LINUX - Image for Linux

There is a very good drive imaging backup utility available Image for Linux from TeraByte Inc.

Startup dialog

As I have said in a previous post on backing up your hard drive, an image backup is the best.  Much better than any file backup.

Image for Linux backs up all USED sectors on your Linux hard drive, therefore [Restore] gets you your full (boot) hard drive back.  It can backup to CDs or another device, such as an USB Stick.  Well worth the price.

WARNING:  Make sure you have your USB Sick plugged-in BEFORE turning on your system to boot to the CD.  I use a 32gb USB Stick to backup my Ubuntu 13.04 laptop hard drive.

You get an eMail with your license keys, or you can copy/paste from your online recept.

Your download will be via an eMail with a special 24hr expiring link.  The downloaded ZIP file contains several other ZIP files.  You select the one you have the license for and.... see below... the ifl_en_gui.zip = Image for Linux (IFL) GUI version.

(click for larger view)

Extract ifl_en_gui.zip and you get all the other files seen above.

Run makedisk to write a bootable CD, and you will be prompted for your license key.  Just in case, you will need a CD/DVD drive that can write.

As noted in pic, you do not need to keep the files you unzipped.  AFTER you confirm you can boot to the CD and IFL works, you can delete these files.  You just keep the original downloaded ZIP file.

I highly recommend you get the PDF manual and save/print, and read.

I've used this IFL for a year now to backup, worked without a hitch.  But, thankfully, I have not used the Restore function yet.

Your IFL boot disk runs in Linux environment GUI with mouse.  You just go through each dialog.

WINDOWS - Backups Revisited

I am re-posting this subject because of several queries via Usenet.


Having a good backup utility is the absolutely best way for restoring your system. And by "good" I mean an image backup utility, NOT a file backup.

An image backup utility takes a "snap shot" of sectors on your hard drive (not just files) which means you have your boot sector and everything else. The most efficient will image only used sectors, not the entire drive (used and blank).

I use "O&O DiskImage Pro" (compatible with all versions of Windows)

It has saved my WinXP SP3 desktop 2 times in the years I've use it.

I also use it to load a new hard drive (I needed a bigger one), connected the new drive (IDE HD0) jumpered just like the old one, booted to the DiskImage CD, recovered my backup to the new blank drive (DiskImage asked if I wanted it bootable, yes of course) booted to the drive with absolutely no problems. Already had a partition tool (link follows, Windows Disk Management cannot do this without loosing data) installed and use it to expand the used space to include the entire (now bigger) drive.

EaseUS Partition Master Professional Edition

Purchase of "O&O DiskImage Pro" includes a Boot ISO image you can write to a CD/DVD. Boot to the CD and it runs the ENTIRE DiskImage utility (Backup AND Recovery). I use this method to create backups to an external USB hard drive.

The Windows installed DiskImage (and you must install in on your system) allows you to mount your image backups as another drive, thereby you can recover individual files.

"O&O DiskImage Pro" is worth every dime ($30 for 1 copy, $50 for 3), from a very satisfied user not affiliated with O&O.

CAUTION: You should NEVER create backups WITHOUT running a virus scan FIRST!

WINXP - Parted Magic

Ever need to troubleshoot or fix a hard drive?

I've found a nice utility: Parted Magic (Open Source freeware)

Note the, "If you would like to use Parted Magic from a CD" on their page, which is a download of an ISO image you can write to CD, and have the Parted Magic LiveCD (bootable).

You boot to the CD and get a Linux Desktop (screenshot, outdated) where you can run hard drive tools.

• Ghost for Linux


• Linux Partition Manager (can handle NTFS partitions)


• TestDisk from CGSecurity

I also like, that after reaching the Linux Desktop (in a RAM-Disk) it ejects the CD automatically. Therefore if you select to reboot, it will not boot to the CD.

(click for larger view)

WINXP - File Backup Alternative

As posted in a previous article on backups, most backup utilities (like WinXP's NTBackup) perform file backups. Also, as previously stated, file backups cannot backup files that are in-use.

Having said that, there is an alternative file backup utility that you can use, a good ZIP utility.

The ZIP utility I highly recommend is WinZIP Pro (see sidebar)

Recommend the Pro version for backups. Also, I highly suggest you download the WinZIP Command Line Support Add-On.

Why do file backups with WinZIP?

• ZIP backup files are smaller than NTBackup files (which surprised me)
• Using the Command Line Add-On is faster than the normal WinZIP GUI for large backups

The following is an example of using WinZIP's Command Line Add-On (wzzip.exe) to backup My Documents:

rem MyDocsZIP.cmd
@echo off
cls

rem THE FOLLOWING IS A SINGLE-LINE
"C:\Program Files\WinZip\wzzip.exe" -rp "C:\WinZIP_LoadZone\MyDocs.zip" "C:\Documents and Settings\profile-name\My Documents"
rem ENDS SINGLE-LINE

echo .
echo COPIED TO LOADZONE
echo .
pause

C:\WinZIP_LoadZone is a folder I use for WinZIP and download operations. This folder can be whatever you wish, EXCEPT My Documents.

You use Notepad to create a CMD file (see 1st line in example script), then create a shortcut to run it.

At work, I move MyDocs.zip to my private folder on our Fileserver. At home, I move MyDocs.zip to an external hard drive I use for backups.

Need I say, read the documentation on how to use WinZIP's Command Line Add-On.

COMPUTERS - Backup Hardware

This article continues the issue of backing up your system, specifically hardware used.

As I stated in the previous article on this issue, the best backup is written to a hard drive. Tape backups are dependent on the reliability of the tape and tapes ware out.

The method I use at home is an External Firewire Hard drive, but there is another option for using hard drives for backups. This is to have a removable hard drive backup device.

Here are 2 removable hard drive backup devices I know of:

• Iomega REV Internal Drives

Revolutionary internal removable hard disk system (fits into a standard bay)

Iomega® REV® Backup drives and removable disks provide a reliable, easy-to-use backup and disaster recovery solution to safely secure critical data. The award winning Iomega REV family of products is available in 120GB (240GB compressed**), 70GB (140GB compressed**), and 35GB (70GB compressed**) capacities per disk.

• Dell PowerVault RD1000

Removable drive combines the speed of a hard disk with the portability of optical media for quick, easy, affordable backups.

Removable disk drive comes with up to 500 GB cartridges.

At work, we use the Dell PowerVault RD1000 with 320gb hard drive cartridges for backups.

Although this backup hardware is on the pricey side they are worth the cost if your system, and the data on it, is important to you.

CAUTION: These devices likely come with backup software included. The Dell PowerVault RD1000 that we specified for our Dell Server came with Yosemite FileKeeper. Now this is likely good software BUT we ordered and used Symantec Backup Exec. When we installed the PowerVault via the CD, we did not pay attention and it automatically installed FileKeeper (which we had no intension of using). A very big problem came about when we wanted to uninstall FileKeeper. The uninstall caused a complete system crash/lockup. No keyboard, no mouse, nada. We had to manually force power-off (Dell Server does not have a reset button). This in turn cause major problems with uninstalling FileKeeper because the Add/Remove Programs entry was missing. The upshot is, when you install these devices DO NOT install the backup software until you are absolutely sure you are going to use it. You can always install the backup software later.

This hardware (removable hard drives) is best when you use a backup imaging utility with a boot CD, especially when you have to recover you system to a new, blank, hard drive.

Note that this type of hardware does cost more than USB or Firewire external hard drive setup. But I wanted to let you know there are alternatives.