Create a bootable Partition recovery DVD

Stormlifter

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I'm using Windows Vista and I'm trying to achieve this...

1) Copy my C: Drive partition to a DVD
2) Have that DVD be bootable and be able to recover the entire partition back into the partition.

I've got my Hard Drive partitioned into 4 parts
C: - OS
D: - Documents, Program Files, AppData (and other windows folders)
the other two are not relevant.

So basically if anything goes wrong with my OS I want to be able to throw the DVD in and boot to it, have it restore the C: partition.

So what software would I use to do this?
 
Acronis True Image will let you "image" your entire drive or partition to CD/DVD media and restore it at a later time. The backup set itself will not be bootable, but True Image will create a bootable CD version of itself that you can use to run True Image natively (meaning you boot from that CD, load the application, remove that CD and then put in the backup CDs/DVDs and do the restoration, or use True Image to create new backup sets).

There's nothing on the market today that will automagically create a bootable backup recovery set; the only one product that ever did that automagically was Powerquest Drive Image. It would put the actual application on the first CD (it didn't burn DVDs when it came out and disappeared before DVD burners/media even became popular) and you could use that backup set to restore.

The only difference with True Image is you need the TI recovery CD + your backup set, hardly a big problem. You can burn off multiple copies of the recovery CD as required, one for each set if necessary.

Good luck...

ps
It's possible to create a recovery set using Norton Ghost and then you can create a new CD and put the ghost.exe executable on the CD, but you'd still be required to do other steps to make that CD bootable in the first place so you could then access the ghost.exe file to run it. A bit more hassle than most people care to bother with, I believe. But it's possible... and you can use other imaging tools to do similar tasks, but I prefer and only recommend True Image (my full disclosure).
 
Well thanks for that little bit of info. I guess that's how I'll have to do it. Fair enough.
 
I create a DOS bootable DVD that loads CD drivers, and then I store the ghost.exe file and the .gho image file on the disc. I haven't done this with Vista, but the only problem would be spanning across two DVDs, which isn't that big of a deal.
 
There's nothing on the market today that will automagically create a bootable backup recovery set; the only one product that ever did that automagically was Powerquest Drive Image. It would put the actual application on the first CD (it didn't burn DVDs when it came out and disappeared before DVD burners/media even became popular) and you could use that backup set to restore.

Maybe not to normal home users, but Altiris has the ability to create self-extracting images that you simply place on a DVD/USB boot device and run automagically. Just clarifying your statement.

Back to the topic at hand, again I reiterate what I've stated in other threads, BART PE with Ghost embedded. Boot with BART PE on USB drive, and run the image from DVD. Span it across multiples obviously. BART PE is a great tool to use and has amazing functionality and versatility. If you want to be even cooler, store your image on a secondary USB hard drive and do it that way. Keep a hard copy on DVD in case that external hard drive dies. I use this method as a 'last resort' for backing up machines that otherwise won't backup using normal means and have had zero issues unless the drive itself is completely hosed up.
 
A bit more hassle than most people care to bother with, I believe. But it's possible...

There's a reason I said that, and it still holds true. The other methods are more complicated, more time consuming, require creating your own bootable media and then placing specific files on it to accomplish the goal along with the image files you haven't made yet. Get it?

You have to make an image somehow before you're going to be able to put it on media that you can make bootable in the first place. Kinda shooting-yourself-in-the-foot situation.

True Image = Install it, burn the CD, done. Period.

Boot off the CD, make images or restore images, direct to CD or DVD or any other media that True Image can access, done. Period.

Take the backups and the True Image CD and wrap a rubber band around it, toss it in a drawer someplace. ;)

Simple.
 
Yes I'm aware of your point. I was simply offereing an alternative.
 
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