use one of these to move the os over to C
* denotes PC magazines pick as the best in its class
==========================
Drive Imaging
Reviews By PC Magazine June 17, 2003
At some point, you may need to preserve your entire hard drive exactly as it is—byte for byte. Drive-imaging software does exactly that: It saves a snapshot of every bit of information on a drive or partition so you can restore the system to an identical state. But beware: The product you choose may not work well with your CD-RW drive. We ran into some compatibility problems during testing. Fortunately, each of the programs in this roundup has a money-back guarantee. So be sure to give the software a test run as soon as you buy it.
Drive Image
http://www.powerquest.com/
PowerQuest has clearly put a lot of effort into making Drive Image 2002 easy to use. When you launch the program, a straightforward wizard walks you through the process of either creating a backup of your hard drive or restoring it, detailing each step of the process.
Norton Ghost
http://www.symantec.com/sa
The most impressive aspects of Norton Ghost 2003 are its advanced features and versatile functions in a business setting, where you might need to set up hundreds of systems using the same hard drive image.
*Acronis TrueImage
http://www.acronis.com/pro
Acronis TrueImage 6.0 has an interface that makes it an ideal solution for users with basic drive-imaging needs and a desire for simplicity. The wizard for backing up a hard drive is extremely intuitive; it lets you back up partitions of a hard drive to another partition on the same drive or to optical media. Unlike Drive Image and Ghost, TrueImage does not require exclusive access to the file system to make a copy of all files. And whereas other programs require you to reboot into DOS mode to complete most operations, TrueImage needs to leave Windows only to restore a hard drive.
not reviewed by PC Magazine
Casper XP
is the next generation of Drive2Drive, designed exclusively for Windows XP and Windows 2000 systems.
http://www.fssdev.com/prod
Drive2Drive (Win 95, 98, ME)
makes upgrading to a new hard disk faster and easier than ever.
http://www.fssdev.com/prod
==========================
Traditional Backup
Reviews By PC Magazine June 17, 2003
The programs in this section can back up data, files, and even your entire system—applications and all—to CD-Rs or other types of media. Backups can be performed on demand or scheduled to occur at any convenient time. Between full backups, you can copy additional files using differential or incremental backups. This is the most comprehensive tactic, but because it requires the most discipline, you should also consider the approaches in the other sections.
BackUp MyPC
www.stompinc.com
Stomp's BackUp MyPC 4.85 ($69, or $79 on CD)—formerly Veritas Backup Exec Desktop—is a full-featured solution with multiple methods for backing up and restoring files. The fastest and easiest method is the One-Button Backup, which handles all your hard drives and critical system files such as the Registry. For a more hands-on approach, use BackUp MyPC's detailed wizards.
NTI Backup NOW! Deluxe
http://www.ntibackupnow.co
NTI Backup NOW! Deluxe 3.0 is easy to use and powerful. To back up or restore your data, you follow a simple wizard. The program's scheduling options are the most thorough in the group, even letting you choose specific days of the week or month for backups.
*Retrospect Professional
www.dantz.com
Retrospect Professional is the most expensive product in this group. But for the extra money, you get advanced options such as disk cloning, scripting, and open file backup, plus the best interface and scheduling tools here. Although this wealth of options makes Retrospect the best choice for advanced users, novices are likely to find it overwhelming.
WinBackup
http://www.liutilities.com
At first glance, WinBackup appears to be well designed, with useful options and a simple interface. Unfortunately, the program was too slow when backing up, writing to our CD-RW drive at a much slower rate than the drive supports.
==========================
Online Backup Services
Reviews By PC Magazine June 17, 2003
When you think of backing up data, CD-RWs and tape drives probably come to mind. But online backup services have become a reliable alternative. In choosing a service, you do have to consider such criteria as speeds and scheduling capabilities, since you'll be transferring large amounts of data over your Internet connection.
@Backup
www.backup.com
Although the interface looks a bit primitive, @Backup is very easy to use. You simply right-click on a folder or a file—say, a Word document on your desktop—and add it to your backup schedule.
IBackup
www.ibackup.com
If you're thirsting for a feature-rich backup service, try IBackup. This service is set apart by an extensive set of tools and wizards, which guide novices easily through backing up data, restoring files, and scheduling backups.
*Connected TLM
www.connected.com
Like @Backup, Connected TLM was one of the first online backup services. And the experience shows. Our initial backup took only 1 minute 40 seconds, and the restore time was a blazing 56 seconds. Connected also has excellent scheduling options.
OnlineBackupCenter
OnlineBackupCenter.com
OnlineBackupCenter is loaded with features; it offers scheduling, filters, wizards, and three types of encryption. But we were disappointed by its speeds. Backing up and restoring files took over an hour, compared with about a minute using @Backup or Connected.
==========================
Real-Time Backup
Reviews By PC Magazine June 17, 2003
Most backup tools work on a schedule or on demand. What if something happens to the files you are currently working on? Imagine you've spent hours editing an important document and suddenly there's a power outage. That won't be a problem if you're using a real-time backup solution. Such products back up your files as they are being modified—and take very little in the way of system resources to run seamlessly in the background.
*Iomega Automatic Backup
http://www.iomega.com/na/l
Iomega Automatic Backup is well designed, simple and flexible. The most reliable approach is to set it so that it manages backups without any user input, backing up files as you edit them. Data can be saved to another system, a network drive, or even a folder on the same computer. (Backing up to the same system is not the best idea, since you'll lose your data and the backups if the computer or hard drive fails.)
AutoSave
http://www.v-com.com/produ
Although AutoSave doesn't have quite as polished an interface, the program is still quite easy to use. By default, it automatically backs up files every time they are modified. A host of options let you exclude specific file extensions, enable backing up files that are currently opened, and perform extensive validity checks on the consistency of the backup database, among other things.
==========================
Other Backup Tools
Reviews By PC Magazine June 17, 2003
The needs of computer users vary greatly, even when it comes to backup. Fortunately, companies that create backup solutions offer a variety of approaches, from letting you back up to a remote online server to backing up your data in real time. Here are a few backup tools that don't fit into the standard
Argentum Backup
www.argentuma.com
Argentum Backup is a good choice if you're looking for a very basic, hassle-free way to back up while using only a minimum of system resources. This very tiny utility saves backups in ZIP format to minimize file size. Argentum Backup includes templates that help you back up your e-mail messages and contacts database. The program also backs up important system information, such as the Registry and shell settings. To back up data, you define data sets and schedule each set to be backed up on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis. You can also opt to back up these sets manually. Unlike the traditional backup programs, Argentum Backup can't back up directly to CD and DVD burners.
Second Copy
http://www.centered.com/
Second Copy can back up your data to any local or network hard drive for safekeeping, but like Argentum Backup, it doesn't natively back up to removable storage media. The interface is somewhat primitive, although the wizard simplifies the process of backing up information. The wizard helps you create a profile for each backup session so that when you need to view or revert back to old files, you can quickly find and access the appropriate data by clicking on the profiles.
ABSplus
http://www.cmsproducts.com
ABSplus 5.0 bundles a portable 20GB or larger hard drive and a backup utility. ABS doesn't use any compression technology, so you get a 1:1 ratio. The software supports a host of features, such as scheduling, file filters, and validity checks. You can obtain other features, including synchronizing and versioning, by upgrading to ABS Pro for an additional cost.
==========================
Also vendors of hard disks have disk utilities and part of this package is a cloning utility and they are free.
fujitsu
http://www.fcpa.fujitsu.co
IBM and Hitachi
http://www.hgst.com/hdd/su
Maxtor
http://www.maxtor.com/en/s
Samsung
http://www.samsungelectron
Seagate
http://www.seagate.com/sup
Western Digital
http://support.wdc.com/dow
www.westerndigital.com
Main Topics
Browse All Topics
by: CrazyOnePosted on 2004-02-03 at 01:48:36ID: 10259680
PartitionMagic
http://www.powerquest.com/
PartitionMagic® allows you to create, resize, merge and convert partitions on your hard drive without destroying
data. Award-winning PartitionMagic is the world's leading hard-drive partitioning software for PC enthusiasts.
Partition Manager
http://www.partition-manag
Partition Manager from Paragon provides easy and safe partitioning functions to even non-professional users.
With Partition Manager you can reclaim wasted disk space, organize your data, add new operating systems, speed
up file system performance.
In the past, partition modification was risky and time-consuming task. Users had to backup all files, create new
partitions, format them, may be reinstall operating system, and restore data. With Partition Manager you just select
what partition modification should be done. All will be done automatically without data loss.
System Commander
http://www.v-com.com/produ
System Commander 7 provides the ultimate OS management and full partitioning in one integrated package!
Supports every PC-compatible OS!
Automatic preparation for adding OSes
New - user selectable graphics
New - installs from any Windows, including Windows XP NTFS.
Free! Partition Commander 6 - Safe resize, create, move & copy for Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP, Linux and
DOS partitions.
Undo partitioning with exclusive BackStep technology.
Partition Commander
http://www.v-com.com/produ
Partition Commander lets you reclaim hard disk space, organize your files, add new operating systems (OSes), and
in many cases speed up hard drive access speeds. Best of all, you don't have to be an expert. Partition Commander
automates the process - guiding you through step-by-step. Where you have a choice, helpful suggestions are made
available - the rest is handled automatically!
BootIT Next Generation
http://www.bootitng.com/bo
BootIt NG is a partition and multi boot manager with a powerful and simple to use set of tools for partitioning,
imaging, and multi-booting your computer. It combines the features of several standalone products costing
hundreds of dollars more.
Here's a list of some of the features you'll find in BootIt NG:
Windows XP/2003 Compatible!
IEEE1394/USB 2.0 high speed support for imaging/partitioning.
support for large hard drives (2 TB) and partitions (1-2 TB).
non-destructive resizing and conversion for FAT/FAT32.
non-destructive resizing for NTFS.
creation and (secure) deletion of partitions/volumes.
undelete partitions/volumes.
FAT/FAT32 formatting
copying and moving of partitions/volumes.
support for Linux Ext2/Ext3 and ReiserFS file systems.
Imaging (including directly to CD-R/RW or DVD+R+RW-R-RW)
booting any partition on any hard drive
booting from the CD ROM drive
booting multiple operating systems from a single partition.
create over 200 primary partitions (if desired).
user id and password protection.
free upgrades (1.00-1.99) (registration-key versions only)
and lots more....
zBoot Manager
http://www.zbmsoft.com/
zBoot Manager is an effective boot manager and partition manager, which allows you to easily install and use
multiple operating systems on a single hard drive.
Acronis PartitionExpert
http://www.acronis.com/pro
Resize, copy, and move partitions without losing data*
Create and delete partitions of any type
Format partitions*
Automatically optimize hard disk space usage
Convert FAT16 <=> FAT32, Linux Ext2 <=> Ext3 partitions without losing data
Change cluster size, automatically or manually**
Browse through the detailed information about all hard disks, partitions and file systems
Hide or make visible partitions of any type
Previewing changes made in partition layout before applying them to disk
Supports large disks over 180 Gb
----------------------
Free
Ranish Partition Manager
http://www.ranish.com/part
Partition Manager is a freeware program that partitions hard disks. It will help you to install and dualboot Linux and
multiple copies of Windows. For example, it will let you to run Win ME, Win 2k, and Linux on a single box. Also, using
Partition Manager you can copy, move, and resize disk partitions.
http://www.igd.fhg.de/~asc