XP backup?

[thinkpad1]

What is the best way to backup XP? Or should you care?

I am not talking about the data per se as I suppose you could just create copies on another drive (external drive) or if doesn't take a lot of storage, a usb flash drive stick.

But, if you thought it was necessary to back up your configuration so you would have an 'image' or previous 'state' of your OS, your files and programs, how would you do it?

I witnessed someone back up their Windows 7 configuration and it seemed pretty good, not bad, really, for Windows. I also read a review on backup software on Tom's Hardware and imho, the two main software programs seem to be the Windows 7 utility (whatever that is) and Acronis True Image (I have seen the retail software box, which includes 'Backup and Recover' or something like that).

Maybe the best option for XP is the Acronis True Image backup software program?

I know Norton Ghost is an option but I have reservations on that one since Norton Anti-Virus is so horrible and has a rep for being extremely resource heavy. Also, Acronis seems to have improved enough for backup purposes.

Comments?

I am not sure whether I would just re-install anyway but it might be an idea to have a backup of the XP OS configuration in case you ever wanted to compare when you reinstalled. I guess to see if you included all the same programs/files and see how they compare. Or if you just didn't want to spend the time on the reinstall and wanted to restore everything to a previous state.

Anyway, I think I brought up a similar topic before (can't remember) although I guess I am asking for a recent status on backup methods and software.

[K0LO]

Imaging software is a godsend and I can't imagine being without it. I've been using Acronis True Image for several years. TI versions 9 and 10 were great with XP, but the recent releases of versions 11, 2009, and 2010 have emphasized adding features over stability, unfortunately. They are full of new bells and whistles as well as the inevitable bugs that accompany them.

If you can find a used copy of v9 or v10 I would highly recommend it. If you use the newer releases then be prepared for bugs unless you stick to the core operations of creating and restoring images and avoid the bells and whistles.

And yes, Windows imaging as implemented in Windows 7 is very satisfactory although not as versatile as Acronis True Image.

[ZaZ]

If you have a Seagate drive you can get a free download of DiscWizard from Seagate's website. It's a limited version of True Image, but does what I need it to do. I like to do a clean install, then make an image, which I can put back as needed. You can make a small partition for the OS and use the rest of the drive for a data partition, which is not touched during re-imaging. I think I saw other day WD is offering their own version of this as well.

[K0LO]

Good point, Fred. I had forgotten that Seagate DiscWizard was based on version 10 of TrueImage, so it's a good choice.

[ashleys]

I used older versions of True Image which I liked.

Been using Paragon Hard Disk Manager for a number of years. Perfect Image by Avanquest is the same product just re-badged. Paragon also have a free Backup & Restore product. Only things missing from the free product is the ability to clone a drive and differential backup of individual files.

[moronoxyd]

I too use Acronis True Image (10 and 11) on my machines.
I have set it up to automatically do an differential image once a week, the only thing I have to to by hand is copy every other image onto an external hard drive.