PowerQuest Drive Image Professional

PowerQuest Drive Image Professional

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Type of Product

Setting up PCs is a time-consuming and costly process. Long hours are spent installing and configuring operating systems and software individually on each machine. Companies need a fast, inexpensive solution for setting up new workstations and/or upgrading existing workstations. PowerQuest's Drive Image Professional lets you easily create a compressed image file of an entire hard drive or of individual partitions. Image files can be stored on a network, secondary hard drive or other removable media device. Simply download the image file from the source to quickly set up new workstations and/or upgrade existing machines. With Drive Image Professional, image files can be applied to same-size drives or resized to fit drives of a different size and geometry.

Drive Image Professional runs in either interactive or batch mode, allowing you to customize the program's operation to fit your needs. Interactive mode gives you control plus efficiency when working with one or two PCs, while batch mode allows you to easily automate the set up process for cloning multiple PCs.

Drive Image Professional also simplifies management of all your image files. The included Drive Image File Editor gives you total image file control, allowing you to create and copy image files, copy or delete partitions within files, compress and uncompress partitions, and restore individual program and data files from imaged partitions. Additionally, Drive Image File Editor provides name and comment capabilities for easy identification of individual files and partitions. See the PowerQuest Web site for information on other products: http://www.powerquest.com

User Level

Intermediate and Advanced users with some basic knowledge of what a hard drive is, formatting, partitions, and how drive letters are assigned. A section on this is provided in the user's guide supplied with the program.

Features

1. Drive Image Professional is fast and makes quick work of setting up and configuring multiple workstations over a network:

Improved SmartSector technology--dramatically speeds up the process of creating and restoring images by copying only those sectors containing data. (New)

Faster image compression--compresses images up to eight times faster than before. (New)

2. Drive Image Professional is flexible and offers a wide range of options:

Drive Image File Editor--lets you swap partitions from one image to another and selectively copy or delete partitions to create a new customized image. (New)

Comprehensive file system support--supports FAT, FAT32, NTFS and HPFS file systems.

SIDchanger utility--generates unique Security Identifiers (SID) when cloning NT workstations.

Resize on-the-fly--automatically resizes partitions to fit within a smaller or larger-sized drive. (New)

Selective partition restore--restores individual partitions without destroying the existing partitions on the hard drive.

Command-line scripting--allows for a hands-free approach to automate the cloning process.

Image file comments--provides space for detailed comments about each image file.

Selective file restore--allows you to view and restore individual files within an image file. (New)

SmartSector control--lets you turn off SmartSector technology to copy all sections. (New)

Multiple compression settings--saves images using either a low, high, or no compression image.

Removable media spanning--stores images across multiple Jaz, Zip or SyQuest disks, or allows you to specify the image file size for your custom spanning needs.

MagicMover application mover--quickly and easily moves applications from one partition to another.

DriveMapper utility--easily updates drive-letter assignments that may have changed during the image restoration process.

3. Drive Image Professional simplifies the work of setting up and configuring multiple workstations:

Enhanced user interface--provides a graphical Windows look and feel with full mouse support. (New)

Wizard-driven interface--interactive step-by-step guides take the guesswork and hassle out of setting up and configuring new workstations. (New)

Enhanced support for removable media--automatically recognizes and loads the drivers for Jaz, Zip, and SyQuest drives. (New)

4. Drive Image Professional provides safe data storage and a greater level of assurance:

ImageShield--provides password protection and encryption for an extra level of data protection and assurance. (New)

Hide/unhide partitions--gives you the option of storing an exact backup of the existing operating system and application partitions on a second drive without causing drive-letter conflicts. (New)

Disk integrity and bad sector checking--provides you with the assurance that your data integrity is safe by checking for bad sectors and file system errors before copying and restoring data.

5. Drive Image Professional is a complete solution designed to reduce the total cost of ownership associated with managing an enterprise-wide computer system:

PartitionMagic Professional--allows you to create, resize and move hard-disk partitions on-the-fly.

Multiple storage options--stores data on many types of media, including network drives, hard drives and removable media.

Long file names--recognizes and handles long file names.

Additional operating system support--allows for sector-by-sector copying with Linux, UNIX and NetWare.

Recovery floppy--creates a DOS bootable recovery floppy.

Review

I used the program for a variety of functions to see how it performed. I used it to upgrade a system, adding a second larger hard drive. Because I was installing and uninstalling different applications for review, reformatting became a frequent problem. Even though all of my data files were stored in a separate partition on the C drive, I still had to back up every time I reformatted. I used Drive Image to create a complete image of my D drive partition (data partition), and restored that image on the hard drive that I had installed. I have an enormous amount of data on my systems and need to protect that data. Drive Image is an excellent method for creating fast backups and an effective way to protect my system from costly repairs should I have a crash.

Personal Comments

This program is a a must have for anyone upgrading their own systems.

System Requirements

Windows 95, 98, Window 3.x, NT, DOS or OS/2
Intel/386 SX compatible or higher
8MB RAM (16MB required for FAT32 or NTFS)
CD-ROM drive
3.5 inch diskette drive
5MB free hard-disk space
VGA or higher video support

Graphics: Adobe Photoshop & WebSpice 1,000,000 Page Design Edition
Web Page Editor: Macromedia Dreamweaver 2.0
Scanner: Hewlett Packard ScanJet 6250C Professional Series

PowerQuest Drive Image Professional
Click on a thumbnail to enlarge it. Use your browser's "BACK" button to return to this review when done.

Type of Product
Setting up PCs is a time-consuming and costly process. Long hours are spent installing and configuring operating systems and software individually on each machine. Companies need a fast, inexpensive solution for setting up new workstations and/or upgrading existing workstations. PowerQuest's Drive Image Professional lets you easily create a compressed image file of an entire hard drive or of individual partitions. Image files can be stored on a network, secondary hard drive or other removable media device. Simply download the image file from the source to quickly set up new workstations and/or upgrade existing machines. With Drive Image Professional, image files can be applied to same-size drives or resized to fit drives of a different size and geometry. Drive Image Professional runs in either interactive or batch mode, allowing you to customize the program's operation to fit your needs. Interactive mode gives you control plus efficiency when working with one or two PCs, while batch mode allows you to easily automate the set up process for cloning multiple PCs. Drive Image Professional also simplifies management of all your image files. The included Drive Image File Editor gives you total image file control, allowing you to create and copy image files, copy or delete partitions within files, compress and uncompress partitions, and restore individual program and data files from imaged partitions. Additionally, Drive Image File Editor provides name and comment capabilities for easy identification of individual files and partitions. See the PowerQuest Web site for information on other products: http://www.powerquest.com

User Level
Intermediate and Advanced users with some basic knowledge of what a hard drive is, formatting, partitions, and how drive letters are assigned. A section on this is provided in the user's guide supplied with the program.

Features
1. Drive Image Professional is fast and makes quick work of setting up and configuring multiple workstations over a network: Improved SmartSector technology--dramatically speeds up the process of creating and restoring images by copying only those sectors containing data. (New) Faster image compression--compresses images up to eight times faster than before. (New) 2. Drive Image Professional is flexible and offers a wide range of options: Drive Image File Editor--lets you swap partitions from one image to another and selectively copy or delete partitions to create a new customized image. (New) Comprehensive file system support--supports FAT, FAT32, NTFS and HPFS file systems. SIDchanger utility--generates unique Security Identifiers (SID) when cloning NT workstations. Resize on-the-fly--automatically resizes partitions to fit within a smaller or larger-sized drive. (New) Selective partition restore--restores individual partitions without destroying the existing partitions on the hard drive. Command-line scripting--allows for a hands-free approach to automate the cloning process. Image file comments--provides space for detailed comments about each image file. Selective file restore--allows you to view and restore individual files within an image file. (New) SmartSector control--lets you turn off SmartSector technology to copy all sections. (New) Multiple compression settings--saves images using either a low, high, or no compression image. Removable media spanning--stores images across multiple Jaz, Zip or SyQuest disks, or allows you to specify the image file size for your custom spanning needs. MagicMover application mover--quickly and easily moves applications from one partition to another. DriveMapper utility--easily updates drive-letter assignments that may have changed during the image restoration process. 3. Drive Image Professional simplifies the work of setting up and configuring multiple workstations: Enhanced user interface--provides a graphical Windows look and feel with full mouse support. (New) Wizard-driven interface--interactive step-by-step guides take the guesswork and hassle out of setting up and configuring new workstations. (New) Enhanced support for removable media--automatically recognizes and loads the drivers for Jaz, Zip, and SyQuest drives. (New) 4. Drive Image Professional provides safe data storage and a greater level of assurance: ImageShield--provides password protection and encryption for an extra level of data protection and assurance. (New) Hide/unhide partitions--gives you the option of storing an exact backup of the existing operating system and application partitions on a second drive without causing drive-letter conflicts. (New) Disk integrity and bad sector checking--provides you with the assurance that your data integrity is safe by checking for bad sectors and file system errors before copying and restoring data. 5. Drive Image Professional is a complete solution designed to reduce the total cost of ownership associated with managing an enterprise-wide computer system: PartitionMagic Professional--allows you to create, resize and move hard-disk partitions on-the-fly. Multiple storage options--stores data on many types of media, including network drives, hard drives and removable media. Long file names--recognizes and handles long file names. Additional operating system support--allows for sector-by-sector copying with Linux, UNIX and NetWare. Recovery floppy--creates a DOS bootable recovery floppy.

Review
I used the program for a variety of functions to see how it performed. I used it to upgrade a system, adding a second larger hard drive. Because I was installing and uninstalling different applications for review, reformatting became a frequent problem. Even though all of my data files were stored in a separate partition on the C drive, I still had to back up every time I reformatted. I used Drive Image to create a complete image of my D drive partition (data partition), and restored that image on the hard drive that I had installed. I have an enormous amount of data on my systems and need to protect that data. Drive Image is an excellent method for creating fast backups and an effective way to protect my system from costly repairs should I have a crash.

Personal Comments
This program is a a must have for anyone upgrading their own systems.

System Requirements
Windows 95, 98, Window 3.x, NT, DOS or OS/2 Intel/386 SX compatible or higher 8MB RAM (16MB required for FAT32 or NTFS) CD-ROM drive 3.5 inch diskette drive 5MB free hard-disk space VGA or higher video support

Graphics: Adobe Photoshop & WebSpice 1,000,000 Page Design Edition Web Page Editor: Macromedia Dreamweaver 2.0 Scanner: Hewlett Packard ScanJet 6250C Professional Series