Best Free Drive Imaging Program

Hi!
Actually you can to boot Macrium Reflect from USB with Macrium Reeflect Free version (only for restore images, not for create new clones), With "Rescue.ISO" that you found on the Macrium Reflect Free version installed folder, an UnetBootIn (A GPL software for GNU/Linux or Windows capable to "hack" an ISO image into an USB Stick and boot from It if your Main_BD has the USB Option in the BOOT settings).

Same Hack is valid for Clonezilla (my Favourite), But Your info is wrong. Clonezilla clones ONLY the used space from a partition or Full disk. If you HDD is 20% full, it will BACKUP ONLY THIS 20%, NOT ALL THE DISC!!! If your HDD is 80GB and your info is 10GB, your image will be aprox 6,5GB, in less than 20 minutes (Backup + verification. I tested on my ASUS X50SL laptop). Ah, Clonezilla suports multicast, too (create/restore from FTP or over the Ethernet).

Many thanks for the other programs and the review!!! Best wishes from Andorra (and sorry for my English, but here in Andorra the people speak only Catalan, French or Spanish) ^_^"

Respect,
Benny Beat

I have Acronis True Image 11, which i own for some time and found it easy to use and well worth the money.
I run 6 computers at home for myself and other members of the family and recommend it to anyone.

Just came across this interesting review:
http://dottech.org/headline/11628

DriveImagexml latest v2.12 supports win7

Hi - can anyone suggest a freebie that will clone a larger hd to a smaller hd? thanks.

Seagate's Disc Wizard (a separately available portion of their Disk Tools software) has handled Vista and Win7 partitions (in one case on an SATA notebook drive) just fine for me, both in its earlier version (based on True Image V10) and its new one (based on TI V11, which may compress a bit better on its default setting than the earlier one did). True Image Personal V8 might too (haven't tried: it predates some of Vista's extensions to NTFS but might handle them OK anyway - though probably wouldn't honor the new-style Vista partition alignments on disk if it was asked to create new partitions rather than just fill an existing one with a backed-up image). I'm pretty sure that Disc Wizard only requires that a Seagate drive be visible somewhere (e.g., connected by USB, which I think has worked for me with no other Seagate drives present and using non-Seagate drives for both source and destination - though it didn't recognize an old, but still functioning, 6.5 GB Medalist that I tried connecting via USB). A Seagate drive *is* required during a Disc Wizard backup or restore, however - not just during installation (can't speak for the Maxtor variant of the software): if you install the product and then try to run it on a system lacking a Seagate drive it refuses to run.. I've used Disc Wizard (both installed and using its bootable CD version) to save and restore verifiable images to/from a USB drive, though not specifically to/from a Free Agent. Western Digital has a similar True-Image-based freebie that does claim to require that the destination drive be a WD drive (I think for a restore - which would be a really nasty time to discover this limitation).

I'm afraid that anonymous was confused about xxcopy: I just used the free version to copy to a USB drive without any difficulty (and have in the past, but just wanted to make sure that my memory wasn't playing tricks on me). xxcopy isn't an 'imaging' program, since it performs file-structured copy operations, but aside from not compressing the output (though on the plus side it does defragment it pretty effectively) it is a very useful tool. Among other things, it will perform incremental backups by detecting what's already present on the backup device and only copying over changes (use /clone if you want an identical copy, use /backup if you want to preserve any existing data on the backup that has since been deleted on the source). The free version of xxcopy is in many ways more flexible than the free version of xxclone (from the same manufacturer) - but xxcopy will not (without some external shenanigans on your part) create a *bootable* copy of a bootable partition, hence is better-suited to copying data portions of partitions.

I discovered g4u back when I found that Partition Magic V8 (which I don't use much any more - it sometimes gets confused dealing with XP NTFS variants, let alone later ones) wouldn't copy partitions whose contents it did not understand (I don't think CloneZilla could do this either back then, but it may now). g4u can copy (or image) individual partitions without overwriting the entire output disk. For something that fits on a couple of 1.44 MB floppies g4u is impressive - and it includes image compression in its repertoire.

(Incidentally, not all external USB disks need a cooling fan. Notebook drives whose case makes good contact with a metal enclosure are one example, unenclosed drives just hooked up to a cable are another - and 3.5" drives that make good contact with a metal enclosure that's exposed to good air circulation probably qualify as well. Recent studies of large groups of commodity drives found, somewhat surprisingly, that they lasted best at temperatures in the 30 - 40 degree C range and almost as well up to 50 degrees C: only higher temperatures contributed to significantly decreased lifetimes.)

- bill

After a few weeks of frustration I have given up trying to get Acronis True Image or Macroum Reflect to create a disk image to my new external FreeAgent Pro. The image will just not verify. The software peeps tell me it is a hardware problem and the Seagate tests tell me there is nothing wrong with my FreeAgent Pro so guess it is a USB issue? :-(

Tom

Is Paragon Drive Backup Express actually creating an IMAGE of my boot drive or a BACKUP? If it's creating an image the people at Paragon need to change the name of their product. The name confuses me as to what it is actually doing. And if it is just doing a backup, it doesn't belong in this category.

Macrium Reflect Free has the serious deficiency of only creating a restore CD. Not a bootable CD that run both imaging and restoration operations. If one happens to have a PC on which volume shadow services won't run (and I've run into many) forget making an image on a non-lockable partition, i.e. the boot partition. If they'd fix the Rescue CD to include the imaging function this would be a worthy product for those who have problems running volume shadow services for whatever reason and want to image their boot partition. Without it, its worthless.

HD Clone Free Edition does not belong in a category about imaging software. Neither do backup programs.

Some people don't seem to understand the difference between drive cloning and imaging which are two entirely different things. Imaging works at a partition level or drive level whereas cloning only works at a drive level. Cloning products do not belong in this category.

I looked at XXCOPY. Don't bother. It doesn't support USB devices or DVD burners as output devices only internal hard drives in the free version. The Pro version supposedly supports those devices but its not free hence not eligible for Tech Support Alert.

Macrium free - downloaded just now from their site, insists on installing a 30 day trial version -

I have downloaded twice, and have the same error

can anyone help?

I think the easiest of these programs to use is Paragon DBE.

The backups are fast, and the restorations are fast. My system drive has usually about 20 gig of useful stuff not counting the swap file and trash files, and Paragon DBE backs it up to an 11 gig image on a secondary partition in a little less than 15 minutes. Verification of the backup is only about 6 minutes. Restoration of a backup is also under 15 minutes.

Sometimes I see software I want to try, especially on a site like Gizmo's that has a number of alternatives mentioned, so I download and try everything mentioned on the page to see which I like the best. Since not all software, no matter how good it is, mixes with all computers properly, this occasionally causes some system problems, even if the problem is a program that runs great for most people. Paragon DBE does a perfect restoration of my system drive every time and I haven't experienced a single failure with it.

Also even though I have experienced no failures with Paragon DBE, I do make certain that at least one backup image of the system has actually been used so that I know it will work if necessary.

I am using Vista and will soon switch to Windows 7. I then would like to create an image of my system. Now how can I use Macrium with Vista regarding the BartPE disc? In your article you say:

Vista users (and XP users with multiple disks) are better served by Macrium, until Acronis is proven to have caught up.

But I am not able to create the BartPE disc with Macrium.

Up to recently I was using Ghost 2003, but not being able to ghost to a usb drive without loading dos drivers, I discovered Acronis 10.
I got this via Gizmo hot finds.

I thought the interface was nice looking & easy to use.
However, when trying to restore an image to a HP laptop, it didn't see some of the drives. I then found there is a problem with Acronis 2009 not liking HP recovery partitions.
I have just seen that Trueimage 2010 has been released.

I then tried Paragon Drive recovery 2009, from giveaway of the day.

I imaged to one usb,(LaCie) but it failed the verification, on three occassions, I then tried another external drive (Seagate) which worked fine.

I am now trying Macrium Reflect freeware.

I created the Linux recovery cd. I then found out, I had to highlight the file rather than the folder.
The BartPE creation was quite simple I thought. You download BartPE, the Macruim wizard allows you to browse to the BartPE plugin folder & place it there. Then you run BartPE & an Iso file is created.

I have experience with ubcd4win, but so far haven't put the plug in onto a Ubcd4win cd.

Paragon DBE is also free only for non-commercial. An alternative, not reviewed here, is Partimage. I have not tried it, but it looks like it might work for my (very small) organization's purposes, seems fairly simple, and is GPL.

Partimage or PING

DriveImage XML is also only free for home/personal use, not for business/org.

Thank you for the article. It's very helpful, and time saving. You might want to note that Macrium Reflect Free is only free for personal use (which excludes it for my application).

Thank you very much for this article. I have been using Acronis True Image Personal 10. The interface electronics in my USB drive enclosure failed. I got a new enclosure (Acomdata Samba USB 2.0) but the Acronis boot CD doesn't recognize it. So I decided to make a BartPE CD using the Acronis plugin I've read about, but I discovered the plugin is not in my version of Acronis and it's not available on the Acronis web site for my version of True Image.

A little research brought me here. I had never heard of Macrium Reflect. It looks great. I love that it even provides the BartPE plugin with the free version.

Thanks too for providing the download link. It's hard to find on the Macrium site.

Jon

After reviewing/trying the aforementioned apps, I went with the Paragon to backup my 64-bit Vista HP laptop (that I purchased in July, 2009).

At first, I tried the Macrium. I successfully saved a whole disk image to my USB hard drive. Because I have over 80 GB, this took some time. (I think it took about a couple hours.)

But I was not able to create a Macrium recovery DVD. At first, I clicked on the BartPE option, which causes Macrium to immediately tell me that BartPE is not compatible with Vista. So, then I tried the only other available option, which was the Linux option. After creating the Linux recovery DVD, I tried to boot up on it. But the result was a DOS screen that had just one line at the top stating the version and author of the software, but it hanged after that. Then, I tried the advanced Macrium option and selected Linux "compatibility mode", but booting on this Linux recovery DVD had the same result. I checked out the forum ( http://support.macrium.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=4 ), and learned that the Linux DVD is updated regularly. One user said it worked on his other 2 computers, but did not work on his new computer. A developer replied that he might want to try again in a few days, as they update it regularly. Also, if you spend $40 to get the commercial version of Macrium, then they provide another backup option "Windows PE", which sounds like it would always work. (I think Microsoft won't let them give this option away for free.)

So, I decided to try the Paragon and they also provide a Linux option. (Also, they provide the "Windows PE" option if you buy the commercial version.) At first, I was reluctant to try the Paragon, because I just had some bad luck with the Macrium Linux. But I tried it and it worked. I was able to boot from the Paragon Linux recovery DVD and then I was able to select my disk image (that I previously created using Paragon) on the USB hard drive (though I didn't actually run the recovery, because I just wanted to see if I could select it).

I looked at the G4U, but I read that copying your hard disk will completely overwrite your target hard disk, which means that you would have to have a dedicated USB hard drive for just one disk image. I looked at the other apps, and none of them seemed like they would work for me. So, if the free Paragon had not worked, I would have either bought the Macrium or the Paragon and used the "Windows PE" recovery disk.

One tip: be sure to check your boot order. I was surprised to discover that my new HP laptop had the boot order such that the internal hard drive would boot before the CD/DVD drive. So, I had to go into the BIOS and make the CD/DVD drive the first device to boot from.

Is Macrium Reflect Free compatible with Windows 7 64 bit?

What about EASEUS Todo Backup?

Hey Guys try PING ive just tried it today its great i did a full image of my ubuntu 9.10 to another drive fast impressed and free lastest ver is 3.00 and 23.5 mb iso from here http://ping.windowsdream.com/cgi-bin/download.pl i formated my ubuntu patition and then put ping cd in and just restored it that simple great software pity i dont do cd/dvd also works across a network but works very well the best i have used so far that the free stuff my fav was acronis but i never managed to get it to work when i did it in ubuntu to for me PING works for me which is great give it a whirl Guys i think ya will like it........

This wins my vote as the absolute WORST, most USELESS section of this website. First, the majority of the programs listed are NOT free. Second, those that are "free" are either only partially functional "trial" versions or programs that are otherwise encumbered to the extent they are all but unusable. If that is all that's out there (or all you can find worth "recommending"), then a better public service would probably be done by deleting this section altogether. Compared to other sections of this site, this is a HUGE disappointment.

Clonezilla can compress your image using gzip, bzip2 and lzo.

I just want to add a note of enthusiastic support for Acronis. I bought both their True Image and Disk Director Suites (v2009 and 10 respectively) and have been happy...have become a fan of their products. Unfortunately the issues noted by the article with Vista were true, at least around end of 2008 which was the last time I used them on it. After that, I bit the bullet, killed off Vista completely, and went back to XP...with True Image's help frankly. Not sure if the issues have been fixed (my bet is probably yes), or how things will play out with the upcoming Win7...I think Acronis tends to be on top of such patching in general. However it is safe to say that if one goes with an older free version (like the mentioned v8), don't use it with new OS's.

I'm all for free products if they are good, but this is one category where I think it is easy to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. For these types of low-level, "data-dangerous" tools, I prefer to spend the bit of money and get solid commercial products...in that respect I have been very satisfied with Acronis (and their prices are reasonable IMO). And, I have no affiliation or financial stake whatsoever...just a pleasantly surprised customer (having been burned in the past by both freeware and the competing Partition Manager product). The article is also right about frequent Acronis deals.

"QUOTE"
** Note that a Seagate disk is needed somewhere in the system in order to use the Seagate Tools version of Acronis. It has been reported that this may need to be the disk the image is being restored to (unconfirmed). Also, the Tools install is of 230MB or so, which you might need to know if you have a small hard disk.

Speaking from personal experience the Seagate (or Maxtor) disk can be external and is only required for the actual installation.
Once the program is installed it will backup/restore to/from any disk.

I am testing Macrium free version for two weeks on my new Lenovo (wiped out Seagate HD) and OEM XP Pro, but I can’t restore the image. Creating BartPE bootable was a bit confusing but it worked; creating the image was ok, I did it short version and the whole HD (instructions are confusing, not sure if the short version images all the system, my files and all programs that's why I used both ways). Now when I try to boot with BartPE, it doesn’t boot, getting an error 070030 blah blah blah saying that or I have I virus or some drivers are the issue. I checked the zeroed HD with Seatools and it’s ok. Any suggestions please how to fix BartPE, because I like Macrium so far?

Thank you.

If you're looking for a simple, easy-to-use to migrate your data from a old hard drive to a new one try Acronis Migrate Easy. They allow you to use it for free for 15 days. It worked like a charm and was simple to use. I tried many different applications that I couldn't get to work and Acronis managed the process without a hick up.

I recently came across a free software called RSJ HD Image backup. It seems that the personal version is free for non-commercial use. According to RSJ website www.rsj.de , it is one of the most easy to use. Do any of you guys happen to use it? Any comment?

Just saw this while having a general browse. What exactly would you like to know about ubcd4win ?

http://ubcd4win.com/

Just a couple of points which may be of interest. I don't think this program package is at all suitable for beginners or "average" users. You have to know exactly what you are doing or you will likely render a system completely useless!

For simple backup imaging I use Paragon express, and it is the ONLY imaging solution I have advised various beginners and "average" users to use, because it is simple, fast, reliable, and extremely effective.

ubcd4win is none of those things, there are too many variables involved. Many users will not even manage to get a successful build, let alone use the resulting disc.

I think it is the best possible troubleshooting packet in existence, but only for somebody with the requisite knowledge to use it.

Once you have the finished disc you can do so many things with it that even just the list would take up too much space here!

Here is the list of included tools;
http://ubcd4win.com/contents.htm

Some screen shots;
http://ubcd4win.com/screen.htm

Lastly, various anti-virus programs will give various warnings or block a build. These are false positives, but they will upset most "average" users considerably, and also prevent a successful build.

The massive amount of information displayed when the build is being processed also frightens "average" users, as they have no idea what is going on. Various information from the build process is useless to average users because they don't know what it means.

As a an extremely comprehensive free troubleshooting tool for technicians or other knowledgable computer users the package is without equal, but for average users it is more likely to be a source of problems.

EDIT: Couple of other points. The builder may not work with various OEM ( Original Equipment Manufacturer ) versions of XP. Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Medion, and a few others. I don't know why this is. Presumably because these vendors have added or subtracted something which is not/is on original Windows CD's.

The package size varies according to build. Without adding any extra drivers and other software to the build, it is usually about 550 MB

Once again, this package contains a vast range of utilities, many of which are designed to make major system changes. If you don't know how to use the utilities concerned then they are worse than useless, as operating them without knowing what you are doing will destroy your system.

This package is definitely not suitable for use as a simple backup system.

Regards.....

Mike Connor

*Applauds the author for including DBE, although thinks it should be higher up on the list!*

I think its very important to address how these programs compare to Windows Complete PC Backup. With the imminent arrival of Windows 7 more and more users will have access to this feature, and will want to know if they have anything to gain from using a free third party tool instead. At the moment it's only available in Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.

Did anyone tried WISP (http://www.bahj.com/wisp/)?

Here is short desc: "WISP is a Debian GNU/Linux LiveCD which allows you to create an image of a working Windows installation"

Features:
- Image compression (Gzip, Bzip2, Lzma)
- Burning to Optical Media
- Writing to a Networked Computer
- Restoring from hdd, optical media, network computer

Does anyone have opinions on a clone program called "xxclone". It boasts to be able to clone a drive to an external USB drive and be able to boot from it.

Below is an extract from a review of Paragon Drive Backup Express, from an excellent general tech/help site called TipsFor.us. I'm hoping it might help convince the author of this thread to include DBE in this section. It's simply the easiest tool to use for the average user looking to make a complete back up to an external hard drive.

"The main advantage of DBE over Macrium Reflect is that you can create a disk image directly from the recovery media without installing anything. For purists who like a Windows installation to remain as uncluttered as possible, this is a major advantage. In fact, here is a link where you can download the Linux-based recovery ISO directly. I don’t think I’m violating any Terms and Conditions of DBE since they essentially distribute the ISO with the program, but I will remove the link if asked by someone from the company. It’s a good idea to install the program anyway to make sure you have the latest version of the recovery media.

Other than those two differences, the programs are quite similar. Neither free editions support differential backups, encryption, or any other fancy features, but they both work well to just create and restore disk images. Pick whichever one you prefer. As an added bonus, both support Linux EXT file systems, so you should be able to clone Linux partitions from within Windows. Nice."