DOS based image creator/burner?

[dbminter]

I still want to use ImgBurn and will but, I was wondering. Is there a DOS based image file creator and burner for CD disc images?

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

Can I ask why you?d bother? Hmm....?

[dbminter]

I got to thinking of a theoretical scenario where I might not be able to restore my system after a catastrophic failure coupled with failure of the restore media. For instance, I keep some last resort before full reinstall from the bottom up of Windows standard CD images on an external hard drive of the monthly image backups I schedule for my system. These images are also burned to rewritable discs each month as a form of backup. But, I was thinking what if, someday, I find I can't restore my system the normal way because even the rewritable CD's were too damaged. The only way to around this is to restore from the factory default restore CD's, install a burner app, burn the discs in Windows, boot out, and restore the newly burned discs. Doubles the time needed for a system restore in the worst case scenario, where time is important. But, with a DOS based burner, I could put it on a bootable CD or on the partition on the external HD and boot from a bootable floppy. Would reduce downtime by half.

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

Ah!. Now I?m with you. Not a bad idea that. Still, it?d be a hell of a lot easier (and quicker) to do a restore using a Ghost image. (Lightning led me down the easy path with this).

 

* Set aside a partition on a local HD and format to FAT32.

 

* Export your HD image to this partition.

 

* If your drive fails/corrupts, run Ghost (or whatever program you use) from floppy and restore to C:

 

 

Hell of alot easier than fooking around with CDs.

[dbminter]

I don't like Ghost. Never had a successful restore with it and now that Symantec owns it, forget it! I've used Acronis, but, what I've done is merge the True Image files with the rescue CD it creates to make bootable discs, thus reducing the need for only 1 drive. So, the boot information and rescue tools are stored in the images and the images are stored on the external HD as a last resort parachute. I am thinking in worse case scenario here.

 

 

Basically, my backup schedule is 1 for everyday, stored locally online, then 1 for every week for 4 weeks, stored locally online, then 1 for every month stored both locally online and stored on disc, and 1 for the year, also stored locally online and offline on disc. Plus, partitions of the factory virgin install as well as partition copies of a configured Windows with common applications installed and already configured. The monthly discs get recycled after a year, and, I keep a copy of the current year and the previous year discs. After 2 years, the oldest yearly disc goes into storage.

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

You put a hell of alot more effort into your backups than I do. I keep duplicates of files that I can?t easily replace (like my mp3s and utils I can?t do without) on a different PC. I?ve learned not to be too concerned if a C: drive bites the dust. Still, this doesn?t solve your original question. I?ll have a look around for you and see what I can find. I assume it?ll have to be able to boot off a floppy

[dbminter]

What hurts the most though is I've been FORCED to put a lot more effort into my backups. For instance, discovered out of the clear blue, something deleted all the entries in my Scheduled Tasks. Had to go back to Thursday's backup, the last one that contained any entries for C:\WINDOWS\Tasks.

 

 

The image burner need not necessarily fit on a floppy, just work in DOS. Plus, if it can read images in DOS, too, so much the better.

[Kenadjian]

* Set aside a partition on a local HD and format to FAT32.

Question Shamus, any reason for the FAT32?

I do all imaging on ntfs partitions without any problems (with Ghost).

 

I don't like Ghost. Never had a successful restore with it and now that Symantec owns it, forget it!

 

DB, I've never had a problem with Ghost, both in back ups and restore, even on RAID 5 servers, what sort of problems are you having?

 

Not to mention it is a DOS based tool.

[dbminter]

When I tested the image Ghost made, it wouldn't restore. I forget the reason why. After such a vital tool failed to do its main function correctly, I never tested it any further until versions 8 and 9. But, they were built off of Drive Image 7, which was a really awful version of a product that had been spectacular. e.g. Symantec touched it and it started withering on the vine. I was using DI up until version 7, then switched to something else, ultimating preferring TrueImage, because of how slow Powerquest programs were when detecting the USB drives. On a magnitude of minutes. Plus, Version 6 and earlier didn't image Windows within Windows.

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

* Set aside a partition on a local HD and format to FAT32.

 

Question Shamus, any reason for the FAT32?

 

It?s what L_UK! suggested and have never thought to question it.

[dbminter]

All of my partitions are FAT32 except for one partition for Windows files, work files, temporary files, etc. I keep my partitions as FAT32 so I can access them in DOS to fix any errors that cannot be fixed in Windows. NTFS is a good idea, but, it only works well IF nothing goes wrong. If something does, fixing it is too problematic, and, this IS Microsoft we're talking about here. Problems are par.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

* Set aside a partition on a local HD and format to FAT32.

 

Question Shamus, any reason for the FAT32?

 

It?s what L_UK! suggested and have never thought to question it.

 

Indeed, it's all my fault! lol

 

I used to use Powerquest Drive Image about 20 times a day back in 2001 / 2002. It was a DOS based app that had it's own basic GUI.

 

At that time, it was probably only on version 4 / 5 (or at least that's what I had to use) and it wouldn't write to an NTFS partition. It would READ one (to an image), but you couldn't write the the new image to one.

 

From what you've said, maybe things have changed.

[dbminter]

I believe NTFS is natively supported by, at least, DI 7, possibly in DI 6. DI 5, though, was absolutely the best version they ever made! After DI 5, the software started going downhill. DI 6 was still marginally usable; DI 5 could amazingly read DI 6's images! So, I mixed and matched DI 6 and 5, keeping the DOS parts from 5 with the Windows capable version of 6. 6 could read images, save the active OS partition, within Windows, so, temporary backups of other partitions were easier to make.

 

 

I'm an old at the prog, going back to 1.01, I think. As far as I know I was the first person to come up with the idea of imaging the factory partition before booting into Windows, thus, having a virgin partition to restore, without having to run the factory restore discs. Back then, they were just mostly fancy PKZIP set ups. From that, I developed the idea of imaging Windows after setting up common options and applications. I believe I started doing that in 1997.

 

 

I'll freely admit, though, 20 images a day... Can't get anywhere near that. I've done that many RESTORES before. Over the weekend was doing a lot of them trying to track down a culprit app. But, as a software designer, one would want to take images whenever they are testing a new build, etc. because you never know.

[Kenadjian]

When I tested the image Ghost made, it wouldn't restore. I forget the reason why. After such a vital tool failed to do its main function correctly, I never tested it any further until versions 8 and 9. But, they were built off of Drive Image 7, which was a really awful version of a product that had been spectacular. e.g. Symantec touched it and it started withering on the vine. I was using DI up until version 7, then switched to something else, ultimating preferring TrueImage, because of how slow Powerquest programs were when detecting the USB drives. On a magnitude of minutes. Plus, Version 6 and earlier didn't image Windows within Windows.

 

I've just finished restoring 3 corporate Pc's from a fresh SOE build that I imaged with Ghost 2003 over the network with a mapped drive.

 

Can not fault it in any way, maybe it is the version like you said, the only thing that I can bitch about is that it does not have enough NIC template drivers built in, I usualy have to add these in manualy (DOS drivers).

 

Give it a whirl, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Kenadjian]

* Set aside a partition on a local HD and format to FAT32.

 

Question Shamus, any reason for the FAT32?

 

It?s what L_UK! suggested and have never thought to question it.

 

Fair enough, I wouldn't have either I think it all depends on what version you're using, the early ones did not support NTFS.

[Kenadjian]

Indeed, it's all my fault! lol

Indeed it is.

 

I used to use Powerquest Drive Image about 20 times a day back in 2001 / 2002. It was a DOS based app that had it's own basic GUI.

Bloody hell, that's some serious imaging.

 

At that time, it was probably only on version 4 / 5 (or at least that's what I had to use) and it wouldn't write to an NTFS partition. It would READ one (to an image), but you couldn't write the the new image to one.

 

 

From what you've said, maybe things have changed.

They have indeed, Ghost 2003 no problems at all with NTFS and network support.

[dbminter]

Actually, I have tested Version 2003. I got like 3 or 4 copies of it on a disc with various DVD burners. I didn't see anything different enough to make me switch over from what worked for me. That and it was a Symantec product, so, if I don't need it, I'm not going to switch over to one of their products. And, eventually, I'll ween myself off the ones I do use.