moving data files & imaging??

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Hi members,
I have partitioned my new laptop as recommended by more experienced, knowledgeable members here. Other than moving ‘My documents, music, picture, video and roaming files’ to the DATA PARTITION [F drive], what else is there to move?
DATA FILES
1. Should RECYCLE BIN be in C drive or F drive?

2. I intend to install WIN AMP; is there any file to move over to F drive?

3. I intend to install ‘MS LIVE ESSENTIAL’ and/or THUNDERBIRD; What files should be moved to F drive?

4. Browsers [IE, Firefox]; any files to move over to F drive?

IMAGING
Can each partition be imaged separately by WIN7 imaging tool?

Thank you
Spec

Win7 home premium, 320GB SATA HDD

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1. Recycle is drive specific and cannot be moved.
2. Winamp saves your data in a local database. I would check the Winamp forums for location and move info.
3. Ditto for email data. Check the relevant forums.
4. Browsers mainly use temporary storage which should not be moved.
Favourites are stored in different locations which may be able to be moved.
IE uses %userprofile%Favorites. Click Start > Run and type %userprofile% to see the location.
Firefox saves them in bookmark.html. See this link for details.

Partitions are always imaged independently.

cheers, Paul

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thank you. i will check the net for more info. hope other loungers can share how they deal with email in partitioned computer. if any loungers know of any good articles dealing with email/partitions, would appreciate you to share it.

thank you.
spec

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Here are the folder I moved to my Data (D) partition:

There may be others, but this encompasses most of the larger consumption data.As you can see the IE favorites are included. So far I have not figured out where Google Chrome stores it’s bookmarks, so do not know if these can be moved.

I do not know about the Win 7 Imaging as I use Acronis True Image Home 2010 and 2011 (2 separate PC’s). Using Acronis I can Image any or all my partitions, and can restore any or all as I see fit. When I create a new Image (any time I make a change) I usually let Acronis Image all 3 partitions as it does not add much to the Imaging time frame. I generally Image all partitions, then restore just the OS (C Drive in my case) partition when the need arises (It seems to arise periodically as I spend time “playing: with my system so much, Oh Well). Since my data drive is not very full, Imaging works for it. With a lot of data, I would not use Imaging, just incremental changes to back up to my Ext USB HD.

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See Backup your programs,system files, and settings for a description of how Windows Backup handles multiple partitions.

Joe

--Joe

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Visit my homepage (the link is in my signature) for more information of partitioning, backup, etc.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Ted:
I noticed in your reply’s picture that you have a Programs folder on your data drive.
Somewhere (over the rainbow) I had gotten the idea that the OS and installed programs
should be on the OS’s drive, so that one didn’t have to reinstall programs when recovering
the OS.

I must be missing something. Can you explain your rationale please.

Thanks,
Dick

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Ted:
I noticed in your reply’s picture that you have a Programs folder on your data drive.
Somewhere (over the rainbow) I had gotten the idea that the OS and installed programs
should be on the OS’s drive, so that one didn’t have to reinstall programs when recovering
the OS.

I must be missing something. Can you explain your rationale please.

Thanks,
Dick

Actually the programs folder is blank. Not sure how it is there. Will be deleteing it shortly.

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Ted:
I noticed in your reply’s picture that you have a Programs folder on your data drive.
Somewhere (over the rainbow) I had gotten the idea that the OS and installed programs
should be on the OS’s drive, so that one didn’t have to reinstall programs when recovering
the OS.

I must be missing something. Can you explain your rationale please.

Thanks,
Dick

When installing programs I always choose to change the destination folder to “Programs” on my data drive. The program itself will run on the c drive just fine. This keeps the size of the c drive to a minimum and thus is easier to image.

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Thanks for sharing your screen shot, Ted. I will run it through an OCR program so my screenreader can read it back to me.

Thanks, Joe. I have followed your link.

Dearren, your site is a very useful resource. Thanks
Cheers, spec

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FLAG1=HKLMSOFTWARENullsoftWinamp
FLAG2=%ProgramFiles%Winampwinamp.ini

Capture this registry key for winamp HKLMSOFTWARENullsoftWinamp
And this file ProgramFilesWinampwinamp.ini

You can do same stuff with Firefox carry over all your settings and everything

In fact with most applications

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great! this is really useful, thanks
cheers, spec

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Paul , aka PT, good day to you.

” Partitions are always imaged independently.”

Not so, I clone all in one lump. My mantra, a clone is so much better than selective imaging.

Be good. Jean.

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Jean, they are done in one lump but they are still discrete items.

cheers, Paul

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Hello PT.

Jean, they are done in one lump but they are still discrete items.

I wrote this in contrast to doing plain backups, ie: one folder at the time, or partition. In a clone, all is done in one action and I can go for a cuppa in the mean time, ± 20 minutes. No other action or inputs required from me and I like this . Being of simple mind, I like simple action.

And I will agree with you, they are discrete items too as if you had done them one at the time as for doing all backups. What else do you need ? You can go into a clone and reverse backup discretely any file/folder/partition. I just clone back again, the whole shebang and enjoy another cuppa. Granted, I am lazy and different.

Be good. Jean.

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Jean,

How do you keep older backups if you clone the whole drive? This basically is a one drive one backup setup. I have many times had to restore back one or two versions of an image because the current version had the same problem as the running machine. (such as a virus infection that happened before the last image.).

The advantage of a clone is that you can put the drive in the machine, start it up an you are running with no restore time. The downside is versioning…. and the fact that you lose the advantage of not needing to image the partitions that never change.

Input? Thoughts?

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Jean,

How do you keep older backups if you clone the whole drive? This basically is a one drive one backup setup. I have many times had to restore back one or two versions of an image because the current version had the same problem as the running machine. (such as a virus infection that happened before the last image.).

The advantage of a clone is that you can put the drive in the machine, start it up an you are running with no restore time. The downside is versioning…. and the fact that you lose the advantage of not needing to image the partitions that never change.

Input? Thoughts?

The advantage of using an imaging tool that works outside of the Windows environment without automation is that it encourages one to make certain a partition is prepared for imaging beforehand. Cleanup, dump the AV and AM quarantine files, etc. and defrag. I know that my image files are clean and ready to restore. Of course it helps having more than one PC, because other things can be done while the image files are being made, and while they’re being burned. (BootIt NG will also burn directly to DVD, which I sometimes do, depending on which partitions I’m imaging.)

This is also where DVD’s become helpful. I regularly image only the partitions (OS, Users) that change regularly, those that change infrequently (photos, music, programs) only when they change. I have BootIt NG split the image files into 2 GB segments, and when I’m ready to burn I put two sequential segments per DVD.

I can restore my entire system from several DVD’s with varying dates, and it all works with nothing lost other than some routine log files. Or I can restore only what is necessary. See post #14 in this thread.[/font]

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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bbearren, greetings.

The advantage of using an imaging tool that works outside of the Windows environment without automation is that it encourages one to make certain a partition is prepared for imaging beforehand., dump the AV and AM quarantine files, etc. and defrag. I know that my image files are clean and ready to restore.

I can restore only what is necessary. See post #14 in this thread.[/font]

I ignore what I am doing wrong here, I never have an AV or AM to purge. My surfing is secured. My system is clean. With a clone, you can also restore whatever you need, single partition, single file or folder. It is a mirror of your system, no less. But again, one has to be sure of his system.

We are all individuals, thanks Heavens. Jean.

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bbearren, greetings.

I ignore what I am doing wrong here, I never have an AV or AM to purge. My surfing is secured. My system is clean. With a clone, you can also restore whatever you need, single partition, single file or folder. It is a mirror of your system, no less. But again, one has to be sure of his system.

We are all individuals, thanks Heavens. Jean.

Yes, we are. Some do have quarantined files.

Your clone is on magnetic media. My images are on DVD’s. It has been my experience that magnetic media can fail without warning and even be rendered worthless, whereas DVD’s must be physically abused in order to be rendered worthless.

I prefer that added layer of security. I have restored a number of times, particularly on this “bench” machine, because I abuse the machine intentionally.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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mercyh, hello. I should write this as Mercyh, sir.

Jean,

How do you keep older backups if you clone the whole drive? This basically is a one drive one backup setup. I have many times had to restore back one or two versions of an image because the current version had the same problem as the running machine. (such as a virus infection that happened before the last image.).

The advantage of a clone is that you can put the drive in the machine, start it up an you are running with no restore time. The downside is versioning…. and the fact that you lose the advantage of not needing to image the partitions that never change.

Input? Thoughts?

I do not keep any old clone. The system runs fine ? It is the first of the month ? I do a clone and on this same USB HD, using Acronis TI. When I first used Acronis, it was for this purpose of replacing the small HD on a Thinkpad with a large one. I then studied what was on the HD and I thought that if I could extract any data from the machine, I could also do the same with the clone destination. It simplified my opus operandi.

You also said :

Ahh, that makes sense, we are not on the same page in using the words clone and image.

You are just not whistling Dixee, semantics still escapes me. I was educated in French and still stuggle at times. Clone to me is a better term than image or mirror, they might all be the same. The other option back up, to me invokes a file by file copy/move of all the stuff on a HD to another one, whatever it be. All I know is that we might be arguing about the same thing, but in a friendly way.
Jean.

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Monsieur Jean Parrot, (your English is much better then my French, in fact, I think your English is better then my English)

I should write this as Mercyh, sir.

Why?

To me an image is a copy of a partition or a drive contained in a single file. This file contains all the files from the original partition and the exact file structure. A backup hard drive can contain several of these files if it is large enough. If the backup drive is plugged into a machine and set as the boot drive, this backup will not boot as all the computer sees is the image file.

A Cloned drive is an exact copy of a drive onto another drive. This is all the files and the exact file structure of the first drive replicated on the second drive. The backup drive can only contain the current copy of the first drive as the next time the drive is cloned it will overwrite the first clone. This drive can be installed on the cloned machine in place of the original drive and the machine will boot just like the original drive was there.

each system has its own set of advantages. Restoring from a drive failure with a cloned drive takes about 5 minutes (the time to open the case, unplug the old drive, plug the new drive in and hit the power button.) Restoring from an image involves replacing the bad drive, booting into some sort of restore environment and “laying down” the image on the new drive.

The disadvantage of a clone is that if you delete a file from the system and do not discover it before recloning the drive, you cannot retrieve it as it is also not in the clone. With imaging you can save multiple images so you can maybe go back two or three images to a time before you deleted the file, mount the image and pull the file out. The advantage of imaging and judicious partitioning is that you can image some partitions that never change and not need to reimage that partition for months and the image is still current. Other partitions on the same disk may change daily or weekly and can be imaged individually according to need.

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Boot It NG will be moving to Version 2 of the software in the near future.

Terabyte’s Image products are already at Version 2 with many more options than are currently available for imaging with BING. Image for DOS and Image for Linux can also open, restore, and validate Image for Windows files as well as those created in each. On some systems IFL or IFD will run a bit faster so do try IFW, IFD and IFL on your own computers to see what you like best. I used to use either IFL or IFD. Now I rarely will use anything but Image for Windows after restoring successfully a number of times over the years.

I have used Terabyte’s imaging programs for around 7 years with over all good results. They do update their products regularly over the years with no additional cost. Only upgrades require a new purchase.

Check it out.

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Ahh, that makes sense, we are not on the same page in using the words clone and image.

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If I am correct, a clone is used to transfer the contents of a HD to a different HD, as when a HD is beginning to fail and a new HD is purchased to replace the failing drive, or when a larger HD is replacing a smaller HD. In this case it technically means that after a drive is cloned, the original HD needs to be purged to keep in line with the EULA. (You can only contain an operational OS on one HD with the same key) A clone is a bootable copy of a HD, whereas, as mercyh states, an Image can’t be booted from, but must be loaded using a rescue media created for this purpose. A clone is a bootable copy, an Image is not. In the truest sense a clone should not be used to back up a partition because the clone is itself bootable.

If I am mistaken on this point please someone let me know. Thanks. Cheers, Ted

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If I am correct, a clone is used to transfer the contents of a HD to a different HD, as when a HD is beginning to fail and a new HD is purchased to replace the failing drive, or when a larger HD is replacing a smaller HD. In this case it technically means that after a drive is cloned, the original HD needs to be purged to keep in line with the EULA. (You can only contain an operational OS on one HD with the same key) A clone is a bootable copy of a HD, whereas, as mercyh states, an Image can’t be booted from, but must be loaded using a rescue media created for this purpose. A clone is a bootable copy, an Image is not. In the truest sense a clone should not be used to back up a partition because the clone is itself bootable.

If I am mistaken on this point please someone let me know. Thanks. Cheers, Ted

For all intents and purposes, you are correct. One distinction is that a clone is not bootable in and of itself; it must be installed into a PC; the EULA does say “installed”. I haven’t seen anything in the EULA that makes a distinction in the type of backup copy, just that one backup copy is legal. I would take that to mean that having a copy of the installation DVD and a HD clone would be counted as two copies of the software.

On the other hand, I doubt that MS will send a team of lawyers…

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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I was going to add that I doubt MS will go after the individual making a back up of his OS in case of failure. They are much more interested in getting those copying their S/W for sale as we all should be. S/W developers spend a great deal of their dollars attempting to stop pirating. These dollars come from somewhere, and I believe that is from increased costs of their S/W.

bbearen, question, if the clone is placed on an ext HD which is connected to a PC, would it be bootable in this format? I am curious because I have never tried this and may never try it.

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I was going to add that I doubt MS will go after the individual making a back up of his OS in case of failure. They are much more interested in getting those copying their S/W for sale as we all should be. S/W developers spend a great deal of their dollars attempting to stop pirating. These dollars come from somewhere, and I believe that is from increased costs of their S/W.

bbearen, question, if the clone is placed on an ext HD which is connected to a PC, would it be bootable in this format? I am curious because I have never tried this and may never try it.

If the BIOS supports and is set to boot from USB as the first boot device, it should be. I know mine will. I’m not sure whether that would be considered as “installed”, since it’s a portable HD. I do know from my own questions to MS support that a paralled installation of a single licensed copy of Windows is considered contrary to the EULA (even though it is a suggested remedy from MS support to repair a Windows installation, with step-by-step instructions; go figure).

I would consider that using cloning as backup is rather precarious if one has only one clone drive. The clone image would have to be overwritten each time the backup is updated, which would leave one without a backup if the clone drive failed during the process.

Also, leaving the clone drive always connected to the PC is sort of like keeping all of your eggs in one basket.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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As long as you are installing to the same PC, same OS, same key I see no way they can say I’m violating anything. It is a 1 PC license.

It has been my experience that magnetic media can fail without warning and even be rendered worthless

Early on with western digital, maxtor I would agree since most those I bought and still piled up in the closet here had problems.

Seagate, Samsung are the drives I have formatted several hundred times and they still ticking.

My first at home 486sx 50 mhz packard bell with 400mb Seagate I know I done format c: /U a 100 times or more discovering installation with win 3.1/dos. It’s still running at in-laws as a game machine for all them old windows Entertainment pack games.

But I have my backups and they are on the 2nd drive and robocopy to pass protected external usb. I don’t waste time with dvd’s unless doing a full Se7en install with Dvd-RW. Acronis puts me back in minutes if I go that route. No complicated nothing cause it’s the complete image.

But, we all have our own methods and will stick by them until we experience failure

I want to figure out how to place my install.wim on a hidden partition like the OEM do it and be able to call that from F8 menu as they do.

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Hello Mercyh.

I agree… Monsieur Jean Parrot, (your English is much better then my French, in fact, I think your English is better then my English)
Than not then, twice.

I should write this as Mercyh, sir.
Why?
I accepted a long time ago that anybody from whom I learn, is worth respect. This said, I see that the problem was semantics, you do a clone and call it an image, fair enough. The point is that as Ted said, a clone is to be done mainly to replace a failing HD after replacing it and this is how I got to be doing clones. After the fact, I noticed that all was on the destination HD and that it was as good as doing back-ups. Why complicate my life, KISS ! So, my mantra is toward clones.

This Windows.old folder is also a fine institution, I will be testing it soon as I install 1 of 3 Se7en from a family pack, it might make for a smoother operation. I will be atempting an “over” install first, over Vista, that is. If this way, I can save all the drivers and my sister’s setting, so much the better.

Edit: I just reread Ted’s lines and if an image can not be booted, is it due to the fact that it does not include the OS or the MBR ? Then my saying that the image is like a clone is wrong, using “mirror” would be a better terminology.

You have a great day, Sir, including Ted, Gerald, bb, PT, Joe and a whole bunch of fine persons here. Jean.

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Edit: I just reread Ted’s lines and if an image can not be booted, is it due to the fact that it does not include the OS or the MBR ? Then my saying that the image is like a clone is wrong, using “mirror” would be a better terminology.

For the sake of clarity, a “clone” is usually considered to be an exact, uncompressed copy from one hard drive to another hard drive. Many hard drive manufacturers include cloning software to make replacing an existing drive (impending failure, upgrade to a larger drive, etc.) easier. The old drive is copied to the new drive, then the new drive replaces the old drive in the machine, and away you go!

A drive “image” is usually considered a bit-for-bit copying of a partition that is compressed on the fly by the imaging software, so that the resulting image file is about half the size of the aggragate files on the partition from which the image is being made. Since the image file is compressed, it is not bootable even though it contains the MBR (if it is an image of the boot partition) and all relevent files. With the right utility, an image file can be mounted as a virtual hard drive and files explored/retrieved if necessary, but it is still not bootable.

But, an image set (image files of all partitions on a hard drive) can be used to create a “clone” of a hard drive if the imaging software is itself bootable, so that it can read the image files and uncompress them on the fly and write them to a hard drive. This is quite handy when a hard drive fails catastrophically and one’s drive images are current. One would replace the failed hard drive in the machine with a new drive, restore the image set using the imaging software, and away you go!

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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