PartImage Disk Backup
PartImage can be the right choice for a disk backup solution for both Windows and Linux platforms in either standalone or networked environment. It is open source application under the PL2/GNU license so it can be downloaded for free. It often comes pre-bundled with many of the Linux flavors as a default backup utility.
Partimage Features
- PartImage is not as fast as a similar open source CloneZilla, but it is fast enough for a backup data image maker that does the job well. It is fast because it does not hunt down file fragments in its backup copy process. No defragmentation is done during save or restore operations. Only allocation clusters as they are used are copied, allowing for optimal disk cache utilization. None of the data being backed up is modified. It takes about 5 minutes, for instance, to backup a 1GB Windows XP installation.
- Backed-up data images can be readily restored in another physical PC or a virtualized PC. This is important to ensure that what you have backed-up can actually be restored if and when you need it. The restore functionality of the software takes care of this.
- You can configure the system to split large files to be backed-up in order to be accommodated into a flash drive, CD or DVD.
Partimage User Friendliness
Tech Savvy PC and Linux users won't mind DOS-based look-alikes because having no user interface actually makes possible a faster processing without the usual administrative processing overhead the interfaces require. But far from being a purely command line DOS-based character driven application, the PartImage interface looks like a BIOS Set-up screen which is not entirely a bad thing. In a way, it's simpler because you only need to press function and arrows key to control the system. No need for a mouse. There's often no need to change the factory settings which are good enough.
Partimage Summary
PartImage is an excellent backup and restore utility for people who can bother with the technical aspects needed to get them to work in a non-windows user interface. But for a very useful, efficient and reliable utility that's free on the side, PartImage does the backup and restore function of many other commercial programs. For a freeware on either Linux or Windows, it only asks for your technical patience. It is one of the serious backup utilities when considering your data imaging solutions.
Partimage Disk Backup