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Newbie's question about saved Disk space (Read 20766 times)
unure
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Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Dec 20th, 2006 at 10:06pm
 
I am using Norton Save & Restore.  I think by running the "Back Up Now" feature....I'm copying a complete image of my one and only drive.....right?  If thats so then why is there a difference in size between the FROM drive (local C) which is 31.8 gigs of used space and the TO drive (F: which was just formated prior to backup) which is 23.2 gigs of used space?

Shouldn't they be the same? My reason for a full image is so it will be easier if I ever need to restore or even replace my local drive.  While I'm asking dumb newbie questions.....does it matter if my main drive I'm backing up is a Sata and its being backed up to USB external IDE ATA/133 drive?

Sorry if the answers are obvious to you all but I'm new at all this....thanks in advance.  
 
 
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Brian
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #1 - Dec 20th, 2006 at 10:32pm
 
leary,

I assume you have a .v2i file on your external HD. Your recovery point. It's a compressed file so that's why it's smaller than the used space on your C: drive. Depending on the level of compression, the image file can be 60-80% the size of your C: drive used space.

Quote:
.does it matter if my main drive I'm backing up is a Sata and its being backed up to USB external IDE ATA/133 drive

No.
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #2 - Dec 20th, 2006 at 10:42pm
 
Brian

Quote:
No.


Unless, of course, you have one of those setups where your USB HDD *magically* doesn't show up in the Recovery Environment!

Ghost 10 Recovery CD problems


Missing External HDD's in Ghost 10's RE
 

____________________________________________________________________________________________

No question is stupid ... but, possibly the answers are Wink !
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #3 - Dec 20th, 2006 at 10:51pm
 
NightOwl wrote on Dec 20th, 2006 at 10:42pm:
Unless, of course, you have one of those setups where your USB HDD *magically* doesn't show up in the Recovery Environment!

NightOwl, you are correct of course and leary should read your links. I was only referring to the backup process.
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #4 - Dec 21st, 2006 at 9:49am
 
@Brian & NightOwl

Thank you....I now feel comfortable that my imaging process is fine, and I did read the 2 post and now I'm wondering (since I never have had to  recover a HHD) if I will have that same missing HHD issue.  So if you will allow 1 last dumb question....is there a way to just test the Recovery Environment?  I say test cause I wouldn't want to do anything to mess up main drive.

Thanks.
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #5 - Dec 21st, 2006 at 1:17pm
 
unure wrote on Dec 21st, 2006 at 9:49am:
I say test cause I wouldn't want to do anything to mess up main drive.

That's for sure.

This is how I restore a Ghost 10 image (recovery point).


Boot to the CD
set the Time Zone
click Recover My Computer
You may get a message about No recovery points found. If this happens, Click OK and click Open another location. Navigate to your recovery point
click Recover My Computer
put a dot in Custom (not Express). Click OK.
Next
choose the Partition or Unallocated Space on your HD. Next.
tick Verify recovery point before restore
tick Check for file system errors after recovery
tick Resize drive to fill unallocated space if desired
put a dot in Primary partition
tick Set drive active (for booting OS)
tick Restore original disk signature
tick Restore MBR if restoring to a new HD
Next
tick in Reboot when finished
click Finish. Yes.

As long as you don't click "Finish", you are safe. You really only need to go as far as Navigating to your recovery point. If you can see the drive letter for your external HD then you are OK.

 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #6 - Dec 22nd, 2006 at 11:25am
 
Thanks Brian!!

I copied/printed the step by step procedure you posted in case I ever need to restore.  You saved me another dumb newbie question in the future.  Wink
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #7 - Dec 22nd, 2006 at 9:38pm
 
leary,

Can you see your external HD from the RE?

Here is another of my summaries..

SCHEDULED BACKUPS

Start Ghost 10
Click Back up Now
click Define New backup
Define Backup Wizard opens, Next
select the drive to backup, Next
choose Recovery point set (recommended), Next
Choose location and filename, Next
Choose desired compression, Tick Verify recovery point after creation, Choose your Limit...(I leave unticked), ignore Advanced unless you want to split the image, Next
Dot in Scheduled, click Define Custom Schedule
Scheduling tab,Top part is for the days and the time that recovery points (Base and Incremental) will be created. I tick all days.
Untick "Create more than one recovery point per day" if you only need one , otherwise choose the number of incremental recovery points
Choose frequency of Base recovery points at the bottom, eg weekly, monthly, etc    I choose weekly
Click "Event trigger" tab, Choose any of the four or leave unticked, (I leave unticked) OK, Next
Tick "Create recovery point now" if you want it done before the scheduled time, Finish
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #8 - Dec 27th, 2006 at 6:42pm
 
Yes I can and thanks again.

I think I was unclear in my original post by using incorrect terminology (back up vs imaging).  The reason why I purchased Save & Restore was to prudently make a exact images (snapshots?)  from  my computer's C: drive to my exturnal USB drive so if my C drive ever crashed or died I could swap them untill I got a new one.....then image the new one.  Well, what I was doing was using the "back up now" option and thinking that was imaging but after further reading the manual I think I should have been using the "copy my hard drive" option........right?

I think both would serve my purpose but imaging (to a newbie like me) seems easier to accomplish when (god forbid)time comes to restore the new drive.

Am I right?  If not maybe you can better explain the differences between imaging ("copy my hard drive") and back up("back up now" option)...and what would be the easiest to perform?
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #9 - Dec 27th, 2006 at 10:06pm
 
unure wrote on Dec 27th, 2006 at 6:42pm:
"... was to prudently make a exact images (snapshots?)  from  my computer's C: drive to my exturnal USB drive so if my C drive ever crashed or died..."

One aspect of mounting internal HDDs - whether IDE or SATA - in external enclosure kits is that they can be readily dismounted for reinstallation in desktop PCs.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, two of my watersoaked PCs respectively received dismounted external HDDs to serve as replacement MASTER HDDs albeit they were set up by Norton Ghost 2003 Restore procedures from Backup images safeguarded on other external HDDs (as opposed to being Norton Ghost 2003 Clones).

EP
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #10 - Dec 28th, 2006 at 12:20am
 
leary,

Ghost 10 and NSR have changed  the previously used terminology. What used to be called an “image” or “backup image” or “image backup” is now called a “Recovery point” in NSR terminology. For this discussion let’s continue to call them images.

What is the difference between an "image" and a "clone"?
http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/notes.htm#14

Should I use an “image” or a “clone”?
http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=11329...

NSR has a file backup option. I’ve never tried it as I use other software for file backups. The “Back up Now” option is what you should be using as it creates images.  The “Copy My Hard Drive (Advanced)” option is for moving your OS/data to a larger HD. If you never use it, that is OK. You can do everything with images.

The links above explain the fine details. 
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #11 - Dec 28th, 2006 at 11:20am
 
I promise not to keep saying thanks with every reply but thanks again. Your explanations are easy for me to understand.  Anyway, the second link made things clear.  The reason for choosing cloning was to reduce any extra steps in case of a disaster but I see how imaging is the best way to go, unfortunately, being this is my very first computer I ever built (made a few mistakes along the way).....one being I didn't partition the OS seperately (as I NOW know was really stupied). So my choice in cloning verses imaging (The Copy My Hard Drive (Advanced) was to save time and extra work.  I was told I can still partition off the OS with some software like Partition Magic but my lack of confidence and experience has me hesitating.  It may sound silly to you with all your knowledege & experience but the best way I can explain my hesitation maybe like what Arnold Schwarzenegger said in the movie Preditor...."if bleeds...I can kill it"
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #12 - Dec 28th, 2006 at 2:33pm
 
leary,

Predator was a great movie.

You mentioned you have 31.8 GB of used space on your single partition HD. What is the total size of the C: drive? Is it formatted NTFS?

This is a good read and demonstrates how partitioning fits in with a backup strategy.
http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/notes.htm#13

EP can always find good deals on Partition Magic and it is well worth having this app. We’ll help out with instructions. Alternately, you could resize your primary partition with BootIt NG and then create an Extended partition. There is a fully functional 4 week trial version.
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

To resize a partition with BootIt NG (run from a boot disc)..
Quote:
Resize a partition or volume
1 On the desktop, click Partition Work.
2 In the Partitions list, select the partition or volume that you want to resize, and then click
Resize under Actions.
3 In the Resize dialog box, click OK to error check the file system.
The error-checking process can take a long time. If the hard disk indicator light continues
flickering, the error check is progressing.
When the error check is complete, in the Resize dialog box you may review the Partition
Information (such as Name, Type, and Size) to verify that you are resizing the correct
partition.
4 Review the Min Size and Max Size, and then increase or decrease the New Size of the
selected partition using the up or down arrows respectively.
5 Click OK, and then (if you've already backed up your hard disk) click Continue.
The Resize status bar indicates progress. This process can take a long time.
BootIt NG checks for errors once again, after which the Resize dialog box displays a
message that the resize is complete.
6 Click Close.


It’s very unlikely that things will go wrong while partitioning but if it does happen you can easily recover by restoring your image. I wouldn’t be overly concerned about a partitioning error ruining your computer.
 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #13 - Dec 28th, 2006 at 4:43pm
 
Quote:
You mentioned you have 31.8 GB of used space on your single partition HD. What is the total size of the C: drive? Is it formatted NTFS?


My single C: drive is 33.9 used space now (NTFS).  Its  a 250gig Seagate SATA and I back up to a USB external 80gig ATA which I only hookup for manual back ups weekly. I don't have NSR setup on a schedule cause I feel more comfortable that its put away in a safe place out of danger and away from the kids.  80gis is enough for now and I  can always delete whats on it prior to backing up at least till I get a newer/larger drive.

I got 2 $25 gift certificates from Best Buy so this weekend I'll go an pickup Partition Magic though I probably shouldn't need it cause I was given..ahem...user friendly/fix all "PC beginner" CD (no manual and terrible readme files) http://www.pcbeginner.com/products/description.htm

I never heard of BootIt™ Next Generation. Sounds interesting. Is it a better buy than Partition Magic?  I really dislike downloading software.  Give me a box and a paper manual any day! Wink

Once I decide on a program and attempt to partition off my XP from everything else and have a question...I'll be sure to return here and ask  the experts. 


 
 
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Re: Newbie's question about saved Disk space
Reply #14 - Dec 28th, 2006 at 6:03pm
 
I only mentioned BootIt NG because of its free trial period. The download is only 720 kb and it contains a userguide. It's a very good app but not particularly intuitive and I prefer to use Partition Magic. PM is what I'd recommend for you. I haven't used PC beginner.

I suggest having a 50 GB C: drive and the remainder as an extended partition containing two logical partitions. Remember that you will be able to move your "data" off the C: drive into one of the logical partitions so 50 GB will be more than enough for future growth. Having other partitions allows you to do scheduled backup images of your OS, which you can copy to your external HD at your leisure. Most restores are done for software reasons rather than for HD failure so it's good to have one or two images on your internal HD. You can restore the OS partition without having to connect the external HD.


Quote:
cause I feel more comfortable that its put away in a safe place out of danger and away from the kids. 

Same here. I only connect the external HD for 30 minutes or so.
 
 
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