I've tried to like DriveImage, many times. However, I've found it to be very slow (compared to Ghost 2003 booted off a CD or floppy.) Plus, I've had the same issues as JackQuack with quirky drive recognition issues.

The freeware aspect is alluring, yes, but it wasn't as smooth-sailing for me as it sounds in the post.

pdok

The program seems to only be seeing my two external media drives, two flash drives and none of my 5 internal hard drives and one external drive.

jackquack

ps 'Saegate' = Seagate.

da5id_nz

If you have a Saegate or Maxtor drive, you can download what Seagate calls 'DiscWizard'. This is in fact a cut-down version of Acronis TrueImage. In this cut down version you can only back up your whole system I think - you can't pick and choose what to back up.

The program will check to see if you have a Seagate of Maxtor drive attached, and if not, it will not run.

LINK

da5id_nz

@jackquack: Are you in vista? It requires some administrator, drive privledges (I fixed this on my other Vista machine, but forgot). It is fixable.

This is a FANTASTIC freeware software. I have used it for years, and have loved it!

ajskhan

I've been trying to figure out a nice, easy, and free way to back up my computer after I started getting worried about the hard drive.

Does anyone recommend Trinity Rescue Kit? Or something else?

Mysterius

driveimage xml? did they suffix XML just to be trendy? What does xml have to do with the actual product?

Anyways I'm interested in a freeware backup program,

MyEasyTV

Freeware is good, but sometimes you need to pay for a product that's worth its weight in gold (er, worth its bits in gold?). Checkout TeraByte Unlimited's products at [www.terabyteunlimited.com]

In particular, I use BootIt NG (BING) and Image for Windows, together which provide a great way of imaging and restoring drives. BING is also a great product to partition drives, etc. and acts as a very powerful boot manager.

The great thing about IFW is that (along with a free add-on PHYLOCK) you can image your disk drive from within Windows, even if the drive is currently being used.

They also have a Linux version of IFW (BING is platform independent).

thor222

I use Genie Backup Manager Pro at work. It's very good and has good reviews (Here too). It can even backup over a network when users are using the program to be backed up.
Quite powerful.

da5id_nz

The XML refers (I don't remember how) to the ability to view the individual folders and files inside the backup image. I've found this handy, since you're getting both an image backup and individual file availability. To restore to a replacement drive you'll need a bootable CD with DriveImageXML on it. I added it to a Bart's PE image using the instruction on the runtime.org website.

It's always worked for me, but I've never used it with Vista. One limit is that the drive you restore to must be as large or larger than the one the image was made from, even if the size used was much smaller.

mtyoung

So is this like a Windows equivalent to Time Machine?

bbqsandwich

With all the Fires in Southern California last week, it brings to mind the importance of a good system backup. I've used Ghost for years but this one looks interesting. I'll have to give it a go.

John Richardson

Best usage of trendy buzzword ever (this sentence soon to be completed with use of "PeriodXML") .

mdmadph

I have used Drive XML once, it is a good tool, heck, its free, but it is VERY slow, it took 36 hours to image and restore a 60GB partition.

danowat

I am a user of Partition Saving. This freeware tool also works like a charm. The only con is that it does not work from within a Windows UI but you have to start it from a bootdisk. I have made a dos batchfile that so far has made perfect images from my and other users computer. Restoring is also done via the bootdisk.

Look here for Partition Saving
[damien.guibouret.free.fr]

KoPas

I played with DriveImage for a while but like everyone is saying it was slow. I have been using Selfimage and using the add on to a Bart's PE windows CD. It works fine and fast.

greendusk

Is there software that will allow me to burn a large image file to multiple dvds?

Matt