On Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:40:01 -0700, Mars
<Mars@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>Why do you have to use a third party app and create a CD or DVD hardcopy for
>a system restore backup?
Because Windows backup program does not do well for system files and
files that are in use when the backup is run. If all you want is a
backup of your data, then it will be fine. If you want a backup that
can be restored without having Windows installed and running, then you
need a program with a proven track record for creating disk images
that WORK when you need them. I use and have been very satisfied with
Acronis True Image Home Version 10.
I backup my system to a couple of USB2 hard drives to maintain
multiple backups. I have created the Acronis "recovery CD" that will
boot my computer and run the Acronis software so that my computer can
be restored from a totally blank hard drive. The Acronis recovery CD
includes support for USB devices so your USB keyboard and mouse, if
you have them, will work as well as provide support for my USB hard
drive.
My C drive has about 17gb of data, including the operating system. The
backup image created is roughly 12gb in size and takes me about 14
minutes to create. To restore my system requires that I boot from the
Acronis recovery CD (takes a couple minutes or so) and then walk
through a few steps telling the software which backup image to restore
which takes another minute or so, then sit back and wait for the image
to be restored. Total recovery time in my case is about 45 minutes,
with no further user interaction with the computer. When done, close
the software, take out the CD, and after a reboot, you are back to
where you were. I've had no problems with the process to date, and
I've been using Acronis from version 7 to present (several years).
You can also use the images to restore single files or a mix of
folders and files. The investment in software, and a USB hard drive
for backups in small compared to the headache and time to restore by
reinstalling and configuring ALL you software. This is just my
opinion, but if you want to experiment with other programs and backup
media, good luck.
--
Zilbandy