Hard Disk Imaging Backup

A disk image is a type of backup media.

Disk imaging is a method of backing up a drive, partition or other data on your computer. Disk images create exact, mirror copies of the specified media to be backed up.

Uses

Disk images are a particularly reliable backup medium because they allow for an exact replica of the drive or hard disk being backed up. They're also used to create boot disks and for providing a method of installing software.

Benefits

Disk images allow users to quickly backup entire volumes and drives. If a computer crashes or becomes infected by a virus that can't be sanitized, disk images typically provide a method of easy recovery without having to reinstall the operating system.

Considerations

By default, disk images typically aren't random access, meaning you usually can't pick and choose which aspects of an image to restore -- you'll have to restore the entire image. However, Mac OS X and some drive imaging software allows you to "mount" disk images, giving you access to the individual files and contents of the image.

References

• Indiana University: What is a Disk Image?
• Tech Support Alert: Best Free Drive Imaging Program