D4\/!d Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 We here on WF, all take regular backups, don't we And for those that also use System Restore, my question is do you include the System Restore files in your backup image. Do you first turn off System Restore, and backup your C:\drive without the System Volume Information files, and then turn SR back on again.Do you defrag first, or run a virus check, or what ever.Or do you simply run a backup of your PC as it stands, and go to lunch btw, my data is on another drive and backed up separately. So I am talking about making an image of the C:\drive with OS and program files and so on.Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 PersonallyScan the Partition with everything I have to check for malware.Defragment.ImageDo you include the System Restore files in your backup image. YES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Then after checking that the image is not corrupt, I - reboot, - make sure that everything seems to be working, - then delete all the Restore Points except for the last one.Defragment again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Always run CCleaner before defrag & backup.If the page file is on the to-backup volume, make sure that it is excluded from the backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 We here on WF, all take regular backups, don't we And for those that also use System Restore, my question is do you include the System Restore files in your backup image. Do you first turn off System Restore, and backup your C:\drive without the System Volume Information files, and then turn SR back on again.Do you defrag first, or run a virus check, or what ever.Or do you simply run a backup of your PC as it stands, and go to lunch btw, my data is on another drive and backed up separately. So I am talking about making an image of the C:\drive with OS and program files and so on.Thanks,If you do ever turn off System Restore all your restore points & data are lost, including the most recent one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I leave System Restore alone. I run a Malware scan. Run C Cleaner, defrag, then save my image to a plug in hard drive. I then drag and drop that image to another plug in drive and also to my D drive. Having fouled up in the past I am obviously paranoid. I then delete all but the latest image from the D drive and second plug in drive, leaving ALL the back ups on the original plug in drive only. That drive is dedicated to back ups only. So I have ALL my images on one plug in drive, and a copy of the latest only on the other plug in drive and D drive.Paranoia I know, but I don't care. :D :D :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4\/!d Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I run a Malware scan. Run C Cleaner, defrag, then save my image to a plug in hard drive. I then drag and drop that image to another plug in drive and also to my D drive. ... I then delete all but the latest image from the D drive and second plug in drive, leaving ALL the back ups on the original plug in drive only. That drive is dedicated to back ups only. So I have ALL my images on one plug in drive, and a copy of the latest only on the other plug in drive and D drive.andsome, your method is not unlike mine. One question though, have you ever successfully restored from a copy image that you have drag n dropped to another plug in drive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4\/!d Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 ...then delete all the Restore Points except for the last one.How do you delete individual Restore Points, Boris? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I run a Malware scan. Run C Cleaner, defrag, then save my image to a plug in hard drive. I then drag and drop that image to another plug in drive and also to my D drive. ... I then delete all but the latest image from the D drive and second plug in drive, leaving ALL the back ups on the original plug in drive only. That drive is dedicated to back ups only. So I have ALL my images on one plug in drive, and a copy of the latest only on the other plug in drive and D drive.andsome, your method is not unlike mine. One question though, have you ever successfully restored from a copy image that you have drag n dropped to another plug in drive?Yes I tried it out. No problem. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4\/!d Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 If the page file is on the to-backup volume, make sure that it is excluded from the backup.I do an image backup - not individual files - I understand it copies all or nothing. My page file is on the to-backup volume. How do I exclude the page file from an image, Pat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 ...then delete all the Restore Points except for the last one.How do you delete individual Restore Points, Boris?To remove all Restore Points except the latestRight Click C:\PropertiesGeneral - Disk Clean-upMore OptionsSystem RestoreClean Up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4\/!d Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Well blow me down, I never knew that was there! For some reason I've never been that far, prolly coz I supposed it was to do with a Windows defrag and I use other tools to defrag.Well thanks to you Boris, I have been there today. It took a while to run/scan or what ever it was doing before I got to the final dialog box.You learn something every day. Esp here on WF B) And Boris, thank you for the clear and concise instructions. Most helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Thanks from me also Boris for the reminder. I knew it could be done but couldn't remember how, and it's rarely mentioned in any manuals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 You can also do it via Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup. If you have an older system with many files on your drive, then the 'Scanning: Compress old files' part can take very long before you actually get to the Disk Cleanup panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 I have always done a complete image, and have used it many times in the past without problems. I have never deleted the page file and wouldn't know how to. I have already used a complete image on my new computer and it is running perfectly. What is the potentilal problem with NOT deleting the page file? I am nou using Acronis 2009. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 You don't delete the page file, you exempt it from the backup. There is simply no point of backing up the virtual memory file; it is quite large usually, so it will just enlarge the backup file with totally useless data. (The page file is recreated every time Windows starts.)It is somewhere in the backup options where you can set it; most likely it is even set so by default. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4\/!d Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 ... What is the potential problem with NOT deleting the page file?I don't envisage a problem, andsome :D My intention was to get the image as small as pos without unnecessary clutter. (Such as System Restore files and it seems now the page file too)It looks like leaving out the page file might achieve this.Dunno how to do that yet though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Sorry, I just read the manual; it does it automatically - you don't need to specify it.Acronis True Image stores only those hard disk parts that contain data (for supported file systems). Further, it does not back up swap file information (win386.swp under Windows 98/Me and pagefile.sys under Windows NT/2000/XP) and hiberfil.sys (a file that keeps RAM contents when the computer goes into hibernation). This reduces image size and speeds up image creation and restoration.P.S. the manual (TrueImage.pdf) can be found at C:\Program Files\Acronis\TrueImageHome\UserGuide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4\/!d Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Sorry, I just read the manualThanks for going to that trouble for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyWhirly Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 I have never deleted the page file and wouldn't know how to.You can disable it here:START > Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance (Settings) > Advanced > Virtual memoryp.s. I always keep the page file as I've read that turning it off can impair Windows performance.I have never disabled it when making images using Drive Image 7 on XP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4\/!d Posted January 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 ...it does not back up swap file information (win386.swp under Windows 98/Me and pagefile.sys under Windows NT/2000/XP) and hiberfil.sys ...This reduces image size and speeds up image creation and restoration.I shall not be touching the page file, esp as Pat has found out that it gets ignored by Acronis anyway B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 I shall not be touching the page file, esp as Pat has found out that it gets ignored by Acronis anyway B)Good ! - you should only ever do away with pagefile.sys if you have a large amount of RAM and you know exactly what you are doing - as it can screw things up completely :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 However you can get rid of hiberfil.sys if you do not make use of the Windows hibernation facility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 p.s. I always keep the page file as I've read that turning it off can impair Windows performance.I have never disabled it when making images using Drive Image 7 on XP.Indeed it will. One of the tasks of the page file (or swap file) is to reduce constant reading & writing to the hard disk. It works like a sort of area of RAM on the HD but keeps some of its contents after shut-down so that they're easily accessed the next time the computer is switched on. If it's switched off permanently, or drastically reduced in size, the HD has to work much harder reading & writing from & to its various sectors. So if you do temporarily turn it off don't forget to turn it back on again.Anyway, it's not included in the normal Acronis imaging process, but check the manuals of other imaging tools as they may work differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.