Copy C Drive to USB backup?

**Mags** · June 15th, 2010, 11:11 AM

Hello,

Hmmm, I'm trying to hold on to Windows XP for as long as I can but should my computer crash, I realise once the Microsoft Updates cease to support Windows XP, I wouldn't have all the security plugs.

One way is to download every single Update from the Microsoft Download site which would take for ever !!!

So I thought I'd backup the whole of the Registry, which works perfectly.

And copy the whole of the C Drive to a USB drive, but it won't work, because it says files like NTUSER is in use and refuses to go any further.

How can I do it? I've tried Safe Mode and that won't work either.

Thanks, Mags

**CeeBee** · June 15th, 2010, 01:00 PM

ghost

**Guts3d** · June 15th, 2010, 01:20 PM

Link to Ghost tutoral.

Perhaps one of your friends has Ghost® floppies that you can use? Just be careful in choosing the drive to copy from and the drive to copy to.

**Ferrit** · June 15th, 2010, 03:46 PM

Acronis Home will do the same and it is much cheaper then Ghost.
Granted the Ghost floppies can be had free,but for a situation like yours
my best advice would be spend the money for Acronis True Image.
Once installed it will with a few questions totally monitor your system and back it up to that USB drive.
It will work on XP and you can bring it forward for Vista or 7.
1 thing is that once the updates stop for XP it isnt just having them to reinstall. It means any exploits found from there forward will not be fixed.

**Platypus** · June 16th, 2010, 04:37 AM

Hello Mags!

It's quite possible your system uses a hard drive made by Seagate (includes Maxtor) or Western Digital. Each of those manufacturers provides a free version of Acronis TrueImage downloadable from their respective websites, so owners can clone or make backup images of their drive. Each manufacturer's version needs their brand of drive to be in the system in order to work.

That's how I back up my own computers, which have Seagate drives. On the first occasion I used the Seagate version, which they call DiskWizard, I installed the software and chose the option to create a bootable CD with USB drivers. Then I created an image of my C: drive on a USB drive. If I need to restore the system, I can boot from the CD which loads Acronis, and restore the backup image from the USB drive. This is hugely simpler than re-installing XP, service packs and updates.

If your computer uses any of these brands, you could do the same.

Incidentally, backing up the Registry is only of value if the registry itself becomes corrupted. It doesn't assist with the things that it refers to, but which are installed by other means such as installer programs or online updates.

**Mags** · June 16th, 2010, 11:15 AM

Thanks everyone ....

I have a Maxtor Drive but have searched the website and can't find anything about a free copy of Acronis there .... any idea where it is?

**Platypus** · June 16th, 2010, 04:21 PM

The Seagate DiskWizard software looks for either Seagate or Maxtor drives:

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/sup...ads/discwizard

**Guts3d** · June 17th, 2010, 04:10 AM

This looks interesting for backup, and it is free all day today!

**Mags** · June 17th, 2010, 01:34 PM

Thanks..

Platypus, I've copied that and it works. Even tried restoring one folder and that works too.

BUT it won't do incremental backups, without purchasing the full Acronis software. The full backup didn't take that long.

Guts3d, thanks, but I think that link is only for copying CDs and DVDs...?

Mags

**Ferrit** · June 17th, 2010, 01:41 PM

Nope it wont. There isnt anything that does that usually without paying and those that do arent reliable.
That's why i said purchase Acronis its the best one for the price.

**CeeBee** · June 17th, 2010, 04:07 PM

If it's XP Pro then why not just use the built-in backup tool???

**Ferrit** · June 17th, 2010, 08:07 PM

I think the idea was to backup/image the whole thing so that she doesn't have to reinstall and re download all the updates and such.
Heh least I think that was the idea.

**Mags** · June 18th, 2010, 10:02 AM

Thanks..

Ferrit ... I take your point and yes the idea was so that I wouldn't have to reinstall everything. I've done that in previous years with no problems .... but am not well enough now, it would wear me out mentally.

But I must keep computer going because I buy my clothes via the Internet and I'd have nothing to wear !!

CeeBee, no it's XP Home.

Thanks again, Mags

**Niclo Iste** · June 18th, 2010, 11:33 AM

http://www.paragon-software.com/free/ you can try that out. I've used it on a few clients. though it was several months ago and I couldn't walk you through the steps again unless I'm doing it at the same time.

**Platypus** · June 18th, 2010, 07:04 PM

Yes, the free Acronis versions are limited to cloning a drive or creating a complete image. I find that is all I need. I did have a full version of an older TrueImage (8 SE I think), and I found I never used the incremental backup feature, it was tidier to just have a single reasonably current system image stored in more than one place for security. Plus a master image of the system in a known clean state in case of a disastrous infection (hasn't happened thankfully).