How to Backup and Restore your hard drive with DriveImage XML

DriveImage XML is software that can back up or restore the entire contents of a hard drive. This type of application is mainly used in order to perform maintenance on an operating system (mastering). Through this process, it is possible to quickly recover a machine on legs affected by various problems (viruses, various delays, system failures,etc) in record time.

This also avoids the long and painful phase of Windows Setup. Other height gain: after restoration, you instantly find all the programs you've installed and configured before your "backup reference. Several programs of this type exist, but it is very rare to find freeware on this niche. DriveImage XML allows you to create or restore a backup, make a copy of disk to disk or explore an image file. The basic program is simple to use, but the inability to easily create a boot media (floppy, CD, DVD) without using an application type PE Builder (BartPE) finally provided the advanced users (this is essential.

Features:

• Backup logical drives and partitions to image files
• Browse images, view and extract files
• Restore images to the same or a different drive
• Copy directly from drive to drive
• Schedule automatic backups
• Run DriveImage from WinPE boot CD-ROM

DriveImage XML is an easy to use and reliable program for imaging and backing up partitions and logical drives. Image creation uses Microsoft's Volume Shadow Services (VSS), allowing you to create safe "hot images" even from drives currently in use. Images are stored in XML files, allowing you to process them with 3rd party tools. Never again be stuck with a useless backup! Restore images to drives without having to reboot. DriveImage XML is now faster than ever, offering two different compression levels. DriveImage XML runs under Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Vista and Windows 7 only. The program will backup, image and restore drives formatted with FAT 12, 16, 32 and NTFS.

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The Beginning:

Start the setup by double clicking the file DriveImage XML mlsetup.EXE. The installation is self-explanatory. The operation of the English-Tools is simple in principle, but put the problems in detail. For a backup, you must be logged on as Administrator. Also calls for the tool to disable the Vista User's Access Control, which is to be re-activated but then – annoying. It is clear: In Control Panel, User Account and Family Safety, User Accounts, User Account Control on or off to disable User Account Control, you use it, in order to help protect your computer and click OK. After a reboot is necessary. Now, you also start Drive Image again and pass on your backup operation by clicking on a backup. You can select only entire drives for backup, the backup is made in every case as an image. On our test machine, we secured together the XP and the Vista partition, Drive Image XML to need a good 40 minutes - which is very long. The size of the backup also shows: a compression does not take place in practice. Drive Image does not speak even incremental backups - bad.

The program multiplies a physical drive or a full partition as a backup. This backup copy you can view files and see. The data can be restore to the same hard disk or other physical or logical storage devices. In an emergency, the system can restore it. DriveImage XML is the format FAT 16, 32 and NTFS equally well with. The operating system Vista and XP using Drive Image XML, the so-called shadow copy, so that active system partition are backed up. These shadow copies are made automatically by Vista, and indeed as part of a system restore point. If you have shared your hard drive, have the additional logical drives by hand for the "computer protection to be involved, so that shadow copies are made. How it works: In the Windows Control Panel, click User Accounts and Family Safety. Turn User Account Control to use in order to protect the computer from contributing and click OK. Next, a restart is required.

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Start DriveImage XML again and start the backup operation by clicking Backup. You can only select to backup whole partitions, the backup is as image. Drive Image XML cannot caputre the data. The possibility of forming an emergency medium offers not Drive Image XML. Start the tool could indeed from a Windows PE boot CD, which must however be put together by hand. Help's on the part of suppliers of Drive Image XML.

How to create and restore image file :

With DriveImage XML you can quickly and easily create image or partition images. An image stores a partition content, so the contents of an entire drive. Then once partition destroyed the is, for example by a virus or a shattered windows, they can then just a few clicks to recover and that takes only 50-10 minutes - but only the state of the partition to the moment when one of the Image has written. So you can without reinstalling Windows, including a destroyed installed programs and if you want all files restore his, which lasts, depending on the length of the image about 10 minutes, so the perfect Windows protection.

The hard drive has several partitions divided into different parts. Means one disk divided into multiple parts. The first one should be the system partition that is on which Windows is installed and the approx size taken is 10 GB. It is normally called as C drive. On the second partition D drive you keep your programs and files.

Backup :

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An image system is an image file, but a hard drive or partition instead of an optical disc. The entire disk or partition is backed up at time. Contrary to traditional data backup, where only documents are saved, everything is archived, programs, system, data, documents, registry, etc really everything. There are ways to work with DriveImage XML in the RAW mode , which reads absolutely every sector of the disk or partition, the backup is 40 GB if the partition is 40 GB saved Classic mode (non-raw ) saves only the portions occupied by files on the disk or partition: backing up a 40GB partition which only 10 GB are taken by files occupy 10GB choice is often quickly.

The advantage of this method is twofold: we know from experience (painful) than a virus, spyware, a driver problem or a mishandling can compromise system stability. The solution (the longest) is often to reformat the disk or partition the operating system, which requires reinstall the programs and all windows parameters, patches, security, etc.

System image can be restored in minutes, and you will find the system as it was when the picture. First advantage! You save time. But it can also be used to test, once your backup is done, you can quietly install software xyz, known for its instability, for example. If it fails, you can go back. Useful when you change firewall example, and that the former was really well set.

All you need is another partition (or another hard drive) to save the image (allow a few GB ..) because it is impossible to create a system image in the process of partition be read. The software will then freeze a Windows time to access the hard drive without anything being written, and read all the sectors of a partition, and copied elsewhere. To speed things up and avoid trouble, your first partition must not be a problem, do a scandisk or chkdsk before, and to save time, a small defragmentation, it cannot hurt, anyway . Remember to delete some temporary files in the way, this will alleviate the entire system image. During the image creation system, do nothing, wait until the software has completed operations to act.

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We chose Drive Image XML, because this software is free for personal use and simple to use, although it is for now only in English. Because of the method used in system, Drive Image XML is compatible with Windows XP (home and pro), or Windows server, as more and more software. A prior, it should work under Vista.

Disks RAID: Beware the software does not recognize RAID arrays: you can make a picture in some cases but not restored if the disk is treated as RAID. If you changed the configuration of Windows services in the economy, ensure that the Volume Shadow Copy Service (Volume Shadow Copy) and MS Software Shadow Copy Provider are in manual, this type of software often requires such services , including freezing the system and access to parts of the disk that Windows reserves (such as to secure certain viruses).

Backing up your disks with DriveImage XML :

At first screen click on backup button. It will quickly review your PC to detect its discs. It will then display the list of records and information about them. Select the disk to save and then click Next. You are then in the Backup Wizard (backup) of DriveImage XML . If this is indeed the disk to save (backup) click the Next button. For the backup to begin, it should indicate to the assistant. Where to save the image, specify the full path in the online Directory.

You need to free disk space at that location is larger than the size of the backup. You cannot save a disk of 30 GB on a site of 10 GB. Appoint then your backup in the line Files. (Default name will drive_c or Drive_X). Then select the backup options.

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Types of Backup Options :

1. Raw mode: If you select raw mode, DriveImage XML will create an image sector by sector disk, i.e. ALL areas of your disk, including those that do not contain data. The image will have exactly the same size as your logical disk or partition. If raw mode is selected you cannot restore it later on another disk. If you only need an image of portions of the disk that contain data not select the option RAW mode. The resulting image will be the same size as the used space on your disk.

2. Split large files: Because the FAT file system cannot handle files larger than 4GB, select this option if the file system on the disk where you put the image is FAT. You can also select this option if you want to record them onto CD-ROMs.

3. Compressed: If you select the image file compression can be up-t-40% smaller. The image is created by cons is a bit slower sit you selected compression.

4. Hot Imaging Strategy: DriveImage XML allows you to create an image of your disk even if it is in use. This requires that the portion of the disk being backed up is prohibited from writing to prevent modification of files without it can-t be reflected in the backup.

DriveImage XML can do :

By prohibiting the writing on the disc for all applications and processes during the creation of the image. Or by using Microsoft's Volume Shadow Services (VSS). When he uses VSS, before saving the files that can be either in use, locked or open DriveImage XML will require the creation of a Volume Shadow Copy (copy the disc), i.e. a snapshot of e portion of the disk or files are located. DriveImage XML then uses the Volume Shadow Copy for access to these files. Volume Shadow Copy will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary.

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Ten default will first try to block the writing on the volume (unless you ask him to do otherwise), and if that fails it will use VSS. If both fail, DriveImage XML notifies you when it cannot block the drive or use VSS and therefore the backup may be corrupted. You can force the backup to run anyway. When you have selected the desired options, click the Next button>
The Backup begins DriveImage XML displays the list of backup operations in progress. It also shows the elapsed time (Time passes) since the beginning of the backup and the remaining time (Time = remaining) until the end of the backup.

Note: The remaining term is somewhat fanciful in the first 3-4 minutes of backup, especially if you are backing up a network drive. Do not worry if you DriveImage XML display dozens of hours to save 2 or 3 GB, cons it is possible that this will actually take dozens of hours if it's a 30GB hard disk to save on network via WLAN example. During the progression of Backup DriveImage XML displays preservation areas, we find this information in the file’s XML DriveImage XML .

Advantages over other DriveImage XML Backup software:

• Most software will create a backup image file that will be accessible only by their rollback. This means that if the integrity of the backup data is flawed or the restoration fails the data is irretrievably lost.
• DriveImage XML works differently. The backup will create two files
• XML that contains a description of the disc and
• DAT file that contains an image of the disk.
• XML file can be opened by various software like a browser or a simple text editor.
• XML file contains only pa information on the disk, the file system and its image, it can also indicate for each file saved his exact position in the DAT file containing the data.
• In other words - although the picture for one reason or another can be restored or want to use the data differently, they are always completely accessible and usable.

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How to create a bootable CD containing DriveImage XML:

• Download PE Builder.
• Download Drive Image XML plug-in for PE Builder.
• Launch pebuilder3110a.exe
• Accept the license.
• Specify the drive or under Source is your Windows XP CD
• Select the option Create ISO image (the file you need to burn to CD)
• Click the button to add DriveImage XML Plugins
• By the way, select the line BootFix not to risk having a non-bootable cd.
• Click the Add button > OK
• DriveImage XML has been added > Yes
• must accept the License Windows XP
• The generation of the ISO file to burn begins

Restore :

Start the application and click restore to start the operation. The program offers if necessary to create a new partition (left). A priori, it has already been done but the option is useful if blank hard disk (with boot from BartPE).
We must now indicate in which partition to restore the image, choose and make no mistake. On this screen, the disk has two partitions, one small for the system and another for data. It may be wise to name the partition (volume name) not to be mistaken. Here OS will be restored from backup.

DriveImage XML wizard opens and asks you where the image files, give it to him. Once done, a final confirmation will be required. At this stage you can still cancel take the time to read and verify that it is the right partition will be crushed. Once the operation is launched, it will be too late to turn back. To do this, the software requires a written confirmation (Please type the volume name), to avoid a bad click (or cat's paw on the button) does not make you lose everything.

Note that if you create a partition just for the occasion, it is not necessary to format it. The restoration takes place gradually (quickly enough anyway), and a message warns you of the end of the operation. If this is BartPE cd, eject it. Restart. If Windows starts, everything goes well.

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Conclusion :

DriveImage XML is one of the few freeware in its category. Not to waste anything, we are dealing with a quality program. Only downside, creating a boot disk will necessarily require the use of a third party program. These almost indispensable risks alienating the less experienced users. For others, this application offers a free alternative that deserves attention to them is near.

Another drawback: Drive Image XML provides no way to create a rescue media. You can use the tool under consideration from a Windows PE boot CD, but first you have to assemble them yourself. You must install the image on an existing partition. If necessary, first create a new partition with Disk Management in Windows. It is not necessary to format the disk. The size of the partition that you create will determine the size of the disk - for example if you create a 20GB partition and you restore an image of your 10GB disk will have a size of 20GB with 10GB will be occupied by your restoration. If your disk does not boot you can always try to put a brand new Disk ID. Windows remembers the letters from old records, which can cause problems when trying to boot from a cloned disk. You can force the removal of the old drive letters by changing the Disk ID.

My son did a backup using this software and for a number of days was able to access my files (while my laptop was out for service), however now my files cannot be accessed because of a lost .xml file.
We have tried to locate it using search menus through windows and also through the getdataback program and have had no luck-- The .dat file(s) are there, but without the .xml I have nothing.
Is there any options here, can the .xml be rewritten??
It is a 178 gig backup and lots of pics and other documents that are needed.

Thanks for direction, Joe

Hi joey71,

Have you tried to system restore option in your computer? If it is Windows XP, then follow the below steps:

Log on to Windows as Administrator.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Restore. System Restore starts.
On the Welcome to System Restore page, click Restore my computer to an earlier time (if it is not already selected), and then click Next.
On the Select a Restore Point page, click the most recent system restore point in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next.

Note A System Restore message may appear that lists configuration changes that System Restore will make. Click OK.

On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration, and then restarts the computer.
Log on to the computer as Administrator. The System Restore Restoration Complete page is displayed.
Click OK.

Great information are sharing out here and its really quite impressive one,i had never try these before can't wait to see it.