Image restore results.
Tried three different programs. This is the order I restored an image with 82GB of data on it, starting from boot disks I made up for each s/w package.
(1) Acronis. Western Digital version, free program but you need a WD drive connected to run the program. h/t to PMSW for the link.
(2) Paragon Back up and Recovery Free. Free program. h/t to breccia for link.
(3) Norton Ghost 14. Not free at all. I have always used a version of this program.
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Back up times awere approximately.
Acronis 15 mins.
Paragon 25 mins.
Norton 15 mins.
All settings were left on thier default, and I did not select image verification.
I backed up from one HD to another HD using an ESATA cable connection.
The compressed image files sizes were as follows.
Acronis 40.8GB (single file)
Paragon 42.6GB (multiple files).
Norton 41.4GB (1 file for each partition +1 index file)
The restore worked flawlessly with all three programs. The technology has improved over the years because I have had image errors in the past, but none for about the last two years.
Restore times.
Acronis 15 minutes.
Paragon 36 minutes.
Norton 24 minutes.
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The winner is, if there is to be a winner, would be (and I really hate to say this -g-) Acronis imho. I would choose that program, especially for a newby, for the following reasons.
It's faster and simpler. You only get one file image from the backup operation, and it its graphical interface is really the best one to use.
The are caveats from my perspective. Paragon. It works and is free for everyone now. You can also buy a package cheaply that includes a partition manager. The partition manager helps in all sorts of ways. Example: Has a defragmenter that defragements the system files as well as all the others. You can make up recovery discs and the resources of Paragon are extensive. I found their support process very helpful. Their stuff works with Linux. The backup operation makes a swath of files, so I would make up a folder for each set to avoid later confusion.
Norton. No doubt about it: Geeky and more expensive. I have used thier products since the 1990's though and all my archives use Ghost. Very flexible software (which can be confusing), I have never used their support, and no I have never used their anti virus software. I heard the stories. Many of their products are first class and used by professionals. I use several.
If anyone wants to chip in thier own observations, you are of course welcome.
The good news is all three programs worked flawlessly. If you have a normal PC with say, 40GB of data on it including system files, you could even use a large stick to store an image of it.
cgi.ebay.co.uk
A low cost "peace of mind" solution.
/edit. Just found this previous comparison from Rapteck in 2008.
Message 25185178
You can see why I never contacted Symantec support. -lol- I expect they are OK if you are a professional. |
