What's the best software to use to clone C: drive with XP (ntfs) on it into an image for backup purposes?
I would like to backup a few computers at work so if a hd crashes I can just pop a new one in and restore it from an image kept on a different drive. I tried this awhile back using Norton Ghost but once the image was restored onto another drive it wasn't bootable.

 

Try some Symantec Norton Ghost... and do a nice clone.

 

Try Acronis.

http://www.acronis.com/

Ghost has turned into crap the last couple of years.

 

I recommend: Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery: Desktop Edition

http://www.symantec.com/business/pro...54&pvid=1601_1

With this software you can make the backup images, make the image once, at scheduled intervals, these are live backups so they happen while your computer is still running.

It also has a baremetal recovery option incase you ever want to resote the image to another computer entirely. Works great!

And yes, these are actual 'Ghost' type images, not just file level backups.

Its cheap too like $50 or $75

 

Acronis True Image.

 

Thanks for the replies. I already have Norton Ghost 9 but that's the one I've used before to clone my drive to an image and then after restoring it to another drive it wouldn't boot. I just installed it again and made another image, I'll pop an extra hd in later and try it out.

I don't want to do scheduled backups. All I want to do is buy an extra hd and once a month clone images of a few computers at work. I would be moving the drive to each machine I did. I will probably get a usb one so I don't have to open them up. Basically I just want a complete backup image in case any of the C: drives crash so I can put a new drive in, put the backup image from that machine on it and boot up like nothing ever happened.

I'll check out Acronis later tonight.

 

Just checked out Acronis and it looks pretty sweet. Downloading the trial and will try it after dinner. Thanks again.

 

I third Acronis! Ghost sucks after the 2003 version. Backup Exec sucks also. I am running the enterprise version at work and there is always a problem.

 

Acronis is cheap, fast and very good

 

Ok, I played with Acronis today and it worked well. Not sure if I want to purchase a license for every machine I use it on though. It will be bought by the shop and all software is 100% write off so we'll see. Does it have to be activated online? Three of the computers I want to backup are not on the internet.

Just installed R-Drive tonight and will test drive it tomorrow. Has anyone used R-Drive?

 

Never mind. I'll go with Acronis. I saw someplace in the R-Disk documentation that it won't clone NTFS. Not that I plan on cloning much but I want the option.

 

Unless they have changed it, Acronis does not have to be activated, but if you do not register it you cannot download updates and patches. I do believe they are pretty flexible about multi-computer licensing.