Quickest way to backup my HD? Acronis is slow

[z064life]

I currently Acronis True Image, and I want to backup the applications I have in Program Files (arguably the most important section of my drive), but Acronis True Image takes forever even with a high priority and normal compression.

Is there a quicker way to backup everything to an image and then restore it? My hard drive is being replaced.

Thanks

[thepassenger]

Use something like Ghost to just do a snapshot of the whole drive and dump the image back again maybe?

[ATG]

(you are aware that you need to back up a lot more than just the Program Files tree in order to make most windows applications work from another drive? When you install windows applications they almost always change your registry and may also install files in the Win32 tree)

[z064life]

thepassenger said:

Use something like Ghost to just do a snapshot of the whole drive and dump the image back again maybe?

Not a bad idea. I've actually raised the priority of the backup and closed some apps and the speed has improved. Although I don't really need a snapshot of the entire drive because all I care about is my songs, programs, ebooks, and templates - the first and last 2 items can be stored on my external hard drive with ease. Is it normal for the backup of my program files folder to be split up? I have enough space on my USB external HD anyway, and I am using normal mode (55% compression).

BTW, this is to be done because apparently the person who paid for the PC thinks the hard drive is "too noisy", so I'm getting a new one. Before I dump the image back in again, I will setup Windows Server 2003. Thought you deserve to know as you followed my previous thread quite religiously.

[ATG]

z064life said:

... Before I dump the image back in again, I will setup Windows Server 2003. Thought you deserve to know as you followed my previous thread quite religiously.

Alarm bells ringing. If you install a new copy of the OS and then dump an image of your old Program Files tree onto the new disc, very few if any of your apps will run because you'll have lost all of their registry settings (app specific stuff, plus all their COM registration).

[z064life]

ATG said:

z064life said:

... Before I dump the image back in again, I will setup Windows Server 2003. Thought you deserve to know as you followed my previous thread quite religiously.

Alarm bells ringing. If you install a new copy of the OS and then dump an image of your old Program Files tree onto the new disc, very few if any of your apps will run because you'll have lost all of their registry settings (app specific stuff, plus all their COM registration).

That's a major oversight by me, given that I have to do this by Friday too!

What exactly can I do to tackle this problem? I'm going to use another OS too so I doubt backing up the registry will help, or will it?

Such n00bness in a rush!

[thepassenger]

z064life said:

That's a major oversight by me, given that I have to do this by Friday too!

What exactly can I do to tackle this problem? I'm going to use another OS too so I doubt backing up the registry will help, or will it?

Such n00bness in a rush!

Eeep! grabs 10ft pole
If it's an OS swap out as well as a drive change then I'm affraid it's a complete reinstall of the system. I've never tried a wholesale replacement of 2k3's registry with say XP Pro's but I have the impression that it would be very unpretty... probably go BANG and even if it did kinda work would lead to so many mysterious issues it's not worth investigating.

I'd suggest backing up all the data; then approach the client and inform them that rebuilding to a new OS will take X amount of additional time due to reinstalling everything; if he/she/they don't want the delay snag a copy of Ghost from somewhere (PC World?) and blitz the whole drive (I belive Ghost can do bootable CD's these days?) then just restore.

If it's your home machine your working on; dredge out the CD's and get some good beer

[z064life]

Great,

I've read about Ghost's ability to make bootable CDs, yet even that is a long winded process. Looks like I will probably have to do what you say in that a full reinstall. Great - some of these programs take forever to install.

[ATG]

I too would go for the reinstall. Pain in the arse. Shared libraries and the registry seem like such a good idea ... until you try to change anything major at which point all the cross dependencies drag you down ... into the very pit of hell.

[bez_uk]

Is it definitly the HD making too much noise. Note HDs only make noise when they're being accessed (most of the time I know)ie is the noise intermitant or all the time? If it is all the time, it's more likely a graphics card, system fans which are not temperature dependant or as in my case the PSU (power unit).

[z064life]

bez_uk said:

Is it definitly the HD making too much noise. Note HDs only make noise when they're being accessed (most of the time I know)ie is the noise intermitant or all the time? If it is all the time, it's more likely a graphics card, system fans which are not temperature dependant or as in my case the PSU (power unit).

Sometimes it's constant for a good few minutes, although when I look into the issue I realise it's because the PC is doing something or has loads of processes running. Other than it is intermittent, but my dad thinks it is serious and has requested a new HD from the manufacturer of the PC, and so I have to do all this work because the old HD has to be sent back. I personally think it is normal. I could end up replacing the entire PC's components at this rate...

[greenlandy]

I use acronis a lot and to restore and image across a network takes 30mins max! If you do it from a slave HD either ide or sata the time is reduced even more.