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Linux: best way to backup Windows, etc partitions

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gregzeng:
Multi-booting 2x Win7-64, but prefer daily use of Xubuntu-64 (latest version is 13.04-beta).

In the last several years, Linux has been able to easily read-write Win7-compressed partitions.  It is as error-free & fast as normal Win7; i.e. like W7, it needs checking with the GUI version of "chkdsk /f", in Windows-7.

Linux has had several versions of partition imaging & restore. Unetbootin (available in Windows & Linux) is the preferred method of create the USB-STICK program.

To find the latest partition imaging program, I daily monitor DISTROWATCH.COM.  Not all the imaging or 'rescue' programs are using Linux's most popular version (based on Ubuntu).  Like all the computer world, each day has different brands leap-frogging over each other into being the "best".

ATM: not into partition imaging.  Prefer fresh install, with new registry, etc. All my data & archives are on different partitions to my op sys partitions, so it is very quick & easy to fresh install.  Having multi-booting & multi-PC choices also adds safety, speed, security, redundancy, etc.

Retired Chief Information Officer (1984), Australian Capital Territory

MilesAhead:
Out of curiosity... when you do the fresh install how to you restore application registry settings?

ewemoa:
ATM: not into partition imaging.  Prefer fresh install, with new registry, etc. All my data & archives are on different partitions to my op sys partitions, so it is very quick & easy to fresh install.
-gregzeng (November 29, 2012, 07:21 AM)
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This is close to what I've been trying for a bit.  I try to stick with portable applications and things that don't modify the registry.  Compared to some years back, it seems easier these days.

MilesAhead:
Portable apps and ERUNT for the other. I did OS only partitions in the past. But it seemed like the space I set aside for Windows was always half what I eventually needed. But I never reinstalled just to remove the chaff. It was more to have multiple OS installed with the Windows flavors sharing the same programs on neutral partitions. There wasn't the plethora of portable apps like we have now. Most apps that need Registry worked pretty well "multi-installed" but as might be expected, Visual Studio was the fly in the ointment.  What a pain in the ass that thing was!!

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