HD Backup

[SERVO]

I'm getting a WD80GB. If I partition this drive into lets say a 3,25,25,25,2,GIG and install my OS,Drivers,updates on C:{3GIG}, can I copy it to the G:{2GIG}. Then if C: gets corrupted all I would have to do is format C: and copy G: to C: and Budda Bing! back in Business. Would this work????

 

[lhgpoobaa]

I guess that would work, but i would have a bigger OS partition (mines 5gb)
then use the windows backup tool to make regular copies.

<b>The Intel Celleron 2.1 & 2.2Ghz processors provide consumers with a great way to get on the Internet. Which one of the 478 pins plug into the phone socket? - <i>Intel & The Inquirer</i></b>

 

[Clarentavious]

Um, I'm not quite sure. Some files Windows won't let you copy if they are loaded from the partition you booted off of. Like your IO.SYS file, your Kernel, your DETLOG.TXT (just examples). Some of the files microsoft doesn't want you to copy, and some are essential for controlling hardware and won't allow themselves to be messed with; they'll say "The file cannot be renamed or moved, the specified file is in use by Windows or active in memory" something to that nature.

You may however, be able to do this from pure DOS mode or if you boot of Windows 98 startup disk. Because in this sense, your windows files are not loaded (you're not working out of Windows, you are working out of DOS).

Some of those files are the basis of your PC, and ingrained in there, I'm not sure you can move the. Also, I don't know if you could copy the boot sector or system area (the area before the data area) of your partition.

I suppose you could try from DOS mode, but I wouldn't rely on it as backup (more of an experiment to see if it works).

There are programs that are designed for this like Ghost something or nother software (Clone, Nero even has it's only little HDD backup option).


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Benchmarks don't lie

 

[HammerBot]

No, that will not work. As said above you can't just copy everything. What you need to is to make an 'image' of the drive using tools like Norton Ghost or PowerQuest DriveImage. (DriveImage is highly recommended)

<i><b>Engineering is the fine art of making what you want from things you can get</b></i>
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[SERVO]

Well it sounded good just wishful thinking I guess. I read the reviews on driveImage over at cnet, you should take a look it's not pretty. Thanks for the replies!!!!!

 

[HammerBot]

OMG!!! There are a lot of bad experiences with DriveImage. I can't believe it :frown: . IMO the program is extremely easy to use. Fast and reliable. I have used it a lot, and have never had problems with it. I use it on my RAID0 array and can take an image of my 5GB boot partition (3GB worth of data) in about 1min and 20 sec. Restore takes about 1min.

I used Norton Ghost before DriveImage. But NG cannot write the imagefile to an NTFS partition. DriveImage can. Further, its made by PowerQuest and not Norton Somehow, it makes the program more trustworthy since PowerQuest makes excellent programs and I have never had problems with any of them. I can't exactly say that for Norton programs.

<i><b>Engineering is the fine art of making what you want from things you can get</b></i>
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