DescentBB

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Its called disk cloning software (iso images are for copying CDs and DVDs only, not related to hard disk cloning). Most of them allow you to backup to an image file that you can then burn to a CD or DVD and use to restore the system to that state at any time. As for locked files, most disk clone operations are done from a separate boot disk command prompt to avoid that.

A really popular one back in the day was Ghost, but as with all things Symantec touches it has since bloated out immensely and quit being so simple and user friendly.

some readings:
http://descentbb.net/viewtopic.php?t=14147

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I would recommend against any software that backs up windows while it is running, the state of things on the hard drive can be different between windows when it is running and when it is turned off. Sometimes windows does things on bootup or on shutdown to change locked files and imaging the drive while windows is running means things are left unchanged which can cause issues. Something that can backup from inside windows induces much more backend complication than can be justified by \"ease of use\".

A program that requires you to boot from a floppy or cd just to backup your OS, means that once you do that you already know how to reverse the process and boot from a disk to restore your OS. Meaning it splits the burden evenly between backup and restore so neither one gets excessively complicated. And you also know that if the backup process is able to access all drives and disks without needing to hunt for driver disks or boot windows, that the restore disk will work exactly the same. One that works inside windows gives you a lazy backup, but makes you have to do a completely different and usually much more complicated procedure to restore a backup, or worst case can leave you stranded with a perfectly good image that you can't get onto the disk without having to resort to drastic measures like putting the drive into a different computer entirely. In other words anything that depends on the computer actually booting windows in order to function at any stage of a cloning operation is bad because ultimately disk cloning as a backup is there for times when windows doesn't work.

Also, about the only way to pull off a disk clone type backup is either have a backup program that can directly write to DVDs, or to have a second or external hard drive/partition that you can put the clone image file on to and then burn it to CD/DVD. The reason it has to be a separate partition or disk is because it is naturally impractical to write a backup image of a partition to itself.

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CasperXP has worked for me. I used it when i worked for a private company. Put a new drive in, install software. Run it, tell it which drive to clone, which drive to clone to and it will work. Then take out old boot drive, put new one in it's palce and XP boots like a charm. No errors or anything.

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