Image Storage on a Hard Disk
If you are practicing any aspect of data storage and restoration, it essential to make yourself familiar with how sensitive data is and the options available to help secure it. Basic computer users and experts both need to understand the fact that any data stored on a hard disk is very susceptible to being damaged or lost; most of these situations will be out of your hands.
In order to avoid an untimely disaster, the best insurance policy involves frequently backing up that important data on your hard drive. This will help you to quickly recover your information in case your storage media is lost or damaged for any reason. In many instances, those tedious data recovery efforts can all be avoided by creating a disk image, a move that will enable you to recreate the whole storage media to its original condition.
Hard disk imaging is one of the most popular and efficient methods of storing important data. This unique process allows you to create an a mirror image of a disk at a specific point in time. A disk image can be compared to a photo image. It is capable of being recreated into the actual contents, just as a photograph can be used to recreate a specific scene in a specific point in the past. When using this method, the data on your hard disk can be easily recreated in its entirety, even your partitions and file system.
The ghost image is another useful aspect of disk imaging. This feature functions by protecting the core of your operating system, incorporating system settings and drivers into the image. When recovering sensitive data with the aid of a ghost image, you can actually restore to a desktop and system configures that are exactly as they were before the disk crashed.
Creating a Disk Image and Using it for Recovery
Special software is required to create a disk image, much of which is readily available for download on the internet. Some of these are shareware programs which are typically low-cost or offered for use on a trial basis. Others are freeware products which can be downloaded and used for no cost. One of the most popular and effective disk imaging programs is The Norton Ghost, a product developed by Symantec Corporation.
When creating an image, your disk should not be stored on the same disk you're trying to protect from data loss. Since the disk image is essentially a huge file running into numerous megabytes, it is important to have enough space on your hard drive to support storage. Once the disk image has been created, it is best to store it on a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD.
Disk imaging software such as The Norton Ghost is generally easy to use. This program in particular comes with excellent customer support and a comprehensive user manual. Using this method of backup is a bit more expensive, but enables you to recover a hard disk faster and more effectively than alternative schemes.
Conclusion
There are many advantages to backing up your data to a disk image, one being the ease of use. This method is typically faster than other types of backups, enabling you to quickly restore data following an unexpected catastrophe. Considering the many benefits, it's no wonder why hard disk imaging has become one of the most efficient ways to backup and restore critical data.
Post a comment