Image a Hard Drive

There are many different reasons why someone would want to create a backup of their entire hard drive. Perhaps you need to transfer all of the contents to another physical drive, or you may simply want a full hard drive backup. One of the most convenient solutions is to create an image of your hard drive. Image files are nothing more than direct copies of the entire drive but compressed into a single file for space conservation. With an image file, you can restore the entire image to a separate drive or you can retrieve individual files from within the image. If you think this is the solution you want, then read on to find out how to image a hard drive.

Steps

1. Download DriveImage XML from www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm and install the program. DriveImage XML is a program that will automatically create an image of any hard drive you have. It is free for personal, private use and is one of the best available programs for the job. If you have multiple drives, install the program to a drive separate from the one you intend to image.
2. Run the DriveImage XML program. The program's interface may or may not look confusing to you, but the process for creating an image is straightforward. Begin by clicking on the "Backup" button which should be located in the bottom left corner of the application.
3. Select the drive you wish to image and click the "Next" button. You will be shown a list of drives detected on your system. If you have multiple drives, be sure that you select the correct drive you wish to image. If you only have a single drive, then there shouldn't be much confusion.
4. Select the destination drive of the image file to be created. Uncheck the checkbox labeled "Split Large Files" as that option is unnecessary for simply creating an image file. DriveImage XML recommends selecting the "Try Volume Services first" option. Afterwards, click the "Next" button.
5. Wait for DriveImage XML to complete making an image file of your hard drive. Depending on the size of your hard drive and the speed of your computer, you may have to wait anywhere from half an hour to several hours. When the hard drive image generation has successfully completed, click on the button labeled "Finish."

Tips

• Depending on the setup of your computer, it may be necessary for you to have more than 1 hard drive in order to create an image. The reason is that the process may fail if you try to store an image file on the hard drive that you are imaging. If you are unsure, it would be best to secure and connect at least another hard drive to your computer before creating an image.

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Sources and Citations

• http://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-documentation.htm
• http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

See also

• Upgrade the Harddrive in Your Archos Jukebox
• Use a Flash Drive As a Hard Drive
• Hide and Lock Hard Disk Drives in "My Computer"
• Find out the Size of a Hard Drive
• Remove a Hard Drive
• Install a Hard Drive
• Recycle Old Computer Hard Drives
• Tell if a Hard Drive Is Bad
• Access a Damaged Hard Drive
• Convert an Internal Hard Drive to External Via HD Enclosure

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• Ghost a Hard Drive