powerquest drive-image
Maxtor has an external one touch backup hard disk .
True Image from Acronis is the current top imaging program according to PC Magazine.
Have you bought the latest version of Norton Ghost? The early version does NOT work with Windows XP.
Can prepare recovery CDs - pretty much anything you want. Only problem I've had with it is that, about once a month, the auto-scheduled backup routine just hangs up and stops. Doesn't stop the computer, just the backup of one of the systems. A stop/restart of the app gets it going again; company is working on this bug - others have reported it too. Not a big glitch, though.
http://www.acronis.com/
Inexpensive, works well, lots of features.
I run with only zone alarm as my firewall without anti-virus protection and I am great.
If anything gets by Zone alarm once in a great while, zone alarm lists it as a program trying to access the net, you do a search of recent files downloaded that day and delete the program files downloaded that day.
I have all my programs on disk for reloading and all work product from programs are kept to writable CD-roms, not on the computer.
If the worst happens, I don't fart around, F-disk, reformat, load my many programs again and have my work product disks on had to move on.
If you quit screwing around with trying to fix what you can't, you can reload your business and go at it in under three hours if you are slow.
Best solution, get a raid
Chuckles:
Dude, Just stop the Pain.
You should format ONCE for the life of the computer.
If you are doing anything more than that, copy the
stuff you want to CDrs, Pick up up your windows disk
stick it (standing up in a sliced) paper cup and put
it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Great light show.
Then run down to the computer store and purchase a
boxed set of SuSE Linux 9.2 , install per directions
and NEVER have to format again, or worry about Viruses,
spyware, crashes etc. My linux machine has been running
for 6 months without a reboot, and that was only due to
a power failure. It comes with every piece of software
you will ever need.
Google "Slipstreaming XP" and "Unattended XP format". It takes a lot of work to get set up (took me around 2 hours to find necessary programs online and to finish the process), but afterwards, you will have a fresh XP disk with service pack 2 and all of your windows updates integrated. Just pop it in and everything will be installed. You can even include your favorite programs on the disk (the .exe installation files), and they will be loaded automatically with the format.
I have had no problems with Norton Ghost on my WinXP system. As others have mentioned, you may wish to consider trying the latest version of the program.
I've heard lots of good things about both PowerQuest Drive Image as well as Acronis but I haven't tried them.
It's unusual for someone to have to format so many times with a WinXP system....usually some of the simpler recovery options, including System Restore, work just fine for the rare troubles that crop up.
You may wish to consider what's going on with your system and pursue a strategy to fix things rather than endlessly reformatting and reinstalling....what you're doing really shouldn't be necessary. Have you had a tech look over your system?
Norton Ghost 9.0 just came out. You may want to pay for the upgrade, or just download the shareware version to try it out. It may be more effective with XP than the older version.
Aside from having a RAID setup, here's the system I use on other computers that I have and a few of the systems I built for the office....
The best media to back up to is... another local (on the same computer) hard drive. They're fast and they're still the cheapest storage medium in terms of bytes per dollar. You can use a networked drive, but restoring a system would still require installing the OS and getting it up on the network. Too slow!
A good backup system has two facets... (1) A daily backup that only copies new and recently changed files using most any file-copy utility and (2) imaging the drive (or only the partition containing the Boot Sector and OS since all other files can simply be copied) only when major changes have been made. Either recent versions of Norton Ghost or PowerQuest Drive Image will work fine with imaging Windows XP (note that Symantec now owns PowerQuest).
If you don't make frequent major changes to your OS (like installing new software, patches, service packs, etc.), there's no need to make frequent images. Any file copy program can be used to back up and restore regular non-system files without any hassle.
If you go with an extra drive for backup purposes, make sure that the drive isn't used for anything else so to prevent corruption. Don't rely on an external drive since performing a restore might require installing the OS and drivers first unless your BIOS can access it directly. An internal hard drive is preferred.
With this system, I have brought back computers from catastrophic hard drive failures in usually less than 1/2 hour after replacing the faulty drive. Every setting and every file is restored just as it was when it was last backed up.
Dude - get a Dell. Or Sony. Or SOMETHING that works!
If you have to reformat your hard drive all the time, you have a piece of cr@p computer system.
All those MS updates you get are still in the cache after you install them, unless you have the browser set to empty the cache on closing. They'll have long names with a [1] after them. Copy them to a folder and burn them to a CD. Since you always have some that needs to be downloaded and installed first, save them accordingly, such as "set One" or whatever. Then go back and get the rest and put them in another folder, etc.
The easiest way to recognize them, of course, is going to the update site with an empty cache to begin with.
Those are self executables, by the way, where you do the usual double click to get the install started.
I'm not positive this will work with XP, so someone pipe up if otherwise. I know it does with '98 and ME, though, and you'd think it would since you're using IE.
Here are some links:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1143957/posts
Everything on my hard drive got destroyed
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1138212/posts
HELP, My Windows XP just died
http://www.overclockers.com/tips676/
"Drive Imaging for Data Safety and Backup!"
Within those links are more links you can use. Be sure to look for them.
If you can afford it, and external backup HD is a good idea, but be sure the backup is clean and free of malware-- best advice and forum is here:
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?s=262d844129208feb8b0cf5b0186a32f6&act=SC&c=4
SWI Forums
A down & dirty solution? Get a spare drive & clone it-- after you get rid of the malware in the original.
Service pack 2 for XP is available as one big 173mb download over here--->>>
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en
The question is why do you have to reformat so often?
Once you know why, we can more accurately provide a viable solution.
The solution: Systemworks Premier 2005 (includes Ghost 9 for XP and Ghost 2003 for Win98) and an external USB 250GB drive. You can use the Symantec Recovery Disk to boot from the CD. Then use Ghost to restore from your external USB. This works for me.
Forget about Linux (and Mac). These systems are for people who hate games and love watching spreadsheets recalculate or decorating their lofts with goofy-looking machines resembling a table lamp.
Good luck, and long live Bill Gates.
I have used it for almost a year while playing with several different operating systems.
When I want to play a game on Windows, I put my last good Windows DVD+RW disc in the drive, start the computer, select the image with the Norton utility that boots up, get a snack, and then play that game.