Build System Restore DVD

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I just built a new notebook & have all the software & settings set up just the way desired.

What I’d like to do is make the homemade equivalent of the otherwise nefarious Dell System Restore DVD. This way if I hose my system for any reason, I’d like to be able to simply insert & boot to a DVD that easily places an entire exact copy of what was on my system previously – OS, drivers, apps, settings….the whole kit-and-kaboodle.

Does anyone recommend a piece of software that can easily & dependably accomplish this? I’d prefer recommendations of only those who have personally encountered successful use of such software.

Thanks in advance

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Hiya, Bruce! If you search this very forum, you’ll find all kinds of recommendations for both True Image and recently Shadow Protect. And as far as I know, at least here in The Lounge, all of those comments are coming from Loungers with first-hand imaging and restoration experience with the software in question. For example, I’ve used first True Image for a long time and now Shadow Protect and have made MANY successful full-system restores. Some have been as recent as my newly installed Vista. Neither of the two is free, but their price is well worth the protection you garner! Keep us posted on what YOU decide.

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Hi, Al!

Acronis True Image I’ve never had luck with in th past – typically plagued w/ corruption issues when trying to restore, so I have no confidence in it. I’m not looking for anything free, just someting reliable & proven to work consistently. I haven’t heard of Shadow Protect – I’ll look into it. Is this how the Dell & HP/Compaq images made? You might have guessed that I am tinkering w/ Vista & need to restore.

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Is this how the Dell & HP/Compaq images made?

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[/indent]I think OEM images are built in some other fashion, as they usually are only partially installed (you have to enter registration keys to complete the process).

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Bruce,

If you are looking for a paid version, you may want to try Norton Ghost V14

I have had good luck with this in the past and was able to backup restore over a home network. The company I used to work for used the enterprise edition for controlling 250-300 PC’s.

For my main computer at home, I tend to use an external hard drive (actually it is an internal hard drive in external case – when the hard drive crashed, I just swapped hard drives and only lost from last backup).

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Scott,

>> For my main computer at home, I tend to use an external hard drive (actually it is an internal hard drive in external case – when the hard drive crashed, I just swapped hard drives and only lost from last backup). <<

What software are you using with the external hard drive?

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John,

I have been using a program from Runtime Software called DriveImage XML. You can also run the program from WinPE/BartPE boot CD-ROM which I have found extemely useful.

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Scott ~

In your use w/ the Ghost, can you take the image stored on a DVD, insert it into the DVD tray of a non-formatted, new HD w/ no OS, boot to it and have the entire system that was saved restored?

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Hey Bruce !!! How’s things ???

Take a look at the answers to a similar question on another forum, here.

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Good, Doc, thanks!

I’ve narrowed it down to Shadow Protect & True Image. Paramount is the ability to boot to optical medium or an external hard drive w/ the program utility on it to simply restore to previously configured state.

I’m also considering cloning the HD to another notebook HD so if the drive goes weider kaputt, I can just swap it out. Anyone recommend from personal experience any notebook HD cloning apps?

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No offense to Scott, Bruce, and I know you said you had some trouble with TI, but if you’re considering Norton Ghost, you ought to do some Googling to see if you can find anything recent that compares such products. In days gone by, Ghost would have been third or fourth on many people’s lists, but I’ve only read that – never been a user. Just a “buyer beware.”

Start here: Drive-Imaging: Beyond Backup – Reviews by PC Magazine

Edited to add: I forgot to say that none of the three mentioned programs (TI, SP or Ghost) produces a bootable, single disc from which a system can be restored. The software has you create an “emergency boot CD” which, in conjunction with your backup media, be it DVD or (my recommendation) USB hard drive, DOES restore a system completely.

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No offense taken – I was only stating I had some positive experience as well as the company I used to work for. I do not currently use Norton, I found a better way for me as stated in post 722,584.

As an aside, I had read PC Magazine yesterday while waiting in the Dentist office,the article was called Managing Drive Images by Matthew D. Sarrel. This article also reference using (NOT for the faint of heart) ImageX Vista utility. At the bottom was a reference similar to your at http://go.pcmag.com/drive_imaging%5B/url%5D.

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