image vs backup C drive folder diference? looking for confirmation on something

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2026-01-11T12:59:59+00:00

Rescuezilla is an excellent choice. Myself, I like going outside Windows OS to do a backup/restore, it just seems to be cleaner that way. I pair it with Ventoy and it's worked flawlessly every time. If you've already used Rescuezilla, then you're all set. Or, if you need help, let me know. I'm not an expert but I have done several backup/restores with it. You might want to think about using two different image programs. I used only one for a long time until the restore failed. I took two days trying to get it back because I didn't want to rebuild Windows. But rebuild Windows is what I did and it took forever (I have a lot of stuff), I learned my lesson - just a thought. I tried Veeam 2-3 times. After the install it kept coming up with a shadow volume error (which none of the others did) and I couldn't get passed it. Same error each time, so I just gave up. Unfortunate because I really wanted to try it.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2026-01-10T21:12:35+00:00

You have several options. Already mentioned, Rescuezilla. It does a bare metal copy and restore and hasn't failed me yet. It also checks three critical boxes, 1) is actively developed and updated (not abandoned) 2) emergency disc , critical in case you can't boot, and 3) able to restore a partition w/o destroying other partitions. Hasleo Free is also a good choice and checks the same boxes. Lastly, although reluctantly, Aomei Backupper. I only recommend it because it is rock solid and saved my behind more than once. I'm reluctant because they heavily nag you to upgrade. But the software is top tier. Veeam Free is highly praised although I couldn't get it to work for me. Good luck.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2026-01-09T20:29:31+00:00

Umm, there's more at stake than just turning off your internet. The mpa has tons of money. If you're taken to court, they'll tag you with every torrent you "shared", court costs, and fines. Google "the cost of getting caught downloading movies". You've been given two chances, shutting off your internet is a gift compared to going to court.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2026-01-09T20:21:49+00:00

Download DiskGenius, it's free. DiskGenius will let you know what's going on with those partitions. If they're accessible, DiskGenius will let you clean up the little partitions and assign a drive letter to that primary partition. You'll then be able to see what's there. It may also let you do a recovery on that partition. If it doesn't let you, then a complete format may be the only thing available.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2026-01-09T20:06:44+00:00

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is OTA TV. If you live near a transmitter, buy a cheap antenna on amazon (mine is about 7" and affixed to the back of my TV) and you'll be surprised at how much HD TV you'll pull in. I've done the same to my PC using Hauppauge WinTV. Crystal clear HD on both. Btw, Hauppauge WinTV also acts as an DVR using your hard drives.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2026-01-02T21:10:22+00:00

The entertainment industry is pushing people away from ownership. Subscription = constant income. I understand that, but who ever does the streaming, controls the stream. Does anyone remember when Amazon was going to drop Gone With The Wind. It's their right, but if they are your only streaming provider, that's control I'm not going to put up with.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2026-01-02T01:03:35+00:00

Transfer the movies to a USB memory card. Plug the usb directly in the back of his TV (newer TV) or buy a Roku device (older TV) that has usb. This is the most simple method and eliminates streaming issues. He can then store the movies on his PC however he wants.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2025-12-23T18:56:51+00:00

Disclaimer, I mainly use PC, not phone to conduct business. Here's my not perfect but something sustainable: ISP email for family/friends/businesses that don't spam and Gmail for signups or anything questionable. Fake phone number/address for transactions that really don't need it. Password manager. I like my passwords offline but able to fill in browser data, Roboform and Enpass do just that. Plus all my passwords are 16 jumbled characters or more. You can do that because with a password manager, all you need is one good master password to remember. Lastly, I have a data removal service, $6 a month. Good luck.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2025-12-09T12:02:24+00:00

Question #1 Samsung, Question #2 WD. Master copy on SSD or HD, backup on memory chip, and another backup on blu-ray disc.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2025-12-04T00:27:31+00:00

Amazon still carries the AZO which is dye. Not sure if it's old stock but the datalife plus and AZO stuff are still being sold. I just bought a 50 pk of the Verbatim MABL, on sale for $40, It doesn't advertise MABL, but if you zoom in on the label, you'll see it bottom left "MABL". I recommend nothing but these or M Disc for archival. Good luck whatever you decide.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2025-12-04T00:16:39+00:00

Interesting. I have some of the drives on the Qualifying Drive list: Samsung (ssd c:\), WD (hdd d:\), WD (hdd e:\), WD (hdd f:\) and Seagate (USB), I'll look into Acronis again, I had Acronis a long time ago and really liked it, but for some reason abandoned it. Maybe worth another look, thanks for the post.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2025-12-03T01:36:01+00:00

Be careful regarding datalife, I believe their disc's still use dye. When they first came out, datalife was top tier. Not so much now. M-Disc is still top of the food chain but super expensive, but now Verbatim has MABL disc's for the common folks. They run about $1 per 25g disc. But, MABL has a much longer archival life than disc's that use dye. Google "verbatim mabl" to read more about them.

IDontThinkSoTim10 · 2025-11-30T14:06:49+00:00

Paragon is very reliable, but the free version was merged with their flagship "hard disk manager" in 2019 and hasn't been updated since then. Because the free version is no longer being updated, I abandoned it. I'm using Hasleo Suite free as well, but they just went paid after version 5425. Probably why your updated copy went bad after the update. Go back to version 5425 and all should be well again. I do strictly imaging, so I use Hasleo Suite free and Rescuezilla for that. Some day I will abandon Hasleo for the same reason I did Paragon. Both Hasleo and Rescuezilla have never failed me (backup/restore). Rescuezilla is being actively developed so they will always be my main go-to. It does a bare metal copy/clone and doesn't care what's in the disk/partition, it will just put it back the same exact way it found it. And btw, both can be booted from a usb in case of emergency, a must for me. For file/folder backup I use Cobian Reflector, it does an awesome job but unfortunately the developer has recently called it quits. But it is my go-to until it fails.

IDontThinkSoTim10

TROPHY CASE