How-To Geek

Definition of Ghosting:

Ghosting, also referred to as Imaging, is the process of backing up the whole system drive(s) to an external disk. That is the OS drive and also possibly the Recovery drive. It is different from Backups in the sense that it does not only save the data files, but also all the system settings, installed programs and actually everything that is on the system. It should be done periodically (e.g., once a week). In case of problems with the system (e.g., a virus infection or the replacement of the hard disk) it enables you to recover the system from the ghost image – the last one or any earlier one if available. For that you also need a recovery CD. This CD boots from the optical drive (because your system is inoperable or non-existent in case of a disk replacement). For that you need to change the boot sequence in the BIOS to allow booting from the optical drive in lieu of the system disk partition. Ghosting programs that you buy as a boxed version, come with this recovery disk. The ones you download from the web, require that you burn the CD yourself.
There are basically 3 scenarios on how you can approach the subject:

1. The easy way

Buy yourself a Maxtor One Touch disk like this one ( http://www.newegg.com/product/.....C8Junction"). It contains all the Ghosting and file backup software, plus the recovery CD and it is really very easy to use. They also have a 250GB 2.5 inch model that I bought on black Friday for $50 and a 3.5 inch model with 640GBs that I saw on sale around Christmas 08 for $89. Once you set it up, and there are only 2 parameters to define, you can run it from a switch on the disk and don’t even have to load the program. My wife uses it on her systems and loves it. The other advantage is, their program also works with Seagate disks (Maxtor is part of the Seagate Company). So if you have a friend that has a Maxtor, you can load the program from there onto your system and run it with your Seagate disk (if you have one).

2. The cheapest way

There are a few programs on the web that do ghosting and are free. Macrium is one of them ( http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp ) Another one, but more complicated, is Clonezilla ( http://www.clonezilla.org/ ). The disadvantage of those is that you have to do some work (e.g., burn your own recovery disk).

3. The traditional way

There are a whole number of commercial programs out there that cost between $40 to $70. Norton Ghost and Acronis are the most prominent. I use Norton Ghost and it does a pretty good job. Here you have to make sure that you get a boxed version because that comes with the recovery CD – don’t download it from the web. Burning the CD can be a nightmare. A comparison of what’s on the market you can find here ( http://data-backup-software-re.....views.com/ )

Any questions?

That may be a good idea. For a couple of weeks and then lets see.

Does the Maxtor software come with the ability to restore individual files from the image if needed?
I got a "Western Digital My Passport Essential WDME5000TN 500GB" drive myself so I have no idea what image backup other software does.
Last I read most all the drives like Western Digital come with File Backup only and a few people on other sites have had many programs with Ghost and TrueImage. I'm looking into the lesser known image software because of that with the idea that it would work better.

1. Ok. Then the Maxtor and the Windows Vista software are out. I don't want to do a seperate file backup.
2. That is good.
3. Not a problem. I figured I would need to get backup software that did what I want anyways.
4. The is a nice list but it's not all the programs out there. In my search I also found: Storagecraft ShadowProtect, Terabyte Unlimted Image for Windows and Driveimage XML.
So far those are the ones I'm trying out (30-day trial for ShadowProtect/IFW and Free for DriveImage XML) to see what works for me.
5. Indeed, the Norton guys have good support. I talked to Norton AntiVirus support the other day and it worked out well.
I upgraded Norton AntiVirus 2008 to Norton AntiVirus 2009 because the web site said it was a free upgrade.
What I didn't relize it if the copy was bought and installed by the BestBuy GeekSquad (I was working on someone elses computer, I wouldn't use the GeekSquad if they payed me), it's a different edition entriely and can't be activated with the BestBuy GeekSquad Product Key. Instead I need to wait for the BestBuy GeekSquad 2009 edition to come out.
I called Norton AntiVirus support, I was told that and the support person was able to connect remotely (with my permission of course) to revert the computer to Norton AntiVirus 2008.
The support person even extended the subscription by 20 days because of the trouble that caused (Waste of my time upgrading to an edition that wouldn't accept the product key and activate).

Suppose you are using one of these techniques to regularly clone the contents of the onboard drive. Then the main drive crashes irretrievably. Can the Bios be set to boot from the external, so that the computer will run Vista as normal until a new drive can be obtained? And when a new drive is installed, what must be done put everything on it and give it control?

You can't run Windows Vista from an image file though Windows 7 will support running from a VHD file which is the format the Windows Vista Complete PC Backup uses.
As to whether it will support running from a VHD file that is on an external drive I don't know. Will have to see when Windows 7 comes out.

I probably do not belong on this thread because I am clearly the least knowledgable one here. But I am understanding a little over half what is being discussed. I do not quite understand the difference between a Vista install and an image. Once the machine is bebooted with a new drive using the recovery disk, how is the image transferred to it from the external? Is this the job of the external's CD?

Thanks, whs, I think I will be receiving a 320G seagate external from a friend who is upgrading to the latest thing. I would want to use it as a backup drive, and imaging the C: drive seems like good idea.

What version of Norton Ghost do you use? I still use 8 and i'm thinking of trying the latest today or sometime this week.

InDiSent, whs is right -- if you are able to make and restore images, then Ghost v8 is sufficient. However, if you do wish to update to a newer version, there are some things that you should know.

Ghost v8 and it's immediate successor Ghost 2003 both save images in the .gho format. 2003 was the last version to support this. Starting with Ghost v9, the program changed to use the PowerQuest code that Symantec acquired which saves in .v2i format. Ghost v9 and beyond do not read .gho files, so v9 and v10 came with a free version of Ghost 2003 in the box. Ghost v12 and v14 (latest) no longer come with 2003 and, by themselves, cannot read .gho files. So, you could transition to using the new style, phasing out the old style, but you would need to keep both versions around for a while. If you have some .gho files that you were hoping to keep forever, you need to hang on to your old Ghost version. Just know that you would have a transition period to deal with.

There are upsides to the newer versions. You can image from Windows without needing to boot into a special DOS environment, make incremental backups, restore individual files from an image, and there are other nifty features that you might be interested in. The latest versions (12+) have better support for Vista, SATA hard drives, and use a nice Windows PE recovery disk. I still use version v12 because there are no features in v14 that I need. I frequently see Ghost v14 on sale and with rebates, so it can be found inexpensively if you are patient.