Creating a disk image in Win XP

If you don't see Backup in your XP System Tools could it be that you are running XP Home?

If the MS Answers forums would prompt for fundamental system information when a new question is asked, we would know these things.

The XP Backup utility does not get installed automatically with XP Home, but you can install it.  Even if you have XP Pro, you can still install it if it is missing.

Here's how:

The Backup program is installed automatically on XP Professional, but not on XP Home. If you have the genuine bootable XP Home installation CD, insert it into your system and browse to this folder:

\ValueAdd\MSFT\NTBACKUP

Double click the ntbackup.msi file to begin the installation.

Here is a nice Microsoft article that tells you all about it:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=302894

Here is another article that tells you how to do it:

http://www.winxptutor.com/ntbackup.htm

If you don't have an installation CD and need to download the ntbackup.msi file, here is the link so you can download it:

http://www.winxptutor.com/ntbackup.htm

If you are using/relying on the built in NT Backup to backup your system, that is primitive technology (obviously - since it will ask you for a floppy).  If you have a disaster (even a minor one), you are going to have a big problem trying to recovery your stuff if you don't have a floppy drive.

If you want to make a backup, it makes sense to use modern technology - and that technology is not built in to XP and it never will be.

A popular one folks seem to like is from Acronis and they have a free try/buy version that you can purchase later if you like it.

With the Acronis (free 30 day trial) you backup, you can make a bootable CD or bootable USB (that's modern, huh?) and use that in the event of a disaster. If/when you like it, at the time of this writing the cost for the full version was a mere $49.99.

http://www.acronis.com/?adpos=1t1&device=c&network=g&matchtype=e&gclid=CKay1a2sxLoCFadFMgodLRMAyA

There are many other options if you do a little Googling.

Thank goodness Al Gore invented the Internet.

Here are some products that other forum users suggest might be appealing.  Use Google to find them and read about their features, and capabilities.  Some have free versions or you can purchase them to get more features:

If you have or purchase a Western Digital drive, you can get a version of Acronis True Image free from WD:

http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp?swid=119

Or you can obtain backup and cloning software separately (this is not a comprehensive list and is no particular order; some are free, others not):

Marcium Reflect (free version)

Acronis True Image Home  (free trial version)

EaseUS ToDo Backup (free version)

Paragon Drive Copy  or Partition Manager Personal

Paragon Backup and Recovery (free version)

Casper

Norton Ghost  (discontinued)

Some disk cloning software ideas for you to Google:

XXClone

Marcium Reflect (Free Version)

DriveImageXML

Acronis True Image Home 11

EaseUS ToDo Backup (free version)

Paragon Drive Copy  or Partition Manager Personal

Paragon Backup and Recovery (free version)

Casper

Norton Ghost  (discontinued)

Clonezilla

Whatever method you choose, it is prudent to test your method from end to end to be sure it works.

You can do something like create a temporary folder somewhere on your system and copy a bunch of files into it, perform your backup, then delete the temporary folder and be sure that you can recover it from your backup.

The day you need your backup/restore process to work is not the day to find out it doesn't work.