[onefish2]

What do you guys recommend as the best and easiest way to back up the whole drive. I want to put Linux or OS X on the Mini 9 and do not want to blow away the factory XP install. I have a file server to do a wireless backup to FTP and I have a portable DVD burner in needed.

[ventoatx]

I would recommend Drive XML to do this for you. It can run while you're signed into XP and dump the image on to a seperate drive. I've used this many times and it's a worthy competition to Ghost.


http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

[onefish2]

Thanks ventoatx. I downloaded Drive Image XML and made a backup. That was the easy part. Then I spent a good 4 hours trying to figure out the best way to do the restore. I would up using UBCD4WIn (Ultimate Boot CD for Windows) http://www.ubcd4win.com. It uses Bart PE to make a run-time XP and throws in a ton of utilities. The best part was I used this little utility http://www.drowaelder.de//winpe/ubcd4wi ... nToUSB.Cab to write the UBCD4WIn iso to an 8GB San Disk Cruzer. That only took up 666MB. So I have lots of room left for other stuff. All in all it worked out well.

It's still a lot easier to back up and restore my Macs using Super Duper. But I will save that rant for another day.

[mini9]

I just make an Acronis (or Ghost) image of the drive to a USB hard disk after booting from an external USB CD/DVD and can make/restore the entire system in less than 20 mins

Have done this numerous times so far whilst experimenting with different options

[jerseydan31]

Hey Guys,

tried Ghost (8.2) and it's having an issue recognizing the CD drive when connected to the Mini.

Anyway, would like to try DriveImage XML.....but still not sure how to do a recovery!

Does DriveImage have a bootCD with their app loaded on it? Or do you have to boot with a third party CD and then somehow load DriveImage for a restoration?

Also, can you load the DriveImage restore app on the same drive that is going to be needed for restoration?...or can it run from a CD?

Just asking questions since I was not able to gather much from their website!

In a real world scenario (maybe like mine), you have the 16GB drive on the MIni (single C partition) and an external USB Hard Drive where to save the image.....that is understood!

Do they have a CD that I can boot from, load their app and see my external USB drive that contains the image AND at the same time see the dell Mini 16GB SSD?

i'm just not sure how that is being accomplished....(but it looks like you guys have already done so....that is why I'm here asking....;-)

THX!

[medicThree]

What about the factory install are you worried about keeping? You have all that is important on the disks provided and thus have access to a better version of the oem install.

[dont]

Onefish2:

"The best part was I used this little utility http://www.drowaelder.de//winpe/ubcd4wi ... nToUSB.Cab to write the UBCD4WIn iso to an 8GB San Disk Cruzer."

The link is broken and I have not been able to find this utility. Can you please post the actual name of the utility so that I can search for it.

Thx.

Don.

[onefish2]

Originally Posted by dont

Onefish2:

"The best part was I used this little utility http://www.drowaelder.de//winpe/ubcd4wi ... nToUSB.Cab to write the UBCD4WIn iso to an 8GB San Disk Cruzer."

The link is broken and I have not been able to find this utility. Can you please post the actual name of the utility so that I can search for it.

Thx.

Don.

Here is the correct link http://www.drowaelder.de//winpe/ubcd4wi ... nToUSB.Cab

and a link to a how-to http://ubcd4win.com/forum/index.php?act ... =8&t=10411

[jej.514]

I used Macrium Reflect Free. Worked great. Put the image on a USB hard drive. Created a boot CD. And have restored it with no problems. I double boot, and used this for the XP portion. It gives you the option to pick what partition to restore to, as well as whether to replace the MBR with a standard Windows one or leave it alone. I left it alone and GRUB survived the whole thing w/o any problems.

[Taxidermista]

Originally Posted by jej.514

I used Macrium Reflect Free. Worked great. Put the image on a USB hard drive. Created a boot CD. And have restored it with no problems. I double boot, and used this for the XP portion. It gives you the option to pick what partition to restore to, as well as whether to replace the MBR with a standard Windows one or leave it alone. I left it alone and GRUB survived the whole thing w/o any problems.

I didn't know there was a free alternative to Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image, and a very good one indeed. Thanks for the tip!