OT: HD image backup

[Q]

Is there any advantage of a HD image compared to a "normal" backup?
Until now I use only the latter with the standard microsoft backup program to create backups onto a external HD. Am I missing something??

[Fyron]

A HD image captures every single bit of information on the drive. It is like with making a backup copy of a CD. If you just copy the files manually, you lose any boot sector information. An image copy is an exact, bit for bit, duplication.

[Gandalph]

Q said:
Is there any advantage of a HD image compared to a "normal" backup?
Until now I use only the latter with the standard microsoft backup program to create backups onto a external HD. Am I missing something??

With a "backup" you are just backing up critical information and, at bare minimum, will have to reinstall the OS to do a "restore". If some of the data you are backing up is application specific, you may also have to reinstall the program to be able to use the data "restored".
As Fyron said, an image is an exact duplicate of your HD and can be restored from a floppy boot to write the image back onto your HD. When you then reboot, your system is in the exact condition it was in at the time of the image.

[David E. Gervais]

FYI: the main reason that I was looking for a HD image copy solution is because I find it very annoying that it takes a good 45min to an hour to reinstall windows and all the various dirver and updates. it just seems to me that if I had a copy on say Drive E: I could copy it over faster than the install process. Copying 1.6gig should only take about 10-15mins. that would be a great savings in time lost, not to mention reinstalling all the different apps, just to update the registry.

If I had an 'image' of C: then I wouldn't have to worry about loss of installed data. and making a 'snapshot' backup would be quicker than doing the copy thing.

FYI:2.0 many of the system files will not let you copy over them while windows is running, you just get the 'file allready in use' or some such error. It needs to be an image copy to preserve the boot info. boot from floppy, copy image from E: to C: the reboot,.. voila a full install of windows.

Cheers!