Drive imaging software, Freeware
Szark
Posts: 10,634
in The Commons
Hey all you highly PC educated peps I need help with Dling a Drive image, program in that I need recommendations. I have been stung before with freeware and I would like to avoid being infected again. Anyhoo I need a simple program that with copy my Programs HDD (OS in on another) ready for my new HDD on Wednesday.
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I use EaseUS Todo Backup Home which is cheap but they do a freeware version.
http://www.todo-backup.com/download/
Sweet thank you Fishtales...perfect.
EaseUS is good.
I create disk images using windows' own facility. (windows 8.1 and 10, look for Windows 7 backup - yeh crazy); it works well. Create disk images from new installs though, otherwise there is an increased chance of just saving errors, problems and of course malware.
EaseUS is good for saving the parts I want to keep backed up; Studio4 and Studio4 Public Build are a couple of examples, with "My_Your Library\data\auto_adapted" being another. Users\Public\Documents\DAZ 3D\InstallManager\ManifestFiles also might be worth saving.
And then there are parts of the registry relating to content folder paths - easy enough to recreate, and safer than than messing in the registry if you haven't done it before (and if you have done it before too).
Your going to have one or two keys, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\DAZ\Studio4PublicBuild and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\DAZ\Studio4
I wouldn't recommend messing with it though.
I also seem to remember their being a script somewhere that extracts what is needed. Richard linked it once iirc.
I use Macrium Reflect. It's a paid program, but I think they have a free version. It is the best backup software that I have ever used. Beats Ghost and True Image by miles.
If you have purchased an ssd drive you may have a link to a free copy of Acronis True Image in the box.
nicstt I am on Win 7 and to be honest I haven't had any luck using the Backup function in the past. Plus it isn't so much about individual programs like DS but the whole drive. I use DIM, customised so just about everything is installed to one location on the failing drive.
Kevin cheers I will go and check them out.
I have been meaning to get Acronis True Image for some time now. Time to stop messing about and get serious with data protection.
I had Acronis True Image years ago and could never get on with it.
I have installed EaseUS Todo Backup but it won't allow me to clone the HDD to another bigger drive that has different sector sizes. There is always something. I will have to bite the bullet and invest in buying one of these. The only thing I don't like about Acronis is the yearly subscription price. I like one off payments if I can.
According to the website you can.
http://www.todo-backup.com/products/features/disk-clone-guide.htm
Not with the free version if the two HDD have different sector sizes. I now have the home edition and doing one now. Thanks everyone for your help.
Here's a link to the free version of Macrium Reflect:
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
and the paid version is here:
https://www.macrium.com/
I don't know what the free version lacks, as I always used the paid version. The current version is 7 and I see the free version is 6.
I know the recovery works. I found that out when Microsoft was pushing out the service pack for Windows 10. It would go through the whole process and then when I started to login, the system would free and restart. After it did that several times, then Microsoft proudly announced that they couldn't roll back my system. Sorry about your luck. But when you get it fixed, we're going to do this again and again. (They didn't really say that, but that is what happened...until I finally suspected my keyboard. I was on the phone with Microsoft support when I suggested it as a possibility. He said he didn't think so. But I said nothing else works, so I'm trying it. I unplugged the wireless Microsoft keyboard and plugged in a wired USB keyboard, and no more crashes. Turned out there was some conflict between the keyboard, Webroot Antivirus and windows. Something Microsoft did but didn't notify the AV companies about. Anyway, thank heavens for Macrium. They saved my behind.
I use Image for DOS. Have used it hundreds of times, never had a problem. Not free though, but they have a fully functional 30 day trial.
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/image-for-dos.htm
If you own a WD or Seagate drive (internal or external) you can get a free (missing some features) version of Acronis True Image.
Man I have a Seagate (USB) 3TB new and never knew about this, thanks Mike.
My main Drive is a WD which came with the PC and I have odered the extact same model to replace the failing internal second drive.
I have used and highly recommend Drive Image XML - https://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm
THey also have very good Data recovery software.
I have used Drive Image from the Hiren Boot CD but Runtime Software has their own Knoppix Linux live CD with all their software on it for doing backups and recoveries - https://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-live-cd.htm
I've used Macrium Reflect; it works well.
I use I use Acronis True Image $39.99 a one time fee But here is PC world Review for The Best Backup Software of 2017
I use nothing that is free anymore when it comes to protection for my PC .. I just figure you get what you pay for. and when I use free software it always cost me more in the end.