Drive Image 5.0 by PowerQuest

The solution for full system backups and disaster recovery.

"Drive Image" by PowerQuest is a utility designed to allow users to create images of partitions defined on hard drives. This capability is useful for several reasons: an image is a form of backup - it is an exact copy of an existing hard drive partition. It can be used to restore that partition in the event of inadvertent reformat, deletion, or corruption. It can be used to transfer information to another (possibly re-sized) partition on the same hard drive, or it can be used to move information to a new hard drive if one is added.

This is a utility that works with the fundamental structure and organization of a hard drive system. It is, therefore, not something that someone should play with without understanding what he or she is doing. Fortunately, the "Drive Image" manual contains an excellent series of appendices that provide an experienced PC user with enough information to feel comfortable with using the product. As a matter of fact, the manual makes good reading for anyone who wishes to understand more about how a hard drive works and how modern hard drive systems can be organized for maximum efficiency. Since "Drive Image" works across the full spectrum of drive systems and formats used in PCs today -- FAT, FAT32, HPFS, NTFS, and (to a limited extent) NetWare, Linux, and Unix - it is not limited to a particular type of PC or system. "Drive Image" can be used with the DOS, Windows 3.1x, Windows95, Windows NT, XP, OS/2, and (with some restrictions) NetWare, Linux, and Unix operating systems. It can also be used on systems that are configured for "multiple boot" - that is, a system that will run both Windows95 and OS/2, for example.

Drive Image® 5.0 - a proven cloning software that enables users to backup, recover, or upgrade their critical hard disk data quickly, easily and safely.

New Functionality in Drive Image 5.0

• Support for Windows XP.
• QuickImageT Windows interface allows you to configure and execute imaging sessions. You're no longer forced to operate while in DOS as you are with other imaging software.
• QuickImage scheduler allows you to schedule regular backups of your entire hard drive or individual partitions. Once your schedule is set, you do nothing more-the backups will happen automatically.
• Improved performance allows you to create and restore images faster than ever.
• Support for a greater number of CD-R/W drives, including IDE, SCSI and PCMCIA drives.
• VF Editor allows you to custom-build your own Virtual Floppy files, removing the need to create and boot from floppy diskettes.
• Supports hard drives as large as 80GB.

Can Drive Image be used as a replacement for your normal backup system? The answer to this question is "yes and no." Drive Image works with partitions on a hard drive and will make a complete image of everything that is contained within the selected partition. Without getting into a detailed discussion of partitions here, for most of us we can equate a "partition" with a logical drive designation. A large hard drive, for example, might be divided into two or more logical partitions, each of which is designated with a letter. The primary partition is usually called drive "C," and the second logical partition might be called drive "D" (although other alternatives are possible depending upon how your operating system was set up!). "Drive Image" will allow you to take a complete "picture" of drive "C" or "D," for example. You may then take this image and reinstall it elsewhere into a new partition, or you may keep this image as a backup of drive "D" in case there is an emergency. You may put this image on free space on your hard drive (the image is a file, not itself a partition), or onto some form of removable media such as ZIP or JAZ cartridges, or CDR/Ws.

The size of the image will depend upon the amount of used space on the partition for which you are making an image. If the size of the partition you are imaging is 2 GB with 1 GB used for data and programs, the "raw" image file will be 1 GB in size. "Drive Image" allows you to compress the image that is created so that it requires less space to store. Compressioned images take longer to backup and restore, but don't represent a substantial time penalty.

Before doing a drive image, do a full system scan disk and defrag. It is not a necessary but will produce a cleaner backup and help avoid problems. Also, after restoring a backup, do a defrag again. PowerQuest's SmartSector^T Technology leaves the drive highly fragmented and the defrag will make a difference in final performance.

One of the features of drive image is Image Editor, which allows you to see what is contained in the image file. Use it to confirm the quality of your copy to file. If you can open the image file (.pqi) the file should be reliable. A good test is to delete several files from your hard drive and then retrieve them individually from the image that was stored on a CD-ROM. There is also an option to create and save an index of the image if you prefer to restore files on a regular basis.

Although "Drive Image" is a stand-alone program, it is a useful companion to PowerQuest's Partition Magic.

 

HARDWARE/SOFTWARE	MINIMUM	RECOMMENDED
Processor	Pentium or Higher
RAM	16MB RAM	32MB for FAT32 or Hard Disks larger than 4GB
CD-ROM Drive	Any Speed	Any Speed
Hard-Disk Free Space	16.5MB	16.5MB
Operating System	Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0 workstation, Windows Me, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, DOS 5.0 or later
Video	VGA	Super-VGA
Removable Media	3.5" Floppy diskette and CD-ROM
Product Price: $49.00 For more details see PowerQuest's web site.