[SOLVED] Linux Image for XP

[Ferdes Fides]

I tried searching for this but could not find a very specific answer.
Is there a graphical Linux program that is verified that it can make
and restore a Windows partition image.  Somewhere it said that NTFS
imaging for backup was "experimental".  g4u is supposed to work
but it is all command line and I am terrible with those.

Anyone actually backed up and restored Windows with a Linux program ?
I would hate to think I have a backup and then not be able to restore
it later if I remove PCLinux.

Thanks,

Patrick

[menotu]

Try SystemRescueCd - this does things very well - imaging, partitioning, and a lot more besides. It has GUI tools.

http://www.sysresccd.org/Main_Page


http://www.sysresccd.org/Screenshots

This is a tutorial from Lifehacker Partition and Image Your Hard Drive with the System Rescue CD (its a couple of years old but the steps should be pretty much the same)

http://lifehacker.com/292972/partition-and-image-your-hard-drive-with-the-system-rescue-cd

[MBantz]

Tried this approach with XP (and 2000) but didn't work - apparently partimage (a couple of years ago at least) had issues with fragmented drives. I only gave it this one try though.

On the other hand, partimage client and server work beautifully with ext3 filesystems - I was ghosting 30 portable workstations through wireless interface - 15 PC's a time!

cheers,
MBantz

[menotu]

If memory serves, SystemRescueCD uses Partimage as it's imaging tool - but then again.... 

[Ferdes Fides]

I finally ordered a XP recovery CD.  XP would not image for 2 different programs
with all the fragments.   At least if it doesn't work it will be Windows fault and
not Linux's.  Nothing appears like it works infallibly on Linux and secondarily on
Windows.

I'm surprised that PartImage worked on ext3 if it was probably well fragmented.
CDLinux has PartImage and they recommended NTFSClone which isn't graphical
which presently is a gauntlet for me.   It's like the SystemRescueCD somewhat.

I'm sure I'm going to end up copy and pasting, then restore and then make an
image without fragments.  It just takes an hour or so.

My flash drive has a virus anyway so I need to get the XP recovery CD to restore
the MBR or Partition table or whatever so Windows can read it again.  Have to wait for
it in the mail.

Thanks for the responses.

Patrick013

[MBantz]

.....

I'm surprised that PartImage worked on ext3 if it was probably well fragmented.
CDLinux has PartImage and they recommended NTFSClone which isn't graphical
which presently is a gauntlet for me.   It's like the SystemRescueCD somewhat.

...

Hi Patrick,

If you are referring to my response, the fragmentation issue is only with ntfs formatted drives. With ext3 you need to be lucky to get a fragmented drive at all. All the ext3 systems I've ghosted worked flawlessly with partimage - only tip I can give here is to use gzip and not bzip2 for compression as the latter takes 10-20 times the compression time as gzip (at least last I tried),

cheers,
MBantz

[Ferdes Fides]

.....

I'm surprised that PartImage worked on ext3 if it was probably well fragmented.
CDLinux has PartImage and they recommended NTFSClone which isn't graphical
which presently is a gauntlet for me.   It's like the SystemRescueCD somewhat.

...

Hi Patrick,

If you are referring to my response, the fragmentation issue is only with ntfs formatted drives. With ext3 you need to be lucky to get a fragmented drive at all. All the ext3 systems I've ghosted worked flawlessly with partimage - only tip I can give here is to use gzip and not bzip2 for compression as the latter takes 10-20 times the compression time as gzip (at least last I tried),

cheers,
MBantz

Yes it was your response.  These NTFS drives are always fragmented with usage and they will
not image unless you're lucky and catch it without a fragment as far as I can tell.

My PCLinux is on an XFS partition and it should image without a hitch according to your post,
assuming xfs is as good or better than ext3.

It's like saying keep Linux to Linux and Windows to Windows to me.


Thanks for the response,

Patrick

[MBantz]

.....

I'm surprised that PartImage worked on ext3 if it was probably well fragmented.
CDLinux has PartImage and they recommended NTFSClone which isn't graphical
which presently is a gauntlet for me.   It's like the SystemRescueCD somewhat.

...

Hi Patrick,

If you are referring to my response, the fragmentation issue is only with ntfs formatted drives. With ext3 you need to be lucky to get a fragmented drive at all. All the ext3 systems I've ghosted worked flawlessly with partimage - only tip I can give here is to use gzip and not bzip2 for compression as the latter takes 10-20 times the compression time as gzip (at least last I tried),

cheers,
MBantz

Yes it was your response.  These NTFS drives are always fragmented with usage and they will
not image unless you're lucky and catch it without a fragment as far as I can tell.

My PCLinux is on an XFS partition and it should image without a hitch according to your post,
assuming xfs is as good or better than ext3.

It's like saying keep Linux to Linux and Windows to Windows to me.


Thanks for the response,

Patrick

Yes, this was my conclusion as well - having used Norton Ghost successfully on hundreds of xp-systems - and likewise using Partimage successfully for hundreds ext3 filesystems. But not to be mixed according to my trials. Today, I haven't touched XP machines for years, so not really an issue to me anymore.

Perhaps things are better with the latest versions - but now I prefer to keep operating systems apart as a means to drive the development and general usage towards Linux because of the opensource and free software, as well as knowing that commercial interests work against cooperation,

Now, if Microsoft will support the ext3 filesystem (or other generally used filesystem) then I would give it another shot, but it's hardly never to happen,

cheers,
MBantz

EDIT: Clarified details

[ElCuervo]

You may want to try http://clonezilla.org/. I haven't had a chance to try it yet (maybe today ) but I have seen Melodie (among others) speak highly of it.

[Ferdes Fides]

Finally gave up and bought ActiveBootDisk and it worked flawlessly on XP.
I think LINUX should backup LINUX and Windows should backup Windows.
The biggest reason for not pursuing SystemRescueCD and the like, except for
LINUX backups, to avoid incompatible file errors and others errors in the process
from occuring.


patrick013

[MBantz]

Actually I just tried Clonezilla for the first time last week, the server edition, on the drbl live distro and everything I've thrown at it is cloned and restored, that is 3 different systems, one being a Mac. This Clonezilla SE edition is able to let clients (store and restore) boot with PXE, i.e. no boot cd or usb. Restoring with the drbl live is set up to max. 40 simultaneous restores (we will use pxe again here) in a multicast setup,

Clonezilla differs from partimage by storing all necessary information (mbr, partition info and the partitions) in a folder,

I'm having some issues compiling parts of the clonezilla utils in PClinux at the moment but eventually I plan to build the entire drbl+clonezilla complex to be included in Synaptic,

cheers,
MBantz

[Ferdes Fides]

cloned and restored, that is 3 different systems, one being a Mac. This Clonezilla SE edition is able to let clients (store and restore) boot with PXE, i.e. no boot cd or usb.

Hello,

I thought we couldn't image Windows or Mac file systems, too many fragments.  Actually
I think the programs make an archive when "imaging" Windows or Mac file systems and
just call them images and lock the files, etc. as if they were images.  Clonezilla sounds
like a good choice then based on your success.


Thanks for the response.

Patrick

 

[menotu]

Actually I just tried Clonezilla for the first time last week, the server edition, on the drbl live distro and everything I've thrown at it is cloned and restored,

Agree - its a very good programme