original XP install for 5-6 years because I imaged it. XP broke a few times, and probably caught something a few times.
This Win 7 is 2 1/2 years old, but hasn't ever broken.
I mainly restore as a "cleanup" after trying some apps, installing games I no longer want, or even suspect a virus. Maybe every 3 months or so.
Restores should never be rushed. Your partion is about to be hammered.
Have I backed up needed data?
I have 2 "core apps" that need that, but have developed the habit of backing up their data when it is created. I still slow down to think about it.
If I have the slightest doubt about anything, I make an image before I restore, and put temp in the image name. I can delete it later.
When I restore, some apps need their updates, so I get them.
Then if I have tried a new app I want as a core app, I install that.
Then I make an image, so that next time I restore that app will be there, and I won't be far behind on software updates.
Well, now that I've bored everybody to death with my personal habits, I'll make the point I came here to make.
Earlier today I was thinking about something that bothers me - when I think about it.
My MB (Asus P6T) isn't sold any more.
I roll my own, and the last PC I built 2 for the house with the same MB.
My plan then for a failure was to put my image to the second PC.
But I only built one of these P6T's.
If my MB fails all of my images are garbage. The only answer would be to find a used P6T on eBay or someplace else. Probably be down a long time.
Practically speaking, I would want to upgrade my MB anyway.
Making my images garbage.
So I was looking into how Win 7 handles hardware/drivers for systems put on a new machine, and ran across this very good tutorial posted here,
by Kari. Transfer your Windows 7 installation to a new PC � Windows 7 is easy!
I'm going to make an occasional sysprep'ed image to cover this weakness in my imaging strategy.
I'll try to enlist my son, an extreme overclocker with many boxes, to provide me a 64-bit capable box to test the image. Might try a "deleted driver" image too, as that has some advantages over sysprep.
Okay, just wanted to give the hard-core imagers something to chew on.
Have fun.
As others have said, for various reasons most don't keep images as they should.
No help for those who just never will, but for those who do want to, here are some suggestions to make it more realistic to image.
First, you want HD space. I've seen many computers sold with one massive non-partitioned hard drive. Don't buy that. You want multiple hard drives.
If you have a laptop, or otherwise are stuck with one internal drive, get an external drive (or 2) for your images.
What's the purpose of your image?
I'll say right now mine is for my system and core apps.
I don't want to reinstall and reconfigure everything if something goes wrong with the software or hardware. All my data (non-system) is simple files, and I don't image that. I do have that backed up, but that's an entirely different strategy.
So I'll just talk imaging my system and core apps.
I can't speak to imaging with networking, SDD, RAID, or anything but vanilla stand-alone single system PC's with standard hardware.
The first thing to think about is the size of the image. The lowest level for an image is partition size. So let's say the sweet spot for HD prices is 500gb.
But I don't want to image a 500gb drive. So I partition 90gb as my C: system drive.
Nothing goes there but Win 7 and my apps. The remaining 410gb is used for data, or "temporary" apps, such as games.
My images have never been more than about 25gb, so I never worry about the partition being too small, and am never tempted to put non-system data in there.
Image size is important for a couple reasons; time to image, and space taken by images. Time is important to me because I only image using the CD executables and with Win 7 down. Wouldn't be so important for those who image with Win 7 running, but of course time and space used are closely related.
And the less time it takes to image, the more likely it gets done.
My images typically take about 15 minutes reboot to reboot.
But that's 2 images, one to each of 2 drives.
It's actually faster making a new image than copying one to a different drive on my setup. Probably safer as to data integrity too.
A restore takes about 5 minutes. I use Ghost 15.
Whatever imaging software you use should be thoroughly tested. Imaging and restoring should be "second nature." The first restore is the only "scary" part, because the first thing that happens is your partition gets hammered. I've used different imagers, but used Ghost for many years with no issues, so naturally went that way.
I was initially pleased with the built-in Win 7 imaging, but rejected it after testing portability of images. Don't know if I missed something, but I found that moving images around broke it. Can't remember the details, except it had something to do with disk id's, and I just didn't want any doubts or hassles. I'm really a KISS fan.
I'm sort of a fanatic about images, because I really got soured on reinstalling earlier version Windows and apps when Windows broke.
I hate reinstalling. I had my original XP install for 5-6 years because I imaged it. XP broke a few times, and probably caught something a few times.
This Win 7 is 2 1/2 years old, but hasn't ever broken.
I mainly restore as a "cleanup" after trying some apps, installing games I no longer want, or even suspect a virus. Maybe every 3 months or so.
Restores should never be rushed. Your partion is about to be hammered.
Have I backed up needed data?
I have 2 "core apps" that need that, but have developed the habit of backing up their data when it is created. I still slow down to think about it.
If I have the slightest doubt about anything, I make an image before I restore, and put temp in the image name. I can delete it later.
When I restore, some apps need their updates, so I get them.
Then if I have tried a new app I want as a core app, I install that.
Then I make an image, so that next time I restore that app will be there, and I won't be far behind on software updates.
Well, now that I've bored everybody to death with my personal habits, I'll make the point I came here to make.
Earlier today I was thinking about something that bothers me - when I think about it.
My MB (Asus P6T) isn't sold any more.
I roll my own, and the last PC I built 2 for the house with the same MB.
My plan then for a failure was to put my image to the second PC.
But I only built one of these P6T's.
If my MB fails all of my images are garbage. The only answer would be to find a used P6T on eBay or someplace else. Probably be down a long time.
Practically speaking, I would want to upgrade my MB anyway.
Making my images garbage.
So I was looking into how Win 7 handles hardware/drivers for systems put on a new machine, and ran across this very good tutorial posted here,
by Kari. Transfer your Windows 7 installation to a new PC � Windows 7 is easy!
I'm going to make an occasional sysprep'ed image to cover this weakness in my imaging strategy.
I'll try to enlist my son, an extreme overclocker with many boxes, to provide me a 64-bit capable box to test the image. Might try a "deleted driver" image too, as that has some advantages over sysprep.
Okay, just wanted to give the hard-core imagers something to chew on.
Have fun.
Hi Victor and welcome to Seven Forums. That sounds like a thorough strategy to me. You might also want to add an image after "Patch Tuesday". There is nothing more annoying than having to dozens of Windows updates if you restore.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by kado897 Hi Victor and welcome to Seven Forums. That sounds like a thorough strategy to me. You might also want to add an image after "Patch Tuesday". There is nothing more annoying than having to dozens of Windows updates if you restore.
Unfortunately (not really), MS and I keep different schedules.
I only make images of a "clean" system, so I restore before I make a new image with any updates I want to keep.
BTW, I've tested a sysprep'ed image on a different box already, as my son was very fast in getting me a 64-bit capable cpu/MB set up. He wanted my AGP graphics card and Northwood 3.2 that were in that box.
Overclockers often like old gear to torture.
I'll mention the results of that in that thread when I get time.
OK Victor if that works for you that's fine.
I think many of us are overdoing imaging.
Most of us who have been using computers for over 4 or 5 years have already settled down with the programs that we install. If this premise is reasonably correct then the only normal additions that we make are the updates for Windows, A-V, Firewall and a few other programs that need them. In addition we may perhaps be upgrading the Software already installed whenever their new versions are put out.
In these circumstances updating the image once a month should be more than enough. In reality because I fall amongst the persons in para 2, I image once a quarter and there has never been any problem. As one becomes more and more savvy, it is but natural that that person would devise his/her own imaging strategy. But for those who are beginners, the strategy that I have outlined should suffice.
This is just my 2-penny bit.
Most of us who have been using computers for over 4 or 5 years have already settled down with the programs that we install. If this premise is reasonably correct then the only normal additions that we make are the updates for Windows, A-V, Firewall and a few other programs that need them. In addition we may perhaps be upgrading the Software already installed whenever their new versions are put out.
In these circumstances updating the image once a month should be more than enough. In reality because I fall amongst the persons in para 2, I image once a quarter and there has never been any problem. As one becomes more and more savvy, it is but natural that that person would devise his/her own imaging strategy. But for those who are beginners, the strategy that I have outlined should suffice.
This is just my 2-penny bit.
It depends on how much you trust the image. I've never had one fail but even so I would be very uncomfortable with three months and an awful lot can change in that time. Three patch Tuesdays if nothing else.
I trust the image almost 100% because in all these years I too have never had one that failed. Furthermore I always verify the integrity of the image immediately after it has been created but not before its restoration.
For my friends who have not learned to create images, I have restored over an year old image that I had initially created without any problem, after their computers stopped booting. Therefore I am not too worried creating an image every three months although my advise to others was to do it not more than once a month.
What is your imaging strategy, particularly in respect of frequency, Keith.
Amarnath
For my friends who have not learned to create images, I have restored over an year old image that I had initially created without any problem, after their computers stopped booting. Therefore I am not too worried creating an image every three months although my advise to others was to do it not more than once a month.
What is your imaging strategy, particularly in respect of frequency, Keith.
Amarnath
Mine is a full Macrium Image a week with daily differentials. I also do one Windows Image a month after patch Tuesday to a different disk. I know I am OCD about it but I had some interesting experiences rebuilding mainframe OSes that weren't backed up properly following disk crashes. 36 hours without sleep and the MD on the phone every hour is no fun.
What you said is perhaps for your professional field. Is it the same policy for your own PC?
I am sorry I did not qualify this in the original message but what I have suggested is for lay users like I am.
I am sorry I did not qualify this in the original message but what I have suggested is for lay users like I am.
It has carried over into my private life since I retired.
The problem is not so much with the system, but with the user data. Many folks do not bother to create a seperate user data partition (except the SSD people) and that's when it becomes iffy.
I agree that the system can always be recovered one way or the other. But I am with Keith and rather make a system image more often. In my case it takes less than 5 minutes and I rather be safe than sorry.
But if you have user data in the C partition, I would highly recommend frequent images. It is, of course, a matter of how often things are updated in the system and the files - and don't forget the Favorites.
PS: reinstalling the system with an older installation disc is a real pain. I just did that last week with my pre-SP1 installation disc. Main reason was that my winsxs was approaching 20GBs and that really hurt on a 60GB SSD.
Just processing all the updates (including those of my 2007 Office Home and Student) took me 3 days. Making the system settings and reinstalling the many programs I use was a lot less of a pain because I did that as I went. But the updates took most of the time.
I agree that the system can always be recovered one way or the other. But I am with Keith and rather make a system image more often. In my case it takes less than 5 minutes and I rather be safe than sorry.
But if you have user data in the C partition, I would highly recommend frequent images. It is, of course, a matter of how often things are updated in the system and the files - and don't forget the Favorites.
PS: reinstalling the system with an older installation disc is a real pain. I just did that last week with my pre-SP1 installation disc. Main reason was that my winsxs was approaching 20GBs and that really hurt on a 60GB SSD.
Just processing all the updates (including those of my 2007 Office Home and Student) took me 3 days. Making the system settings and reinstalling the many programs I use was a lot less of a pain because I did that as I went. But the updates took most of the time.
I have not kept the User Data in the System Volume Drive for over 6 years. It is all kept on an external Drive including my e-Mail messages, e-Mail Addresses and Bookmarks (Favorites). The more important User Data is also burnt on a re-recordable DVD at least quarterly if not more frequently.
For me making a System Image and its verification takes over 40 minutes, and since there are no changes from the last time except updates and upgrades, I consider anything more frequent than once a month as a waste of time. But yours and Keith's points of view are equally valid.
For me making a System Image and its verification takes over 40 minutes, and since there are no changes from the last time except updates and upgrades, I consider anything more frequent than once a month as a waste of time. But yours and Keith's points of view are equally valid.
I think someone said it earlier. Each case is different. What works for one will not be suitable for another. The best question one can ask oneself is. What would happen if...
Second thoughts: The question should be how do I get back to where I am now if...
Second thoughts: The question should be how do I get back to where I am now if...
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs PS: reinstalling the system with an older installation disc is a real pain. I just did that last week with my pre-SP1 installation disc. Main reason was that my winsxs was approaching 20GBs and that really hurt on a 60GB SSD.
Just processing all the updates (including those of my 2007 Office Home and Student) took me 3 days. Making the system settings and reinstalling the many programs I use was a lot less of a pain because I did that as I went. But the updates took most of the time.
Just processing all the updates (including those of my 2007 Office Home and Student) took me 3 days. Making the system settings and reinstalling the many programs I use was a lot less of a pain because I did that as I went. But the updates took most of the time.
My winsxs is 7gb, with all updates, after running this reduced it by 4gb.
Cleanup Winsxs after Windows 7 SP1 install � Alan's sysadmin Blog
Of course I made an image before I did it, but have encountered no problems.
Why was your winsxs so large? I'm especially interested because I've treated myself for father's day.
I've ordered a 64gb Crucial M4 - thanks for the tut. That has me ready to go!
I'm the same I haven't kept my user data on the same partition as Windows for years (although they are on the same internal drive). I will be separating them soon though as I'm going to buy an SSD for Windows and keep my data on my spinners. I only image my system drive too.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by Victor S �� Quote: Originally Posted by whs PS: reinstalling the system with an older installation disc is a real pain. I just did that last week with my pre-SP1 installation disc. Main reason was that my winsxs was approaching 20GBs and that really hurt on a 60GB SSD.
Just processing all the updates (including those of my 2007 Office Home and Student) took me 3 days. Making the system settings and reinstalling the many programs I use was a lot less of a pain because I did that as I went. But the updates took most of the time.
Just processing all the updates (including those of my 2007 Office Home and Student) took me 3 days. Making the system settings and reinstalling the many programs I use was a lot less of a pain because I did that as I went. But the updates took most of the time.
My winsxs is 7gb, with all updates, after running this reduced it by 4gb.
Cleanup Winsxs after Windows 7 SP1 install � Alan's sysadmin Blog
Of course I made an image before I did it, but have encountered no problems.
Why was your winsxs so large? I'm especially interested because I've treated myself for father's day.
I've ordered a 64gb Crucial M4 - thanks for the tut. That has me ready to go!
I am leary of cleaning up the .dlls because you never know which program might be using them, but removing the SP1 backup files may be a good idea. Plus there were a few other nits and lice that had crept into my system over time which suggested that a reinstall was a good choice. It was not a big deal - just boring.
I will image after a significant update like a new (particularly paid) software install. I like to have an image which isn't more than 2 weeks old at hand. Large fairly static data I definitely put on another partition and back these up separately. For example I have a fairly large collection of download software and info which I keep on its own partition.
This way an image of my OS + installed programs + little active data files takes ~ 10 minutes. I don't bother with system restores.
This way an image of my OS + installed programs + little active data files takes ~ 10 minutes. I don't bother with system restores.
Neither do I. I have kept System Restore switched off almost ever since it appeared. However many are of the opinion that Imaging and System Restore are mutually exclusive functions and therefore System Restore should not be switched off.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf I don't bother with system restores.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by wanchoo Neither do I. I have kept System Restore switched off almost ever since it appeared. However many are of the opinion that Imaging and System Restore are mutually exclusive functions and therefore System Restore should not be switched off.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf I don't bother with system restores.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by wanchoo Neither do I. I have kept System Restore switched off almost ever since it appeared. However many are of the opinion that Imaging and System Restore are mutually exclusive functions and therefore System Restore should not be switched off.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf I don't bother with system restores.
I guess those who use system protection either don't keep recent images, or combine data with system images, or are leery of doing image restores because they don't trust images. Might have mostly to do with comfort level and "convenience."
Since I'll restore an image at the drop of a hat if I see any problem at all, I've never used system protection. But it's pretty slick, and I've seen where it's saved a lot of peoples' bacon.
The way I see it, imaging can replace system protection, but system protection can't replace imaging. After that it's a question of what overhead you prefer.
Rabbiting on, because I agree with you, maybe I too am not getting the idea.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf
�� Quote: Originally Posted by mjf I don't want to rabbit on but I have considered a reimage to be superset of System Restore and not mutually exclusive. Maybe I miss something.
I do like the fact that Windows Imaging and System Restore work together. One thing I do like is the fact I can look in the System Restore panel and see which software has changed since my last image. You can't do that with some other imaging programs.
I also use the System Protection feature for my data drive as a few times I've had to Restore a Previous Version of a file that's changed or been deleted. Handy feature, although I don't actually use SR to Restore my pc hardly ever. If something isn't working right I'll just restore my image instead.
I also use the System Protection feature for my data drive as a few times I've had to Restore a Previous Version of a file that's changed or been deleted. Handy feature, although I don't actually use SR to Restore my pc hardly ever. If something isn't working right I'll just restore my image instead.
I keep System Restore switched off but still use the Windows 7 disk imaging function. A disk image is like the ultimate system restore anyway. There doesn't seem a need to use the System Restore function as well. I'll usually update (overwrite) the most current disk image just before installing a program or making other changes, then there is always a way back if necessary. I don't back up files when prompted to do so during a re-imaging procedure because all created files are stored on a second internal drive.
I keep a few images, one without any security programs on it. I can load this if I want to try out various security programs. This seems easier than removing programs in order to try others. It's not always easy to clean a system entirely of security programs, so a disk image that doesn't have any on it comes in handy sometimes.
I've tried third-party imaging programs. They have worked OK but find none do the imaging any better than Windows 7's own included way. It has always worked very reliably for me.
I keep a few images, one without any security programs on it. I can load this if I want to try out various security programs. This seems easier than removing programs in order to try others. It's not always easy to clean a system entirely of security programs, so a disk image that doesn't have any on it comes in handy sometimes.
I've tried third-party imaging programs. They have worked OK but find none do the imaging any better than Windows 7's own included way. It has always worked very reliably for me.
Many of the imagining products have issues with the strange partition systems that Windows 7 64-bit makes. I usually make a single partition with gparted before letting windows 7 do its install to eliminate problems.
Acronis and different versions of Ghosty I have tried are not reliable otherwise.
One thing that I worked out when trying to use the inbuilt windows 7 imaging tool is that it is NOT a cloning tool. It will not restore your image to another machine even if identical in specs.
I recently upgraded a pile of computers at my work from windows XP to Win 7, so I set up the first computer with a base operating system updates and standard applications. I din't activate windows at that time.
I then ran the Windows 7 backup, and then tried to restore to another identical computer....and it wouldn't.
The implication for this is that if your computer has a hardware failure (probably other than hard drive) ie motherboard, network card Windows 7 backup will detect your rebuilt computer as not being the same as the one that was backed up. It won't restore and you will have a major problem getting your computer working again.
Why Microsoft did this i have no idea. Maybe they didn't want to compete with other companies in the cloning market. Your guess is as good as mine.
Acronis and different versions of Ghosty I have tried are not reliable otherwise.
One thing that I worked out when trying to use the inbuilt windows 7 imaging tool is that it is NOT a cloning tool. It will not restore your image to another machine even if identical in specs.
I recently upgraded a pile of computers at my work from windows XP to Win 7, so I set up the first computer with a base operating system updates and standard applications. I din't activate windows at that time.
I then ran the Windows 7 backup, and then tried to restore to another identical computer....and it wouldn't.
The implication for this is that if your computer has a hardware failure (probably other than hard drive) ie motherboard, network card Windows 7 backup will detect your rebuilt computer as not being the same as the one that was backed up. It won't restore and you will have a major problem getting your computer working again.
Why Microsoft did this i have no idea. Maybe they didn't want to compete with other companies in the cloning market. Your guess is as good as mine.
Please clarify what you mean by "strange partition systems that Windows 7 64-bit makes". Are you meaning the System Reserved Partition?
I have used Acronis for imaging for the last seven years or thereabout. I must have made over 100 images during this period and restored as many. There has only been one occasion when the image made with Acronis did not qualify in the validation process. There has never been a failure in restoring the image. I therefore find Acronis very reliable. How many failures have you had?
I think Windows Imaging Tool came on the scene with W 7. By then I was so steeped in Acronis that I never felt the need to cross-over.
I have used Acronis for imaging for the last seven years or thereabout. I must have made over 100 images during this period and restored as many. There has only been one occasion when the image made with Acronis did not qualify in the validation process. There has never been a failure in restoring the image. I therefore find Acronis very reliable. How many failures have you had?
I think Windows Imaging Tool came on the scene with W 7. By then I was so steeped in Acronis that I never felt the need to cross-over.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by jbheller The implication for this is that if your computer has a hardware failure (probably other than hard drive) ie motherboard, network card Windows 7 backup will detect your rebuilt computer as not being the same as the one that was backed up. It won't restore and you will have a major problem getting your computer working again.
Concerning the specific comment above, you certainly can reimage to a new HDD. However, Windows imaging wants to restore the full MBR from the original PC the image was made. This includes the partition table. So you will get a failure if the new HDD is smaller.
I think reimaging to an altered PC should work since it is a process driven by the reimaging process provided on the system repair boot CD. But you may then get problems with activation and drivers. On the same PC windows allows a number of hardware changes before it decides "This is a new PC" and needs reactivation.
If you have a retail OS license then you can change the whole PC or its components. This link may help
Some questions about re-activation when hardware changes - Microsoft Answers
This tutorial may also help
Windows 7 Installation - Transfer to a New Computer
I have 1 fresh install image created with Clonezilla and take weekly images with Drive Snapshot, not a single issue this way.
From what I remember, Win 7 is locked in to the PC where it is installed. In which case, it is probably not helpful to look for a program that will clone the system and allow one to install it in a new PC.
With that, what one will probably do given a new PC is to install a new copy of the OS (if it doesn't have one), then load the system image as a virtual, copy various files to a temporary directory in the hard disk of the new PC, then copy any data files and configurations that one wants or can use.
With that, what one will probably do given a new PC is to install a new copy of the OS (if it doesn't have one), then load the system image as a virtual, copy various files to a temporary directory in the hard disk of the new PC, then copy any data files and configurations that one wants or can use.
hey, nice article. with computers, nothing is written in stone and each of us has their own way of getting things done. but this article gives the basics of save, save, save which we all need to do. i have been using macrium free with a win pe rescue disc and they work great together. and i have almost exactly the set-up you portray. ssd main drive with two partitions, operating system and stuff. 2nd internal hdd, two partitions, operating system and stuff. and an external ter hdd set the same way. everything is simple and easy to image and restore. thanks again for the nice article.
As you say. You can never have too many backups and Macrium does make it painless.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by clasof56 hey, nice article. with computers, nothing is written in stone and each of us has their own way of getting things done. but this article gives the basics of save, save, save which we all need to do. i have been using macrium free with a win pe rescue disc and they work great together. and i have almost exactly the set-up you portray. ssd main drive with two partitions, operating system and stuff. 2nd internal hdd, two partitions, operating system and stuff. and an external ter hdd set the same way. everything is simple and easy to image and restore. thanks again for the nice article.
Quite true. They do so even after any number of lessons.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs �� Quote: Originally Posted by clasof56 You are welcome. As you say, this is one way of doing things - but there are many other valid approaches. The main thing is that one backs up at all. Unfortunately the majority of PC users do not do that. They operate a PC like a washing machine.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs �� Quote: Originally Posted by clasof56 hey, nice article. with computers, nothing is written in stone and each of us has their own way of getting things done. but this article gives the basics of save, save, save which we all need to do. i have been using macrium free with a win pe rescue disc and they work great together. and i have almost exactly the set-up you portray. ssd main drive with two partitions, operating system and stuff. 2nd internal hdd, two partitions, operating system and stuff. and an external ter hdd set the same way. everything is simple and easy to image and restore. thanks again for the nice article.
Is it possible to create an image from a laptop through a wireless router to a slave drive on a desktop?
If you can access that drive from the laptop, e.g. as a shared drive, it should be possible. But given the amount of data an image has, it might be very slow. You will, however, not be able to recover from that image. The WinPE recovery disc does not have that kind of facilities.
If that does not work, make an image to a folder in a seperate partition of the laptop and move that image to the outboard drive. But here again, for the recovery that drive must be physically attached to the laptop.
If that does not work, make an image to a folder in a seperate partition of the laptop and move that image to the outboard drive. But here again, for the recovery that drive must be physically attached to the laptop.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by wanchoo Quite true. They do so even after any number of lessons.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs �� Quote: Originally Posted by clasof56 You are welcome. As you say, this is one way of doing things - but there are many other valid approaches. The main thing is that one backs up at all. Unfortunately the majority of PC users do not do that. They operate a PC like a washing machine.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs �� Quote: Originally Posted by clasof56 hey, nice article. with computers, nothing is written in stone and each of us has their own way of getting things done. but this article gives the basics of save, save, save which we all need to do. i have been using macrium free with a win pe rescue disc and they work great together. and i have almost exactly the set-up you portray. ssd main drive with two partitions, operating system and stuff. 2nd internal hdd, two partitions, operating system and stuff. and an external ter hdd set the same way. everything is simple and easy to image and restore. thanks again for the nice article.
a.backing up costs $$$$$ as you need to buy CDs, DVDs, USB flash drives, HDDs and other media.
b.time is needed as the info bloated when we saved all kinds of info and needed to delete or filter all those we deemed useless.
We fly the plane until it drops out of the sky. That's why!
Then we remember backup!backup!backup!backup!backup! as always appeared in PC magazines.
Really good advice, thanks. I have a regime which incorporates some of the ideas you have put forward.
For a long time I've been making images to protect myself. I used to use Drive Image a long time ago, I learnt through experience how frustrating it could be when you have to re-install everything. Putting back the OS and configuring that is not too bad but the configuration, and installation of all the remaining software over and over again is a pain. Especially for me because I am really fussy! I do make life a little easier by saving the setting files for some of the programmes as I rarely, if ever change the settings once done.
In Vista I switched to Acronis TrueImage, it never let me down and although not as fast as Drive Image used to be it was still a lot faster and lighter than Norton Ghost. I turn off the Windows Restore as soon as it is installed and now since Windows 7 I have had to upgrade to the new version of Acronis as the old version did not support Windows 7. One thing though, on my PC now this new version makes and validates a backup of my SSD in around 2 minutes while a restore of the 100MB and MBR and OS take 3 to 4 minutes. I always include the 100MB partition in my images.
My partitions are created as follows: (initially saved to my secondary internal drive and then moved to externals)
First I make 3 'fall back' images and keep them on external drives only
1 - Installation of Windows with no alterations or configuration
2 - Then with the installation of the drivers for the hardware
3 - Then with all the settings and configurations done and all Internet, Email and VPN set up.
Now I make Three more images:
4 - All my software installed and I restore those to my preferred with my settings files (moved to external Drives only).
5 - Then with all the settings and configuration done for the remainder of software including firewall access. (moved to external Drives only).
6 - The same as above but cleaned and optimized with TuneUp Utilities. (saved to internal secondary HDD and copied to externals)
Really, it is only the last image I usually ever need to access and this one I update incrementally each month.
But I keep the others just in case I ever need to go back that far, and sometimes I have needed to.
Every Year in January I make a new 'full' image and do a monthly incremental update and then delete all the previous incrementals for the old year backup and I name the new image for the year, so for this year its "2013_full_b1_s1_v1".
After a few months of stability I will delete the old full backup from the previous year which this one replaces.
I store only the last full and its corresponding incremental images on my internal D: drive as it is the most likely image I will ever need to restore.
The previous 5 are saved on two external drives, one desktop 2TB drive and a portable USB 3 drive which is only ever used for this purpose and plugged in only when needed. So far I have never needed to access an image on this drive.
I know it seems a lot but really, after the initial 5 are made the rest is a simple once-a-month process. As far as I am concerned it is time well spent.
For a long time I've been making images to protect myself. I used to use Drive Image a long time ago, I learnt through experience how frustrating it could be when you have to re-install everything. Putting back the OS and configuring that is not too bad but the configuration, and installation of all the remaining software over and over again is a pain. Especially for me because I am really fussy! I do make life a little easier by saving the setting files for some of the programmes as I rarely, if ever change the settings once done.
In Vista I switched to Acronis TrueImage, it never let me down and although not as fast as Drive Image used to be it was still a lot faster and lighter than Norton Ghost. I turn off the Windows Restore as soon as it is installed and now since Windows 7 I have had to upgrade to the new version of Acronis as the old version did not support Windows 7. One thing though, on my PC now this new version makes and validates a backup of my SSD in around 2 minutes while a restore of the 100MB and MBR and OS take 3 to 4 minutes. I always include the 100MB partition in my images.
My partitions are created as follows: (initially saved to my secondary internal drive and then moved to externals)
First I make 3 'fall back' images and keep them on external drives only
1 - Installation of Windows with no alterations or configuration
2 - Then with the installation of the drivers for the hardware
3 - Then with all the settings and configurations done and all Internet, Email and VPN set up.
Now I make Three more images:
4 - All my software installed and I restore those to my preferred with my settings files (moved to external Drives only).
5 - Then with all the settings and configuration done for the remainder of software including firewall access. (moved to external Drives only).
6 - The same as above but cleaned and optimized with TuneUp Utilities. (saved to internal secondary HDD and copied to externals)
Really, it is only the last image I usually ever need to access and this one I update incrementally each month.
But I keep the others just in case I ever need to go back that far, and sometimes I have needed to.
Every Year in January I make a new 'full' image and do a monthly incremental update and then delete all the previous incrementals for the old year backup and I name the new image for the year, so for this year its "2013_full_b1_s1_v1".
After a few months of stability I will delete the old full backup from the previous year which this one replaces.
I store only the last full and its corresponding incremental images on my internal D: drive as it is the most likely image I will ever need to restore.
The previous 5 are saved on two external drives, one desktop 2TB drive and a portable USB 3 drive which is only ever used for this purpose and plugged in only when needed. So far I have never needed to access an image on this drive.
I know it seems a lot but really, after the initial 5 are made the rest is a simple once-a-month process. As far as I am concerned it is time well spent.
Hi Fejinwales glad we could be of help.
The only minor issue I would have is the 12 months incremental chain which can easily become broken. Far better to use differentials if possible or even, with the backup speeds you have, to do full images each month.
The only minor issue I would have is the 12 months incremental chain which can easily become broken. Far better to use differentials if possible or even, with the backup speeds you have, to do full images each month.
@Kado897. I never knew they could get broken but to be honest I have considered doing new full ones each month though never really decided to actually go ahead and do it. I am unsure about the differenced between differentials and incrementals which is why I just opted for one without consideration.
I agree completely, I have just made a new full image to see how long it took, just over 2 minutes including validation. Your suggestion is now my norm. Thanks.
I will now do a bit of a clean, make sure all updates are done and on October 1 will make a new backup and change my routine.
I agree completely, I have just made a new full image to see how long it took, just over 2 minutes including validation. Your suggestion is now my norm. Thanks.
I will now do a bit of a clean, make sure all updates are done and on October 1 will make a new backup and change my routine.
Differentials are identical to the first incremental. They only need the last differential and the base image to restore. Naturally this means that differentials get larger with time but because there are only ever two files involved they are more robust than incrementals.
Ahhh. well without a doubt this would have been far the better option all this time. I was always a little concerned at the build up of the eleven extra files each years worth of backups, this was why I began keeping them in three different places, one of which was never used for anything else. Now of course I understand that I was worried about them being broken although that was a term I had never come across regarding this subject before.
I think you are right though, the time in which I can make an image is comparable to those I used to make of my Windows 98 and XP down in DOS with Drive Image, around 2 minutes so I might as well make full ones. and I've decided to do them once every three months because I do not like change, and my system rarely changes enough to warrant a full backup every month while incrementals sometimes did.
I use GoodSync for all my user files (from my D to the two externals) so that is already sorted.
Your advice and insight has been invaluable, thanks. I've rep'd you for being so helpful.
I think you are right though, the time in which I can make an image is comparable to those I used to make of my Windows 98 and XP down in DOS with Drive Image, around 2 minutes so I might as well make full ones. and I've decided to do them once every three months because I do not like change, and my system rarely changes enough to warrant a full backup every month while incrementals sometimes did.
I use GoodSync for all my user files (from my D to the two externals) so that is already sorted.
Your advice and insight has been invaluable, thanks. I've rep'd you for being so helpful.
The advantage of doing a monthly image is that it ties in with Windows update.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by kado897 The advantage of doing a monthly image is that it ties in with Windows update.
Good point. But I only update my OS rarely, perhaps once each quarter.
I really see no advantage of doing differentials or incrementals. Disk space is cheap and the imaging can run in the background - thus not using any real time.
Full images are safe and are much easier to manage. I now make a full image of my system partition about twice per week and of the data partition when needed.
Full images are safe and are much easier to manage. I now make a full image of my system partition about twice per week and of the data partition when needed.
Hi, I have just read whs' initial post on this thread and it is very informative, but I just have a few questions.
Just a little background information, I'm a young IT Professional who's working for a company that is not so big but can't really be considered as a "Small and Medium Enterprise". I have just recently started my employment with this company as an IT Support/IT Assistant. Our department consists of merely 4 employees including myself. One is the Systems Administrator and the other one is the Assistant Systems Administrator and then two IT Assistant's, again, myself included. We mostly refer to our Sys Ad as the most senior in our department, he is also mostly the one responsible for our company's networking with a little help from the Assistant Sys Ad. As for the other IT Assistant and I, we mostly focus on the on-site support for our users. We mostly deal with day to day troubleshooting and other daily tasks.
Anyway, since I started working for this company, I can't help but notice that some of their methodologies and/or strategies can still be improved to lessen our work load specially on busy and hectic days. One of the things I noticed that takes a lot of our time is when a workstation encounters problems and eventually needs a new hard drive or is need of a clean install. What they we/they normally do is reformat and reinstall everything via DVD, which I do find very tedious and time consuming mainly because you still need to change DVDs when installing board drivers, video drivers, and other applications. Although we do have some of the software installers tucked in one of our data servers but still, you have to copy them to the local drive and still install them and wait for them to finish.
Now, I do know for a fact that this can be done since I have tried it and witnessed it. I have worked on two bigger companies as an IT Support Intern that had way more computers and a much larger IT Department and what they used to do there instead of reformatting and reinstalling every single software and/or drivers, they both used images of one computer from a certain department and stored it on their servers and they just pulled it up whenever a computer needs a clean wipe instead of doing all of it manually. The only problem is I do not have the specific knowledge nor experience to handle a project this big and this is why I'm here in hopes of some of you experienced IT Professionals can help and give me some advice regarding this matter.
I also have a couple of questions on my mind about how all this imaging thing works, and here they are:
a. First of all, when imaging, what exactly does happen to the OS's Serial Number/Product Key? Will we get any problems if we just image one computer with a different serial and then restore that image on another computer? We mostly use Windows 7 Professional and Windows XP Professional, but we have more Win 7 Pro PC's than Win XP.
b. In an office environment, where would be the best place to store them that would be easy enough for us to access, a server perhaps? or an external drive? What are it's pros and cons
c. We use custom built computers that mostly have different hardware, meaning, different hardware. It means if we might have more than 3 images for certain PC builds, with this being said, would my idea of imaging systems would still be a good idea or would it be more of an hassle for me and my colleagues?
d. Lastly, since we do use custom built PC's with mostly different hardware, and if you think that this idea would just provide more headache and hassle could you recommend other ways in where I can pursue this basic idea?
That would be my questions for now and I would certainly follow up when I do think of other questions. Thank you so much in advance.
- Synth
Just a little background information, I'm a young IT Professional who's working for a company that is not so big but can't really be considered as a "Small and Medium Enterprise". I have just recently started my employment with this company as an IT Support/IT Assistant. Our department consists of merely 4 employees including myself. One is the Systems Administrator and the other one is the Assistant Systems Administrator and then two IT Assistant's, again, myself included. We mostly refer to our Sys Ad as the most senior in our department, he is also mostly the one responsible for our company's networking with a little help from the Assistant Sys Ad. As for the other IT Assistant and I, we mostly focus on the on-site support for our users. We mostly deal with day to day troubleshooting and other daily tasks.
Anyway, since I started working for this company, I can't help but notice that some of their methodologies and/or strategies can still be improved to lessen our work load specially on busy and hectic days. One of the things I noticed that takes a lot of our time is when a workstation encounters problems and eventually needs a new hard drive or is need of a clean install. What they we/they normally do is reformat and reinstall everything via DVD, which I do find very tedious and time consuming mainly because you still need to change DVDs when installing board drivers, video drivers, and other applications. Although we do have some of the software installers tucked in one of our data servers but still, you have to copy them to the local drive and still install them and wait for them to finish.
Now, I do know for a fact that this can be done since I have tried it and witnessed it. I have worked on two bigger companies as an IT Support Intern that had way more computers and a much larger IT Department and what they used to do there instead of reformatting and reinstalling every single software and/or drivers, they both used images of one computer from a certain department and stored it on their servers and they just pulled it up whenever a computer needs a clean wipe instead of doing all of it manually. The only problem is I do not have the specific knowledge nor experience to handle a project this big and this is why I'm here in hopes of some of you experienced IT Professionals can help and give me some advice regarding this matter.
I also have a couple of questions on my mind about how all this imaging thing works, and here they are:
a. First of all, when imaging, what exactly does happen to the OS's Serial Number/Product Key? Will we get any problems if we just image one computer with a different serial and then restore that image on another computer? We mostly use Windows 7 Professional and Windows XP Professional, but we have more Win 7 Pro PC's than Win XP.
b. In an office environment, where would be the best place to store them that would be easy enough for us to access, a server perhaps? or an external drive? What are it's pros and cons
c. We use custom built computers that mostly have different hardware, meaning, different hardware. It means if we might have more than 3 images for certain PC builds, with this being said, would my idea of imaging systems would still be a good idea or would it be more of an hassle for me and my colleagues?
d. Lastly, since we do use custom built PC's with mostly different hardware, and if you think that this idea would just provide more headache and hassle could you recommend other ways in where I can pursue this basic idea?
That would be my questions for now and I would certainly follow up when I do think of other questions. Thank you so much in advance.
- Synth
I think you are right. The way they are doing it is antiquated. Imaging is the way to go.
For your company you need the Macrium Pro version. But that should not be a problem. For prices see here:
http://www.macrium.com/business.aspx
a) You would use the 'Server Redeploy' function for that - see here:
http://www.macrium.com/pages/features.aspx
Not sure though whether you have to put the product key in again. I don't have that setup and never used that function.
b) You can use either one. Whatever is easiest to access.
c) In Macrium, the imaging can be scheduled. No manual intervention would be required. The images will be made at the day and time you specify - provided the system is running.
d) This can easily be done with the Redeploy function.
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50144.aspx
For your company you need the Macrium Pro version. But that should not be a problem. For prices see here:
http://www.macrium.com/business.aspx
a) You would use the 'Server Redeploy' function for that - see here:
http://www.macrium.com/pages/features.aspx
Not sure though whether you have to put the product key in again. I don't have that setup and never used that function.
b) You can use either one. Whatever is easiest to access.
c) In Macrium, the imaging can be scheduled. No manual intervention would be required. The images will be made at the day and time you specify - provided the system is running.
d) This can easily be done with the Redeploy function.
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50144.aspx
Thanks for this!!
I shall read more about Macrium then and prolly pitch the idea to one of my seniors.
Btw, just one more thing, about the serials again? How would that work exactly? I mean would there be issues with that?
I shall read more about Macrium then and prolly pitch the idea to one of my seniors.
Btw, just one more thing, about the serials again? How would that work exactly? I mean would there be issues with that?
I don't think there would be an issue as long as you have the product key. But as I said, the detailed mechanism I don't know. Why don't you send a mail to Macrium and ask.
Will do! Will read more and ask questions about it! Thank yo so much for this!
Here is some more verse I found regarding the Deployment license
http://www.macrium.com/deployment.asp
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50086.aspx
http://www.macrium.com/deployment.asp
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50086.aspx
I just saw this. May save your company some money.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs I just saw this. May save your company some money.
My computer is a laptop and I do my backups on an external drive. The external drive has free space of 296 GB. Drive C: on my laptop has 528 GB free of 557 GB. So you can see that my backups don't require that much space. My OS is Windows 8.1 and when I make an image I always use the one built in the OS from when I had 7 and now that I have 8.1. When I start the image it always warns me that the image currently on the disk will be overwritten. I of course click OK. My question is: Do I have to overwrite the previous image or can I leave it there and create a new one keeping in mind that I am using Win 8.1? Or would it be necessary for me to create another partition on the external drive.
Yeah, Windows imaging is not very user friendly - and not very reliable either. If you want to keep your old image, you'll have to move or rename it. But whether it will be useful for recovery, I don't know. I have given up on Windows imaging long time ago.
I use free Macrium and there you can keep as many images as you like and manage them as you please. And Macrium is reliable which is the most important aspect.
I use free Macrium and there you can keep as many images as you like and manage them as you please. And Macrium is reliable which is the most important aspect.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Yeah, Windows imaging is not very user friendly - and not very reliable either. If you want to keep your old image, you'll have to move or rename it. But whether it will be useful for recovery, I don't know. I have given up on Windows imaging long time ago.
I use free Macrium and there you can keep as many images as you like and manage them as you please. And Macrium is reliable which is the most important aspect.
I use free Macrium and there you can keep as many images as you like and manage them as you please. And Macrium is reliable which is the most important aspect.
Frank, download the Macrium recovery .iso from my skydrive and burn it to CD. That saves you 2 hours of download time for the WAIK.
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=475a0...A6D4035%211812
And here is a little help to get you started.
Imaging with free Macrium
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=475a0...A6D4035%211812
And here is a little help to get you started.
Imaging with free Macrium
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Frank, download the Macrium recovery .iso from my skydrive and burn it to CD. That saves you 2 hours of download time for the WAIK.
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=475a0...A6D4035%211812
And here is a little help to get you started.
Imaging with free Macrium
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=475a0...A6D4035%211812
And here is a little help to get you started.
Imaging with free Macrium
Hmm, how did you create the WinPE rescue disc that fast. You must have a very fast line. I hope you did not make a Linux rescue disc - they are no good.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Hmm, how did you create the WinPE rescue disc that fast. You must have a very fast line. I hope you did not make a Linux rescue disc - they are no good.
Good deal. Looks like you did everuthing right. I was just worried that you get stuck with that 1.7GB WAIK download. Last time I did it, it took 2 hours. But I have a slow ATT line.
Btw:
During the imaging process, you can 'hide' the window and go on doing other things. Macrium freezes the system status at the beginning and the imaging rolls on in the background.
Besides the rescue CD you can also create a rescue stick. Now that you have the WAIK, that will only take a couple of minutes. It takes 1.6MB on the stick so a small stick suffices.
Btw:
During the imaging process, you can 'hide' the window and go on doing other things. Macrium freezes the system status at the beginning and the imaging rolls on in the background.
Besides the rescue CD you can also create a rescue stick. Now that you have the WAIK, that will only take a couple of minutes. It takes 1.6MB on the stick so a small stick suffices.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs Btw:
During the imaging process, you can 'hide' the window and go on doing other things. Macrium freezes the system status at the beginning and the imaging rolls on in the background.
Right, it is the snapshot technique. And I think they use the Volume Shadow Copy service for that. Remember how fast that is to create a restore point.
Another couple of tips:
If you 1) click on Backup Definition File, 2) Highlight the kind of image you like to make and 3) click on the cogwheel, then it will exactly repeat the image with the definitions you made previously for that case. That's why it is good to give a name to the xml files - after you said 'Finish' at the definition phase.
The xml files are in a folder named 'Reflect' in your Documents folder. If you ever want to get rid of a definition, delete the xml there - not within Macrium. It's cleaner.
You can schedule your images. Of course the system has to be running at that time. See pics for details.
Another couple of tips:
If you 1) click on Backup Definition File, 2) Highlight the kind of image you like to make and 3) click on the cogwheel, then it will exactly repeat the image with the definitions you made previously for that case. That's why it is good to give a name to the xml files - after you said 'Finish' at the definition phase.
The xml files are in a folder named 'Reflect' in your Documents folder. If you ever want to get rid of a definition, delete the xml there - not within Macrium. It's cleaner.
You can schedule your images. Of course the system has to be running at that time. See pics for details.
I'm trying to formulate a strategy to make a boot-able backup. I have a 128 GB SDD where my OS (win7 Ultimate) resides. I then have a 2 TB hard drive, D & E partitions. The D partition is where I store my applications, page files, logs, etc. (I do this to keep as much as possible off my SDD to extend it's life but still boots fast. The E partition is my data which I sync to another 1 TB drive.
I have a new 1 TB drive that I've partitioned to 128 GB and the second is the rest of the 1 TB. I migrated my OS from the SDD using Paragon Hard Drive Suite 14 with a shutdown on completion. My next step would be to copy the D (applications) partition to that second new partition with the thought I would end up with a boot-able backup drive by removing my SDD and 2TB drives and setting the first boot device to the backup drive.
But I'm getting the feeling I've missed something so I've stopped at this point and thought it best to run this by people that know a lot more than I do.
I have a new 1 TB drive that I've partitioned to 128 GB and the second is the rest of the 1 TB. I migrated my OS from the SDD using Paragon Hard Drive Suite 14 with a shutdown on completion. My next step would be to copy the D (applications) partition to that second new partition with the thought I would end up with a boot-able backup drive by removing my SDD and 2TB drives and setting the first boot device to the backup drive.
But I'm getting the feeling I've missed something so I've stopped at this point and thought it best to run this by people that know a lot more than I do.
I think the OS when on the 1TB drive will still be looking for the other OS files on the original drive where you placed them. Moving those files to another drive does not update the addresses inside the OS. So bottom line - it won't work.
What you can do is to bring all those displaced OS files inboard onto the SSD and then image that OS to the 1TB drive. Then you are transferring a closed whole system with no external references.
What you can do is to bring all those displaced OS files inboard onto the SSD and then image that OS to the 1TB drive. Then you are transferring a closed whole system with no external references.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by whs I think the OS when on the 1TB drive will still be looking for the other OS files on the original drive where you placed them. Moving those files to another drive does not update the addresses inside the OS. So bottom line - it won't work.
What you can do is to bring all those displaced OS files inboard onto the SSD and then image that OS to the 1TB drive. Then you are transferring a closed whole system with no external references.
What you can do is to bring all those displaced OS files inboard onto the SSD and then image that OS to the 1TB drive. Then you are transferring a closed whole system with no external references.
Thanks!
Keep your apps with your OS. Image that partition. Data goes elsewhere, and is handled separately.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by Victor S Keep your apps with your OS. Image that partition. Data goes elsewhere, and is handled separately.
I'm a firm believer in KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Due to the increasing amount of data I have (imaging and cloning take too long now) and the desire to be able to access data from a backup without having to use a program to mount an image, the only thing I image anymore now is my boot SSD, which only has the OS and System Reserved partitions on it. I prefer Macrium Reflect over Win 7's imaging since I've never had MR fail me and I've read far too many accounts of people having problem with Win 7's imaging program. In fact, I've found imaging with MR to be far, far more reliable than System Restore so I shut the latter off.
Since the only thing I image anymore is the entire boot drive (the System Reserved is only 100 MB�big deal�so it's not a problem to play it safe and include it with each image), I don't need to bother with setting MR up each time since it retains the previous settings. I also disable making an XML file when making an image since I have no need for it anymore.
I have a folder on my main data drive to park my images in (I used to use dated folders to keep them in until whs pointed out that one can just use Windows file system to identify the date of a file; duh!). I'm a firm believer in planned redundancy for backups but it takes between 9 and 10 minutes to make an image (I'm imaging 60GB; I have a huge hiberfil.sys file I have to keep for my UPS) so making multiple images or copying them to multiple drives was a bit time consuming (I also have MR set to automatically verify an image after it is made; it almost doubles the total time for making an image but it saved me from betting burned by a bad image once). Since I have the Pro version (four license family pack), I have Recovery from Windows boot menu available to me so having a copy on an internal drive in my computer is handy for quick restores. The folder I have the images in then gets automatically backed up when I back up the drive it's on so my image redundancy is taken of care of for me (by switching from cloning to using a file and folder syncing program, I've got my data backups refined to the point I can run two daily backups in just a few minutes�running my daily quick scans and backups can easily be done during the commercials of an hour long TV program�and I no longer need to do weekly data backups which took about six hours to do.).
I make a weekly image every week after running full scans on my antimalware programs (I'm also now doing quick scans daily). I also make an image before and after making any changes to my System, such as updating programs or the system, installing new programs, etc. I keep all my images for the current and previous calendar month, the only keep the first image of each month prior to that. I also keep the first image I made after installing Win 7 and running all the updates and another one I took after installing programs.
Since the only thing I image anymore is the entire boot drive (the System Reserved is only 100 MB�big deal�so it's not a problem to play it safe and include it with each image), I don't need to bother with setting MR up each time since it retains the previous settings. I also disable making an XML file when making an image since I have no need for it anymore.
I have a folder on my main data drive to park my images in (I used to use dated folders to keep them in until whs pointed out that one can just use Windows file system to identify the date of a file; duh!). I'm a firm believer in planned redundancy for backups but it takes between 9 and 10 minutes to make an image (I'm imaging 60GB; I have a huge hiberfil.sys file I have to keep for my UPS) so making multiple images or copying them to multiple drives was a bit time consuming (I also have MR set to automatically verify an image after it is made; it almost doubles the total time for making an image but it saved me from betting burned by a bad image once). Since I have the Pro version (four license family pack), I have Recovery from Windows boot menu available to me so having a copy on an internal drive in my computer is handy for quick restores. The folder I have the images in then gets automatically backed up when I back up the drive it's on so my image redundancy is taken of care of for me (by switching from cloning to using a file and folder syncing program, I've got my data backups refined to the point I can run two daily backups in just a few minutes�running my daily quick scans and backups can easily be done during the commercials of an hour long TV program�and I no longer need to do weekly data backups which took about six hours to do.).
I make a weekly image every week after running full scans on my antimalware programs (I'm also now doing quick scans daily). I also make an image before and after making any changes to my System, such as updating programs or the system, installing new programs, etc. I keep all my images for the current and previous calendar month, the only keep the first image of each month prior to that. I also keep the first image I made after installing Win 7 and running all the updates and another one I took after installing programs.
�� Quote: Originally Posted by kado897 �� Quote: Originally Posted by Victor S Keep your apps with your OS. Image that partition. Data goes elsewhere, and is handled separately.
Could someone stop by and help this member? Is it possible to add files to a system image? I did leave a simple response so he? wouldn't be left hanging.
Thanks.
Thanks.
http://www.sevenforums.com/general-d...ml#post3211155
Not sure what's up with that link you posted :/
Not sure what's up with that link you posted :/
I was afraid of that TZ, the original poster started his thread in General Discussion and it has since been moved to Backup and Restore, this is the link now: http://www.sevenforums.com/backup-re...ml#post3211155
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét