Restorable copy of my hard drive?

After I get my system all set up I'd like to make a "one time" image
of the hard drive (programs / configuration) for a future restore. The
system manufacturer (Toshiba) doesn't provide any utility for this.
I'm not worried about periodic data backups, I handle that
differently. I need something that will boot and restore.

What are my choices these days for creating this backup? Is ther
anything inherent in Vista? Something in the shareware arena maybe? I
hate to give money to Norton for Ghost (we've had our personal
differences :-)

Thanks,

Bob,
One alternative:
Complete hard diskdrive copy, cloning and image backup software
Acronis True Image 11 Home provides the maximum flexibility to ensure you are ... Acronis True Image includes our patented disk imaging backup technology. ...
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing...cts/trueimage/

another alternative IF you have Vista Ultimate or Vista Enterprise is System Backup and Restore. Start at Backup and Restore Center and choose Back up computer. For a complete explanation use Win+F1 and search on Windows Complete PC Backup.

karl




"+Bob+" <> wrote in message news:...
After I get my system all set up I'd like to make a "one time" image
of the hard drive (programs / configuration) for a future restore. The
system manufacturer (Toshiba) doesn't provide any utility for this.
I'm not worried about periodic data backups, I handle that
differently. I need something that will boot and restore.

What are my choices these days for creating this backup? Is ther
anything inherent in Vista? Something in the shareware arena maybe? I
hate to give money to Norton for Ghost (we've had our personal
differences :-)

Thanks,

"+Bob+" <> wrote in message
news:...
> After I get my system all set up I'd like to make a "one time" image
> of the hard drive (programs / configuration) for a future restore. The
> system manufacturer (Toshiba) doesn't provide any utility for this.
> I'm not worried about periodic data backups, I handle that
> differently. I need something that will boot and restore.
>
> What are my choices these days for creating this backup? Is ther
> anything inherent in Vista? Something in the shareware arena maybe? I
> hate to give money to Norton for Ghost (we've had our personal
> differences :-)
>
> Thanks,

Copy wipe from Terabyte is free and first class
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/copywipe.php

rgds
Roberto

I use Acronis for this very job, and can recommend it.

SteveT

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:28:34 -0400, +Bob+ <>
wrote:

> After I get my system all set up I'd like to make a "one time" image
> of the hard drive (programs / configuration) for a future restore. The
> system manufacturer (Toshiba) doesn't provide any utility for this.
> I'm not worried about periodic data backups, I handle that
> differently. I need something that will boot and restore.
>
> What are my choices these days for creating this backup? Is ther
> anything inherent in Vista? Something in the shareware arena maybe? I
> hate to give money to Norton for Ghost (we've had our personal
> differences :-)


No, there's nothing in Vista. You need a third-party solution. Acronis
True Image is a very good choice, and what I recommend.

By the way, unless you are a very unusual person, it's highly unlikely
that a " 'one time' image" will suffice. Most of us install new
programs from time to time, change configurations to meet our changing
needs, etc. If I were you, I would think, not of a one-time image, but
in terms of a hardware/software configuration that permitted me to do
this periodically.

And a question for you: where are you planning on putting this image?

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
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