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Rad Community Technical Discussion Boards (Computer Hardware + PC Software) >> Norton Ghost 2003,  Ghost v8.x + Ghost Solution Suite (GSS) Discussion Board >> DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
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Message started by Brian on Oct 13th, 2005 at 1:21am

Title: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Oct 13th, 2005 at 1:21am
http://www.runtime.org/dixml.htm

DriveImage XML is a freeware imaging app that could be useful to those who have yet to buy imaging software and would like to see what imaging is all about. I've tried it for imaging but I haven't tried a restore yet. It is easy to use and does hot imaging, restoring, copy drives and image browsing.

There is a plugin for BartPE so that you can restore the system partition or do everything from BartPE.

It shows promise. Any opinions?

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Rad on Oct 13th, 2005 at 1:52am
I am all for freeware.

http://radified.com/Articles/freeware.htm

version 1.00

do you think they're simply offering it free for a limited time, while users serve as (free) bug-testers?

a back-up image is of such critical nature (to me, anyway), that you don't want to trust its restore to a prgm that hasn't been fully developed.

i would never use it as my *sole* back-up image solution.

but i am being paranoid. it may very well be a reliable piece of software.

i will add the prgm to both the freeware guide & the ghost guide.

do you know when the prgm was first released? or when v1.00 was released?

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Oct 13th, 2005 at 3:04am
Rad,

I think you are correct about its future duration as freeware. Probably short. I only heard about it today, on the Reatogo BartPE plugins page. I can't determine when it was first released.

On the basis of any imaging app is better than none, that's how I'd suggest it be used at present. Only if you have no other app.

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Pleonasm on Oct 13th, 2005 at 3:04pm
Other low-cost backup image solutions include:

  Paragon Exact Image:  http://www.snapfiles.com/get/pexactimage.html
  Image for Windows:  http://www.snapfiles.com/get/imageforwin.html
  Active@ Disk Image:  http://www.snapfiles.com/get/adiskimage.html

Personally, however, I consider backup to be so important that the selection of a tool ought to be based upon factors more critical than price:  reliability (of the tool and of the company), technical support, updates/upgrades, ease-of-use, etc.  One ought not to be "pound wise and penny foolish," right?

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Rad on Oct 13th, 2005 at 3:08pm
RE: I consider backup to be so important that the selection of a tool ought to be based upon factors more critical than price.

and

any imaging app is better than none

Yes, I couldn't agree more.

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Oct 14th, 2005 at 12:15am
I just did a C: drive restore from BartPE. On a redundant WinXP installation. No problems.

I like the app, although I don't intend to use it for backups. It's easy to use and has worked as it should. Compressed Backups take about 3 times longer than Ghost 9 but the image is about 10 % smaller so that may be part of the explanation. The Restore process was about twice as long as Ghost 9.

There is no Scheduling and no Verify process which is a disadvantage. Hidden partitions can't be imaged but images can be restored to hidden partitions.

It shows promise. Time will tell.

As Pleonasm mentioned, there are many other imaging apps. This one took my interest only because it was Freeware.

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Rad on Oct 18th, 2005 at 4:14pm
Okay, it took a while, but I finally updated the Ghost guide to include this freeware prgm. Also include one of the shareware apps mentioned by Pleo: Exact Image by Paragon (US$40), as that's one I hadn't seen before.

http://ghost.radified.com/ghost_1a.htm

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by SWondra on Oct 27th, 2006 at 4:48pm
New to Forum

A question with which I'd appreciate help:

Situation

Looking to clone 9GB boot /system drive/partition to second drive (where an identical sized 9GB partition was already created)so that I can replace the boot/system drive with an 80GB.  (I feel a bit of a time crunch so that this PC will be "ready" when the tech guy comes in a few days to install DSL.)

Thefreecountry.com directed me to DriveImage XML (new) (among others) and I successfully and apparently without errors cloned the 9GB info to the first partition of the 2nd hard drive which I had already matched to the same size as the boot drive.

I am assuming that all the Security Updates for XP Prof were copied as well, apparently leaving me at the state that I can physically install the 80GB in place of the 9GB boot drive, and "copy back/restore" this to the new hard drive.

Question:

Since DriveImage XML "cannot restore the image to the system drive ...it is currently (using)", I'm to "use their BartPE plugin (what they call the "WinPE boot CD-ROM")  to create a BartPE CDROM and "restore (my) system partition after booting from the CDROM."

Here's my ignorance/question: Where and how do I get their BartPE plugin to create a BartPE CDROM?  It seems not to be available on the download of DriveImage XML.


Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Steve's 'wondrin

(p.s. I note from pcstats.com and Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows Slipstreaming Windows XP with Service Pack 2 that this process might originate an uptodated install but it involves something I'm trying to avoid: E.g., with the molasses dial-up speed I hope to soon dump, I just updated 35MB of Security updates in a "cool" seven hours!  Hence the move to DSL in a few days.

Nevertheless, since I've apparently already moved the mess to the second drive, is there a way to "piggyback" that process to make a CD-ROM  like BartPE apparently does?)

Many thanks.

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Oct 27th, 2006 at 5:18pm
SWondra,

Here it is.

http://www.runtime.org/driveimage_xml.cab


Quote:
I am assuming that all the Security Updates for XP Prof were copied as well, apparently leaving me at the state that I can physically install the 80GB in place of the 9GB boot drive, and "copy back/restore" this to the new hard drive.

You should actually do this to confirm that it does work. Make sure you remove the old HD before allowing the new HD to boot for the first time. Let us know the answer.


Quote:
Since DriveImage XML "cannot restore the image to the system drive ...it is currently (using)", I'm to "use their BartPE plugin (what they call the "WinPE boot CD-ROM")  to create a BartPE CDROM and "restore (my) system partition after booting from the CDROM."

As I understand, you haven't actually made an image. You have made a copy of your OS partition (a "Clone") so there is really no need for the plugin. You will need it later if you start making images so that you are able to restore the images from BartPE in the event of a disaster.

Does the cloned HD boot?

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by SWondra on Oct 27th, 2006 at 9:04pm
Brian;  

8) Appreciated your prompt reply.

:-[ Don't know forum procedure yet to insert quote; for now, will paraphrase quote at issue]:

"Confirm that it does work" means what procedures?

Procedure 1

Assuming that I have a "full copy"(A clone?; not an image ?) in the first of four 9GB partitions of HD 1 (destination) made from the boot 9 GB OS + SP2, etc. currently in HD 0 (source), I should remove the old drive HD 0 and replace it with the new, "blank" 80 GB drive and try to boot. [Am I expecting the PC to "find" the viable "full copy" in HD1, the second (old) drive and to boot from there?]

Is this what you mean when you ask "Does the cloned drive boot?"  [If the "cloned drive" means the source, 9GB drive, it boots.  If the "cloned drive" means the destination drive as per the above, I believe that it is inactive and only the old, source drive still in place boots.  But if the old drive were removed?...would the unmoved destination drive boot?

If this boots, how do I move that full OS in the second drive back into the new 80 GB drive, so that it now performs/boots as did the original 9GB HD?  Do I now recopy the OS, etc. back into the new drive using DriveImage XML?

                             OR

Procedure 2

:-[  Sorry for the sloppy language: I think I did download BartPE OK and am now understanding that the "image" it produces is an identical byte by byte copy that it puts on a CD to allow the equivalent of an XP installation disk complete with all the Security Updates I have already accumulated.

So here I should first make that CD-ROM image; then remove HD 0 (the old system/boot drive, a single 9GB partition) and replace it with the new 80GB drive, using the CD to reinstall the OS, etc. into the new drive.

                                       OR

Is there another set of procedures you suggest to get me back into operation with everything that was on the old 9GB hard drive now on the new, replacement 80GB hard drve?

Thanks for your patience.

Steve

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Oct 27th, 2006 at 9:38pm
Steve,

This is what I think you have done. Installed the 80 GB HD as a slave and made four 9 GB partitions. The remainder of the 80 GB HD is free (Unallocated Space). You then used DriveImage XML to "Copy directly from drive to drive". So you now have the first partition on the 80 GB HD identical to the 9 GB HD.

I'll stop here. Is that correct?

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by SWondra on Oct 27th, 2006 at 10:42pm
Brian;

Sorry if I've confused you.

No hard drives have been mechanically changed.

Drive 0, the extant 9GB HD, system/boot has XP Prof. with all the latest SP2 updates, plus some applications.

Drive 1, the extant, approx. 40GB HD, has four partitions, each of the first three set up to be the same size (9GB) as Drive 0.

On Drive 1, I "slid their partitions to the right" via Partitiion Magic, then formatted the first partition so that it was identical to that of Drive 0.

I used DriveImage XML to clone Drive O's contents into the first partition of Drive 1.  I think this was successful and I imagine that that first partition of Drive 1 is a "twin" of the entirety of Drive 0.

The new 80GB HD is still in the box.

I want to replace Drive 0 with the new 80GB HD but leave the new drive with the same contents that now fill the old 9GB.  I hope not to lose any of the contents of the old drive, especially do I want to preserve all the SP2 updates.  I'm hoping the 80GB will operate just as did the original 9GB HD 0, except of course, with 71GB additional space.

What procedures/applications do I need to accomplish this?

Will I need to use the BartPE plugin (you located/I downloaded) to create a BartPe CDROM to get the new 80GB operating?

Was/Is the clone in the first partition of HD1 necessary to accomplish any of the above?

TNX

Steve




Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Oct 27th, 2006 at 10:58pm
I'm clear now. Steve, give me a few minutes and I'll let you know the easy way to do it.

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Oct 27th, 2006 at 11:30pm
OK. You want to finish with 80 GB HD as master and 40 GB HD as slave.

Remove your 40 GB HD slave and install the blank 80 GB HD to the same cable connection (jumpered as slave or Cable Select if thats what you are using).

Boot to your Partition Magic floppies or CD
Make sure you select the 80 GB HD. Create a primary partition which will eventually be your new Operating System partition. It can be any size over 9 GB. You should think to the future and make it around 20 GB. Don't bother formatting. Make formatted partitions for the remainder of the drive. Whatever you want. Click Apply.

Now delete the primary partition you initially created. Click Apply. The initial space will be Unallocated Space.

Select the 9 GB partition. Click Operations, Copy and copy the OS partition on the 9 GB HD to the Unallocated Space on the 80 GB HD. Click Resize to fill unallocated space if asked. Don't let PM assign any drive letters. Drive letter should be None. This may be the case from DOS anyway. When finished make sure the first partition on the 80 GB HD is marked Active. Click Apply if needed.

Shut down and remove both HDs. Install the 80 GB HD as master (don't forget jumpers). Start your computer and it should boot into WinXP.

Shut down. Install the 40 GB HD as slave. Start your computer and delete the first partition on the 40 GB HD. You could do this from the PM floppies before you start the computer if you like.

Does it all make sense? I hope I haven't left out any steps.

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by SWondra on Oct 28th, 2006 at 12:39pm
Brian;

Your suggested procedure makes perfect sense; in fact, when I saw your Oct 27th, 2006, 7:38pm post thinking that I had "installed the 80 GB HD as a slave", I said to myself, "Dummy, of course that's the way to go."

I am willing to follow your suggestions to the letter however I wonder if I could learn a bit more about DriveImage XML and perhaps use it to good effect as follows:

After installing the new, blank 80 GB Hd jumpered to the same/slave  cable connection as was the removed 40GB HD, I probably could boot the 9 GB HD and go through Start; Settings; Control Panel; Administrative Tools; Computer Management; to Disk Management to partition/format 40 GB of the 80 GB. (I'm going to leave the 2nd 40 GB unformated/available to setup Linux as a dual boot later.)

Since the 9 GB still has DriveImage XML on it, can it not act as the 9 GB source to clone itself (along with all the SP2 updates, etc.) into the 80 GB slave drive's first/40 GB partition?

If so, I should be able to shut down; change the 80 GB HD jumper to Master; swap it out with the old 9 GB HD as drive 0; then re-insert the old slave 40 GB HD back where it was running as drive 1.

If the cloning worked, with the 80 MB drive contents identical to before (the 9 GB; including a copy of DriveImage XML), shouldn't it just boot without argument? (I assume the 40 MB drive placed back into its original location would work as the slave drive as before.)

Although I have the original XP Prof. CD, etc. , would the fact that the boot drive is a clone mean that I would likely not have to again go through the nuisance of an MS activation call, etc.?

I'm thinking that if things go way wrong, I can always re-install XP, Partition Magic, and, once DSL is conneded, again download all those SP2 Security Updates without pulling out the remaining few hairs I have on my head.

Before I proceed with anything, please let me know what you think.

tnx a google,

Steve




Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Oct 28th, 2006 at 3:01pm
Steve,

Copying directly from drive to drive in Windows, cloning, is one of the most error prone procedures of imaging software. There are lots of places where you can make mistakes and then the new OS won't boot. I haven't tried cloning with DriveImage XML so I don't know its quirks.

The good thing about cloning is that the source partition, the 9 GB HD, isn't altered so that if something goes wrong you simply start again. Microsoft activation shouldn't be needed when using the cloned HD.

What you have outlined should work in theory but maybe not in practice. What you should do is test your current clone. Remove the 9 GB HD and install the 40 GB HD as master. If it boots, great, use that technique. If it doesn't boot then I'd use the Partition Magic technique as it's almost infallible.

If you do use DriveImage XML to clone the 9 GB HD to the 80 GB HD then make sure you remove the 9 GB HD from your computer before allowing the 80 GB HD to boot for the first time. Also, don't clone into a partition. Clone into Unallocated Space.

Let us know what happens either way.

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by tomkk on Nov 3rd, 2006 at 11:33am
DriveImage seems very useful but I'm having a problem imaging C:. Imaging any drive other than C: works fine. When I try to image C:, the drive cannot be locked and it attempts to init Windows Volume Shadow Service and that generates an error "Could not initialize VSS Error code 80042318. I've tried all the suggestions in the help file and Runtime's website without effect. VSSVC.EXE is running. MS Software Shadow Copy Provider service is started and can be stopped and restarted. I have reregistered oleaut32.dll. My system has no oleaut.dll and have been unable to find a copy of it so I can't try registering that. All drives are NTFS. Running WinXP Pro SP2 with all updates.

Runtime SW, unfortunately, doesn't support their free SW and will not provide any help.

This seems to be a truly useful tool and I'd appreciate any ideas that I can try.


Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Brian on Nov 3rd, 2006 at 2:14pm
tomkk,

Have you tried running DriveImage XML from a BartPE CD to image your C: drive? That should get around the C: drive locking issue. It's a less convenient way to run the app than from Windows but if you can't image your C: drive (either way) then the app is useless.

You need to have a BartPE CD anyway for a C: drive restore.

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by SWondra on Dec 6th, 2006 at 5:52pm
Feedback: DriveImage XML not used

Altho I planned to describe attempts to use DI XML to test if it would satisfactorily copy old 6GB master contents to new 80GB slave contents before replacing the former with the latter, I found that the procedure and "Data Lifeguard Tools" on the CD accompanying the Wester Digital 80GB HD essentially successfully accomplished the same goal.  ;D ;D

After all of your  help, I feel bad at not carrying out and reporting on the DriveImage XML experiment but I wanted to express my appreciation while reporting that I had to spend a lot of time getting my six computers hooked up to DSL (knowing nothing about Ethernet, etc.) and wrenching my back lifting this heavy old computer while swapping cables, drives, etc.

You might nevertheless like to know some associated pluses and minuses:

You DO have to use the cable provided (apparently double the 40 wires in the old cable). You remove the old slave drive temporarily, install the new one with slave pin positioning but don't connect the cable/power yet.  First, you run the CD and follow the procedures and, after reconnecting, except for a few glitches (below) I found the "whole" of drive 0's contents were copied to the new drive temporarily in drive 1.

THE NEAT THING (major goal I wanted to accomplish) was to update about 35 to 50 MB of Security and other updates BEFORE the Image copy, and installing DSL first made this happen. :) :) :)

Essentially the same procedures as I planned with DriveImage XML were used: After making an image of the system 6GB on to the temporary slave, I removed the former and installed the latter as Drive 0 (after changing the jumper to "master" position).

The minuses:

Although not the fault of the tools (and in fact forewarned by the instructions), the darned old BIOS (Phoenix Tech LTD 6.00, 5/14/98; SMBIO ver. 2.0) would only read about half of the 80GB.  I found HP's support site not productive re any available BIOS upgrades or referrals to anyone else if HP offered none.

Another miss/mess: I had two older Symantec Apps that I still used: (1) Norton System Works 2003 whose defrag and quick cleanup I still find fine; and (2) a Norton AntiVirus 2005 which had been updated online, good until 3/07.  :o >:(  NONE of these survived the drive image transfer.

After mucking around a lot and failing to re-install (I don't find Symantec's support friendly), I learned that there is a new-to- me "delete thingy" which seems to kill everything Norton, from today back to the bronze age.  This permitted a reinstallation of BOTH since I save every darned CD and confirmation sheet and not only did the reinstallations work, but Symantec issued a "courtesy" subscription extension  for a whole year.

This salvaged some of my pique since, although I don't see it yet, I believe there will be some means of buying antivirus, etc. updates for a pricing to cover three PC's at near the price of one. We'll see.

Anyway, thanks for all the help and "Ahl be bek".

Steve

Title: Re: DriveImage XML. Freeware imaging
Post by Pleonasm on Dec 8th, 2006 at 6:00pm
RE:  "a pricing to cover three PC's at near the price of one"

SWondra, a single purchase of Norton Internet Security 2007 allows the user to install and run the application on three PCs (see this article), and I believe the same is also now true for Norton AntiVirus.

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