Question what do you think of clonezilla?

[Brie]

Clonezilla

Download Clonezilla for free. A partition and disk imaging/cloning program. Clonezilla is a partition and disk imaging/cloning program similar to True Image®. It saves and restores only used blocks in hard drive.

sourceforge.net

Clonezilla is a partition and disk imaging/cloning program similar to True Image®. It saves and restores only used blocks in hard drive. Two types of Clonezilla are available, Clonezilla live and Clonezilla SE (Server Edition).

 

[Victor M]

I use Clonezilla. Easy to use. No problems at all

 

[lokamoka820]

Excellent software, but my favorite is Rescuezilla, which is based on Clonezilla but has an easier-to-use interface.

Easy disk cloning and imaging | Rescuezilla (Clonezilla GUI)

Free bare metal restore solution with graphical interface on a live CD. Point-and-click to backup and restore an entire computer. Bare metal disaster recovery restores all programs, documents and settings. GPL open source.

rescuezilla.com

 

[Brie]

every backup software that i try says it will delete the partition on my external hard drive when i try to clone an image of the disk. i want to take it down to the metal with out erasing what is already on my external hard drive.

 

[Divine_Barakah]

Clonezilla

Download Clonezilla for free. A partition and disk imaging/cloning program. Clonezilla is a partition and disk imaging/cloning program similar to True Image®. It saves and restores only used blocks in hard drive.

sourceforge.net

Clonezilla is a partition and disk imaging/cloning program similar to True Image®. It saves and restores only used blocks in hard drive. Two types of Clonezilla are available, Clonezilla live and Clonezilla SE (Server Edition).

Though I have not used it, I heard nothing but good words about it. I believe there is a fork called Rescuezilla or sth with a better interface.

 

[lokamoka820]

every backup software that i try says it will delete the partition on my external hard drive when i try to clone an image of the disk. i want to take it down to the metal with out erasing what is already on my external hard drive.

Cloning a drive typically involves creating an exact copy of the source drive, which means the destination drive will be erased in the process. To avoid losing data on the external drive, consider using backup software that allows you to create a backup image instead of a direct clone, which preserves the existing contents. Cloning usually erases the destination drive's contents.

 

[Brie]

Cloning a drive typically involves creating an exact copy of the source drive, which means the destination drive will be erased in the process. To avoid losing data on the external drive, consider using backup software that allows you to create a backup image instead of a direct clone, which preserves the existing contents. Cloning usually erases the destination drive's contents.

would i be able to install the backup image if the PC will not boot?

 

[lokamoka820]

would i be able to install the backup image if the PC will not boot?

I'm not sure. To reinstall Windows in that scenario, you'll need a clone program that will need to format your external drive. Alternatively, you can back up your data, reinstall Windows from a USB drive, and then use the backup program to restore your data to the new Windows installation.

 

[Brie]

I'm not sure. To reinstall Windows in that scenario, you'll need a clone program that will need to format your external drive. Alternatively, you can back up your data, reinstall Windows from a USB drive, and then use the backup program to restore your data to the new Windows installation.

i have a 6 TB HDD external hard drive.

 

[lokamoka820]

i have a 6 TB HDD external hard drive.

I believe you can use Rescuezilla if you back up your Windows partition and then restore it again, as demonstrated in this video. By the end, you'll notice that the USB didn't get formatted because there were still 2021 files on it that hadn't been erased.

 

[Victor M]

Clonezilla does not erase partitions or files on your external drive. It creates a file for the partition being backed up, then it compresses it.
And yes, if your Windows does not boot, you can restore your partitions back onto the SSD/Nvme.

 

[Sorrento]

I'm not sure. To reinstall Windows in that scenario, you'll need a clone program that will need to format your external drive. Alternatively, you can back up your data, reinstall Windows from a USB drive, and then use the backup program to restore your data to the new Windows installation.

I've done that in the past, if a full image did not do a restore which has not happened for some time, a basic install of Windows done quickly then restore an image on to that will fix almost all problems, esp boot issues, most of the times it is not necessary but worst case scenario, most imaging programs will also do that such as Macrrium or as I now use Hasleo.

 

[Brie]

thank you all for your replies.

i want to put an image of my windows with my software on it on a 6 TB HHD external hard drive with out deleting the

other files on it. i want to be able to boot from the external hard drive in case windows will not boot at all.