Any software to snapshot HD and restore it later???

I will probably be doing a system recovery or a clean install on my notebook, and will then tweak vista and some softwares according to my need and desire and uninstall and install some softwares. What i wanted to know was if there is any software out there that could take a snapshot of my HD, with all the settings, files and tweaks in registry included, and later when and if I need to do another clean install or system recovery, i wont have to change and tweak all the settings and remove all the crapware again.,,, just run the software and restore the brand new tweaked copy of vista back again..... Is it possible???
If there is a software that could do it, would it create problems with windows activation after restoring???
Thanks for help folks...

 

Clonezilla received a nice mention on Tekzilla. I haven't tried it yet.

 

The top disk imaging programs tend to be: ShadowProtect Desktop 3, Acronis True Image, Norton Save and Restore, and Paragon Drive Backup

A free alternative is DriveImage XML. You'll have to do a few things differently to restore the disk, but if your handy, it should be no problem.

I've used the integrated CompletePC backup feature in Vista Business and have had no problems with activation.

 

http://www.faronics.com/html/deepfreeze.asp

 

I use Acronis Ti 11 and I use is from a bootable CD, don't even have it loaded on my laptop. It works great for this purpose. I have an OS partition and a Data partition and I have re-installed my OS about 5-6 times in the past month as I have played around with settings, software, etc.

I have Vista Business too, but it does not allow me to pick my partitions separately to BU.

 

I am getting this software... can you plz tell exactly how did u make the disk image from within the software... did u choose the clone option or backup option??? I want to do system recovery, remove the crapware, change some settings, and make of copy of this HD image onto a DVD so that I could restore my laptop to like-new settings when needed, without going thru the hassel of removing unnecessary softwares and applying tweaks again and again each time. Can you please tell me which option you need to choose in Ti to achieve this??

 

I could never get Acronis True Image 11 to restore, so I got Paragon Drive Backup Personal, which worked first time, every time.

 

Use the Back Up option. The clone option is used to clone your internal hard drive to another hard drive that is attached to the PC. It would be used if you are adding a new drive to your PC.

Since most places allow for a 30-day trial, I would suggest you also try Paragon as mentioned by AKA above. I would NOT recommend TI 11 as an installed app on your PC, so you will have to download it and make a CD image.

Yes, I have read that Paragon is good also. Did you try TI from a disk or was it an installed app on your PC? I had problems with it as an installed app on my PC, but using it from a bootable disk has worked well.

 

I use norton ghost

 

When run from the bootable ATI CD, it would seem to start up the restore (data was on an external USB drive) and then just stop without any explanation. I never got a good answer, but suspect either the USB drivers or the SATA drivers in the little mini-UNIX ATI boots into weren't up to snuff.

I did get a refund from Acronis eventually, and Paragon Drive Backup Personal works fine.

I picked up a second drive for my notebook so I can restore without obliterating my actual system, which makes running the periodic validations of my backups much less risky.

 

If I had purchased directly from Acronis, I would have asked for a refund too. Unfortunately, I purchsed a retail box that I could not return. They certainly have some issues with TI 11, but now that I have it and it works well with my new 500gb external, I have no complaints - and I only paid $30 for it.

I have also started to use Allway Sync n Go to sync a "live" copy of my data folder on my external. I also park a copy of a full backup on my desktop PC. So, I have a few redundant options.

 

So, Reading about Ti 11 and Paragon DriveBackup, I think I would go with Paragon Drive Backup. But can it restore the exact configuration and drivers, including registry keys, installed programs and applied tweaks whenever system recovery is needed??? I intend to do system recovery once and change settings, make drive image, and then forward use only the image stored on DVD to do system recovery instead of using HP recovery disks or partition.
Do you think Paragon Drive Backup is good enough to serve the purpose??

 

Always download the trial version and run it through everything you intend to to with it before you buy it. If the software does not have a trial, or the trial is crippled or limited in function, look at other products instead.

The closer a utility program gets to the hardware, the more likely there may be some differences between how it works on your machine versus how it works on someone else's machine.

The only way to know for certain is to try it for yourself.