sburtchin
10-13-2006, 06:05 AM
I decided to do some comparison testing of various imaging softwares to see which would work best for my needs. From what I've read, Acronis True image and Symantec Ghost are the two leading commercial applications. Unfortunately, I was not able to locate a trial version of Symantec Ghost, so I cannot comment on it. Though I did run across a (possibly biased) review here: Acronis True Image vs Symantec Ghost. (NOTE: Symantec Ghost is decended from Drive Image and is not compatible with Norton Ghost tested here) Since they all want to do things a little differently, I forced each one (when necessary) to just create the image with minimal compression, no verification, and to split the image file into 698MB pieces. All were tested outside Windows. I used a 2045MB NTFS partition containing 1691 MB data (Windows 2000 root partition) for the source and a FAT32 partition for the destination. I tested Image for DOS, BootIt NG, Norton Ghost 2001, Acronis True Image 7.0, Partition Saving, and partimage (Knoppix Live CD) for the seven features I consider most important.
_________Liscence_____Time____Image File Size____Scriptable(outside Windows)
IforD_______Shareware____12min_______1078MB_______ ___YES
BiNG_______Shareware____14min_______1078MB________ ___YES(using IforD)
Ghost2001__NoDevlpmt_____9min_______1184MB________ ___YES
TrueImage7_Commercial___10min_______1096MB________ ____NO
PartSav____Freeware_____26min________979MB________ ___YES
partimage___Public?_______46min_______944MB_______ _____???
All can run outside Windows, can create compressed images, were able to create split image files with a choice of sizes, and (I think) all can do sector-by-sector images of filesystems not recognized.
Comments:
IforD is reasonably fast, compatible with most filesystems, and does all the basics. If you have more than a few partitions though, you may need some notes to figure out what you are looking at. The manual is vague on some of the technical points. Still, a great almost free imager.
BiNG is a great piece of software. Besides being a feature rich boot manager, it has an extensive feature set for partition work. BiNG is entirely GUI, but you can get a nice bundle price for BiNG with IforD, and the images are 100% compatible. The manual is fair, but you probably won't need it much anyway because BiNG is so easy to use.
Ghost 2001 was purchased by Symantec and is no longer being developed. I think Ghost 2003 was the last release (which comes bundled with Symantec Ghost v9.0 & v10.0). The manual is thick, detailed, and cryptic at times. This Ghost does about everything you can imagine and much more. If you already have this, it's a real winner, but IforD is probably a better value for home use.
TrueImage7 is so easy that anyone can use it without ever looking at the manual (the manual is excellent though), but . . . . I was severly dissappointed on a few points. When run within Windows you can create scripts using the Task Scheduler wizzard, however there seems to be no way to execute one of these scripts when booted to the rescue media. Further, the scripts are very cryptic and there is no help, so if you want to create one without the wizzard, you would have to figure out the syntax rules yourself. I don't think it is possible to do anything without using one of the wizzards. It also has a frustrating bug. If I start the program then try to run the Task Scheduler wizzard it hangs every time. But if I let True Image just idle for a half hour, then it works. You can create partitions, but only if you delete ALL the partitions on a disk first - go figure?:confused: On the plus side, you can do incremental updates to images, and when restoring you can slide the destination variable amounts in either direction at both ends. Too bad about the glaring problems, but for basic image/restore for the average computer user this is definitely the one to get. The current version is 9.0. Maybe these oversights have been fixed.
Partition Saving is totally free and rich with features. If your on a budget, technically savy, and have time to burn (or fast processor) this is the one to get, otherwise IforD is a better low cost alternative. The GUI and the manual are both not-so-good translations from French. Also, the manual graphics are separate from the manual itself.:confused: It has a neat feature that lets you change WinNT/2k/XP drive mappings from the PS GUI, so you can restore your os image anywhere (even using another imager), and boot to the new location!
partimage is included on the free Knoppix Linux Live CD. It is easy and straightforward to use, after considerable time learning how to use Knoppix. I did'nt need to look at the manual. You need a fast processor to make this imager practical. I forgot to check if it can be run from a script, but I would bet that it can.
_________Liscence_____Time____Image File Size____Scriptable(outside Windows)
IforD_______Shareware____12min_______1078MB_______ ___YES
BiNG_______Shareware____14min_______1078MB________ ___YES(using IforD)
Ghost2001__NoDevlpmt_____9min_______1184MB________ ___YES
TrueImage7_Commercial___10min_______1096MB________ ____NO
PartSav____Freeware_____26min________979MB________ ___YES
partimage___Public?_______46min_______944MB_______ _____???
All can run outside Windows, can create compressed images, were able to create split image files with a choice of sizes, and (I think) all can do sector-by-sector images of filesystems not recognized.
Comments:
IforD is reasonably fast, compatible with most filesystems, and does all the basics. If you have more than a few partitions though, you may need some notes to figure out what you are looking at. The manual is vague on some of the technical points. Still, a great almost free imager.
BiNG is a great piece of software. Besides being a feature rich boot manager, it has an extensive feature set for partition work. BiNG is entirely GUI, but you can get a nice bundle price for BiNG with IforD, and the images are 100% compatible. The manual is fair, but you probably won't need it much anyway because BiNG is so easy to use.
Ghost 2001 was purchased by Symantec and is no longer being developed. I think Ghost 2003 was the last release (which comes bundled with Symantec Ghost v9.0 & v10.0). The manual is thick, detailed, and cryptic at times. This Ghost does about everything you can imagine and much more. If you already have this, it's a real winner, but IforD is probably a better value for home use.
TrueImage7 is so easy that anyone can use it without ever looking at the manual (the manual is excellent though), but . . . . I was severly dissappointed on a few points. When run within Windows you can create scripts using the Task Scheduler wizzard, however there seems to be no way to execute one of these scripts when booted to the rescue media. Further, the scripts are very cryptic and there is no help, so if you want to create one without the wizzard, you would have to figure out the syntax rules yourself. I don't think it is possible to do anything without using one of the wizzards. It also has a frustrating bug. If I start the program then try to run the Task Scheduler wizzard it hangs every time. But if I let True Image just idle for a half hour, then it works. You can create partitions, but only if you delete ALL the partitions on a disk first - go figure?:confused: On the plus side, you can do incremental updates to images, and when restoring you can slide the destination variable amounts in either direction at both ends. Too bad about the glaring problems, but for basic image/restore for the average computer user this is definitely the one to get. The current version is 9.0. Maybe these oversights have been fixed.
Partition Saving is totally free and rich with features. If your on a budget, technically savy, and have time to burn (or fast processor) this is the one to get, otherwise IforD is a better low cost alternative. The GUI and the manual are both not-so-good translations from French. Also, the manual graphics are separate from the manual itself.:confused: It has a neat feature that lets you change WinNT/2k/XP drive mappings from the PS GUI, so you can restore your os image anywhere (even using another imager), and boot to the new location!
partimage is included on the free Knoppix Linux Live CD. It is easy and straightforward to use, after considerable time learning how to use Knoppix. I did'nt need to look at the manual. You need a fast processor to make this imager practical. I forgot to check if it can be run from a script, but I would bet that it can.