how to make an image of my hdd into bootable DOK?

[jekylhyde]

Hi
how can i make an image of my hdd into bootable DOK that will write the image instead of reinstalling windows?

 

[USAFRet]

Hi
how can i make an image of my hdd into bootable DOK that will write the image instead of reinstalling windows?

What is a DOK?

 

[jekylhyde]

Disk On Key

 

[USAFRet]

Disk On Key

"Disk on Key"
Presumably you're referring to a USB stick?

You can't just encapsulate your existing OS and drop it on a USB stick and expect to boot from it.
Windows does not work like that.

The is Win2Go, but that is a new install, not an already existing install.

What are you looking to do with this?

 

[jekylhyde]

i don't want to run win frmo USB
i want to backup am image of the current hard disk into a USB disk
& when the current win will get screwed i'll put the USB & boot from it & write the good image back to the hard disk.

 

[USAFRet]

i don't want to run win frmo USB
i want to backup am image of the current hard disk into a USB disk
& when the current win will get screwed i'll put the USB & boot from it & write the good image back to the hard disk.

Oh, that's no problem.

Macrium Reflect does this easily.
Install and run Macrium Reflect
Create a Macrium Reflect Rescue USB or DVD. Store this away for potential future use.
In the Macrium client, create an Image of your current drive off to some other drive. Image, not Clone.
In the future, boot from that Macrium Rescue USB, tell it which Image, and which drive to apply it to.

This is a cut down version of my daily backup routine.

 

[USAFRet]

The only possible problem with your concept is size.
That Image will be of your whole drive, not just the OS.

So you'd need a large USB stick, or preferably a USB connected HDD.

 

[jekylhyde]

i expect that a program like this will compress it.
also - i expect that it will take just the amount of actual data & will not be the size of the entire hard disk. there must be such a program.

 

[USAFRet]

i expect that a program like this will compress it.
also - i expect that it will take just the amount of actual data & will not be the size of the entire hard disk. there must be such a program.

Right.
It takes just the consumed space, not the size of the source drive.
And it does do some compression. And leaves off things that don't matter, like the pagefile.

So the actual Image will be smaller than the actual consumed space.

For instance, my current C drive is 274GB actual consumed space.
A Macrium Reflect Image (done just the other day) of that drive is 174GB.
YMMV.

 

[jekylhyde]

ok so Macrium Reflect will create an image on a usb disk that is bootable?
thanks

 

[USAFRet]

ok so Macrium Reflect will create an image on a usb disk that is bootable?
thanks

Not of your whole system, no.

You create an Image off to some other drive.
You create a bootable Rescue USB

Use that Rescue USB to boot from, and then apply that Image to some new drive.

 

[jekylhyde]

thanks but i want an app that automatically makes an image into a bootable usb disk there must be such app.

 

[USAFRet]

thanks but i want an app that automatically makes an image into a bootable usb disk there must be such app.

From earlier:

i want to backup am image of the current hard disk into a USB disk
& when the current win will get screwed i'll put the USB & boot from it & write the good image back to the hard disk.

1. Backup an Image
2. Boot from a USB
3. Write the Image back to the hard disk

Correct?
That is exactly what I laid out before.

 

[USAFRet]

Causing a full Windows install to boot from a USB is a REAL pain.