How to Make a Disk Image with Norton Ghost

The Norton Ghost software utility is used to create regular backups of your data so that it is not entirely lost if your computer suffers a hardware malfunction or becomes corrupted by a virus. You can use Norton Ghost to create a file called a "disc image," which is a snapshot of all of the data on your entire hard drive that is compressed down into one single location. If your hard drive were to ever fail you could then load the disc image onto a new hard drive and not lose any files or programs at all.

Things You'll Need

• Blank DVD or CD

Instructions

1. 

   Open the Norton Ghost program by double-clicking on its desktop icon. Find the "Norton Ghost" heading at the upper-left side of the screen. Click on the "Ghost Basic" button underneath the heading or instead press the "Ctrl" and "B" buttons to navigate to the basic features menu screen.

2. Click on the "Tasks" button and then select the "Disc Image" option. Scroll down through the list of available disc image types you can create, such as a CD or USB drive. Decide which type of device you want to use and insert the device into the corresponding port on your computer. Click on the name of the device you are using and then click on the "Next" button.

3. Scroll down through the list of drives connected to your computer that will appear in the window. Locate the specific hard drive that you want to copy for a disc image. Click on the check box next to the drive and then click on "Next."

4. Click on the "Browse" button and then find the location of the USB drive, CD drive, or DVD drive where your blank disc is stored on the computer. Click on the drive letter corresponding to the disc drive, such as "E:\" if your DVD drive is labeled as "E." Click on the "Next" button again.

5. 

   Click on the slider bar and drag the slider to towards the "Fast" button if you want the disc image to be created at the fastest possible speed. Drag the slider towards the "Slow" button if you want the disc image to be compressed into a smaller file size, which will increase the amount of time it takes to create the image. Click on "Create Disc Image" button to save the disc image to the blank device.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use the scheduling tool in the Norton Ghost program to have a new disc image created at regular intervals for backing up your new files and programs. Simply choose a specific day and time when the image should be created and make sure to leave a blank CD or DVD in your drive at that time.

• If you choose the "Fast" option and are just using a standard 700 megabyte CD-RW you may run out of room on the disc if you have a very large hard drive. When using a CD-RW the best bet is to fully compress the data with the "Slow" option.

References

• Norton Ghost Support Page
• Creating a Disk Image With Symantec Norton Ghost

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish