Weekly automatic backup to an External bootable HDD

Hello guys,

Is there a software which can make a bootable HDD, take incremental backups/incremental images every week and boot from itself and restore the image/files if need arises?

The closest I came across is Acronis with lot of work to make the bootbale image work in an external HDD. Any software which can do it out of the box? A friend who uses Mac said Mac does it by default!

 

You can use Windows built-in backup and if you have Windows 7 on USB (these days most people do), you can boot off that USB stick and recover using the files on the hard drive from the windows 7 repair prompts. Or just use this method: How To Repair Windows 7 From USB Flash Drive (Repair Without Installation DVD Disc)

You could probably also format your external HDD with the same boot files and use it that way. Just make sure you don't have any backup files on the drive when you do this because you will lose them.

 

Can't rep you till I rep some others.

I am trying to live off a single HDD rather than a DVD & HDD or USB with HDD. If I make a bootable HDD and backup to it with windows it wudn't work without too much tinkering, right?

 

If you format the HDD first with the above method, I just tried it on a USB, and it worked fine. Then you should also be able to backup to that same hard drive using Windows Backup and use it to boot off of to restore if necessary. Don't quote me on that though because it may not like using the same drive letter that the system image is on, but that can always be remedied by partitioning. I'll do a little testing if I can find an older USB HDD I have laying around because I'm curious.

 

For me this will not work. I have found before I can run the restore of backup I need to remove ACHI and go to IDE mode. Once restored in bios I reset ACHI. Minor issue but it means llways doing it manually. I prefer this though as then I can be sure before loosing the days information.

Also with windows backup and restore your system has to reindex, rebuild the icons and the like. so I do this as little as possible. In the times you need it though the back up can be invaluable.

 

I made it a point of Windows booting up from the guide. But the back up failed mid way and the drive was not listed with a back up file to recover from.Still looking for solutions.

 

I have finally found the solution. The first step is to install Grub4DOS to the external HDD. Then get the acronis/(other similar product's bootable iso) saved in the HDD and listed in the .lst file of Grub4DOS. When booting from the external HDD, choose acronis/(other similar product's bootable iso) , let it boot and then direct the S/W to the backup in the same external HDD. Tested with Acronis 2011 and worked fine!

Also happened to come across a Toshiba HDD with a similar feature built in.

 

Are you referring to your Gateway? Newer systems shouldn't need to fuss with AHCI to IDE mode.

 

Try Handy Backup 7, it’s good at disk imaging, incremental backups (on schedule) and quick system restore.