Windows System Image Software... and a bit about Linux Partition Choices

There are times when you want a complete system backup, or a system image, or a clone of your MS Windows System.

A system backup or image is good for recovery from some sort of problem ("disaster") like a "fatal" system crash (from which you cannot recover from otherwise).  A clone can do the same thing, but the clone process is typically used to transfer an existing system to a new HDD.

Creating new partitions on a drive that contains an OS (operating system) can be a risky venture.  If the OS is damaged during the creation of the new partition, you are SOL (....outta luck).  Having a backup can help in recovery.  It is a fairly complex process though, as you also need a bootable device  that will allow you to run the recovery software (since the OS on the HDD is trashed).

Anyway... Here are a few suggestions:

Try this Google Search:
https://www.google.com/#q=free+windows+system+image+software

This Article is a good summary of some excellent choices:
Best Free Drive Cloning Software - Gizmo's Tech Support Alert

Note... Both of the following suggestions will run on Win-XP... which makes it a great "safety choice" when creating a new partition for a Linux installation.

I was tempted to use the Macrium Reflect Free Edition first, but have not yet tested it.  It seems a bit more complicated for what I wanted to do at the time.  Still, I'm betting it is an excellent choice.

AOMEI Backupper
This is the one I choose to try first, and have not been disappointed.  The interface is simple and clean, and the help and tutorials are excellent.  You still need to jump through quite a few hoops to create a bootable device for Full Recovery operations... but for the basics, this looks like a very good choice.

You can also try CloneZilla.

OR:

If you have your Win-XP software disk, you can use it to create a system image via...

• Start > Run > ntbackup.exe

If you get an error message (like: ntbackup.exe not found), or cannot otherwise locate the MS Backup utility you can follow these instructions, only if you have the original Win-XP install disk.

:-)

For more information about partitions... especially as related to Linux installations... try starting here:

• Google: Lubuntu install Mount Point
• Tips For Installing Lubuntu
• Short... yet comprehensive.
• Includes the basic choice of beside existing (on same partition), and creating a new partition.
  
• How to Choose a Partition Scheme for Your Linux PC
• Excellent introduction to partitions in general.
• Nice introduction to "Mount Points" in Linux.

:-)

Linux Installations

Tips, Notes, Suggestions...

RAM is the biggest factor in deciding which distribution of Linux you want to use.

One really nice thing about Linux, is that if you have and older (slower) PC, you can breathe new life into it by using Linux.  This is especially true if you do most of your PC work on the Internet.  If you have a PC that was intended to run Windows XP (which is dead), you likely have 500-MB to 2-GB RAM in that system.  The basic dividing line on Linux choices is 1-GB RAM.

The big trend right now is "Cloud-Based Applications and Providers".  This is extremely popular because of the flexibility of access, as well as the low (usually zero) maintenance needs by the user.  (The biggest SNAFU for most regular folks is adapting to the changes in the interface, as the Cloud Apps are updated.)

Once you adjust to using Linux (and in most cases the adjustments will be minor) you will find that Linux will do just fine (maybe even better than Windows).  This is especially true once you are inside the Browser.  (Firefox is always my first suggestion, which comes installed with most popular Linux distros).  Even the Office Suites offered are fairly sophisticated, and not all that different than MS Office.

If you need a heavy Duty office suite, try using Open Office.  Otherwise the default one offered with the Linux distro you choose will probably be just fine.

The biggest SNAFU I've encountered with installing Linux is that some WiFi chipsets are not readily supported.  See my previous post here on that. Or if you want a quick fix, try getting a TP-Link TL-WN822N v3.0 USB WiFi Adapter... available on Amazon Prime for <$20.

1+ GB RAM

Linux Mint

This is still my OS of choice for systems with 1+ GB RAM.  Mint is extremely popular now.  How they achieve this is through really good design, and very convenient resources (especially for application installation and maintenance).  The installation program is very robust.

As is often the case right now, during the installation you can choose to install Linux Mint beside Windows (on the same Windows NTFS Partition, or possibly a FAT Partition), or with the creation of a new Linux EXT-type Partition.  The "Beside" option is quicker and easier, and possibly less risky.  Creating a new EXT# partition(s) will be more efficient.

In all cases, the preferred Mount Point for each partition in a Linux installations seems to be the following 3:

• /
• This is the best Mount Point option for the OS itself.
• /home
• This section is typically used to store user created files.  Having this on a separate partition makes it really easy to update or change the OS (in / ) without affecting your personal data.
• swap
• Creating a partition dedicated to swap files is most helpful on Low RAM systems.
• The general rule is to create a Swap Section that is equal to or greater than the amount of system RAM.  One reference suggests:
• Swap Partition / Space = RAM (< 8 GB)
• Swap Partition / Space = 0.5 x RAM (> 8 GB)
• Choose "Beginning" or "End"?
• Apparently it does not matter.  For consistency I choose "end" for Swap.
• The 2.6 Linux Kernel apparently is efficient enough that a separate Swap Partition is not needed.
• Ideally... You never need the swap space at all, and run everything in RAM that needs to be in RAM....  But when trying to resurrect an older machine, you need to deal with what you got, so Swap Space may be helpful (or needed)..

500 MB RAM

I'm a huge fan of Slacko Puppy Linux... it is a very lean and efficient Linux Distro (distribution).  It comes "out of the box" with everything you need, ready to go, including the Firefox Browser.  It can be made to install to a HDD, but this is not its best application.  It is best run in RAM... or better yet, off  a USB drive.

Lubuntu Linux v14.04 LTS

Available in 32-bit and 64-bit.

This is my current "Lightweight" Linux OS of choice.

System Requirements... Minimum Suggested:

• CPU = Pentium Class 700 MHz (single core)
• RAM = 500 MB
• HDD = 20 GB

YMMV... Lubuntu has been proven to run on less (RAM, etc.).

Special benefits and features of Lubuntu v14:

• LTS = Long Term Support
• 3 Years (from July 2014)
• Firefox Browser is Ready to Go!
• Improved File Manager.
• Based on the lightweight LXDE desktop environment.

Like Linux Mint... The default installation has a nice set of applications... plus it is really easy to add and manage applications.  There are thousands to choose from, with most (if not all) being free of cost.

• Main Menu > System Tools > Lubuntu Software Center

If you are keeping MS Windows, the installation manager works really well to make this happen.  You will get a "Bootloader" menu on system start-up.  The easiest solution is to let it install alongside Windows, but if you are feeling bold you can easily re-partition the drive, creating a Linux style (EXT3 or EXT4) file-system... plus you can create multiple partitions to handle User Files, and a designated Swap Area, as well as the OS itself.

You will not need to configure the bootloader with this installation... the Lubuntu installer does it all for you.

All-in-all this is a truly spectacular OS, which could be installed by just about anyone... and it runs quite well on just 500 MB RAM.  The look and feel of it is similar enough to MS Windows (XP) that most anyone can easily make the transition to it.  What few differences are encountered can usually be discovered through a simple web search.

= = =

WiFi Adapters for Linux

Finding WiFi adapters for Linux use, especially on "Lightweight Distros" (w-ref), can be a bit challenging at times.  Various chipsets tend to be more compatible than others.  Some WiFi Adapters (and other similar devices) simply do not exist in the eyes of Linux (I've mostly tested Ubuntu based Distros), while others get immediately recognized.

It can get a bit expensive just trying out different adapters, so doing a bit of homework first can be a good idea.  What seems to mainly define what will be recognized is the "Chipset" (as opposed to the manufacturer).  You can find lists of Linux Friendly Chipsets such as this one from wireless.kernel.org

One example I've had really good experience with is this:

TP-Link TL-WN822N v3.0
At <$20, this compact b-g-n- class 300Mbps USB WiFi Adapter is an excellent performer.  It includes a WPS button, a 1.5M USB cable, and is WPA/WPA2 ready.  I've plugged this into Puppy Linux, Lubuntu, and Linux Mint, and it was immediately recognized... no driver installation needed.
For this device, the:
Chipset  = Realtek RTL8192CU

Another example is:

Etekcity SI-7200ND
Apparently out of production now.  Is similar ti the above TP-Link device, but a bit more bulky, but the larger antenna were supposedly to boost the range.  This apparently uses the Ralink 3072 chipset.

:-)

===

Install Linux Mint - HDD Prep

Well... I finally got around to doing a Full Install of Linux Mint on a PC.  It is remarkably easy... though I did have to look a few things up.  This post is to fill-in the gaps, and remind me of what I did, and where I went to get the answers.

The machine I used was a Notebook PC that had Win-XP on it, which is dead now, so I chose to re-partition the HDD and start from scratch.  It was relatively resource rich (for a hand-me-down / give-away machine), and just begging for an installation such as Linux Mint, which I typically install on machines with 1+ GB of RAM.  (For PC's between 1 GB and 500 MB of RAM, I typically use Puppy Linux.)

The resources were:

• Dual Core CPU - 32-bit
• 1.8 GB RAM
• 250 GB HDD

Also included were the usual bells-and-whistles such as a DVD Drive, LAN Adapter, WiFi Adapter, and even a camera and mic.

I decided to re-partition the HDD first, and ran into a few minor snags that I had to look-up.

I wanted two partitions... one for the OS, and one for Data.  I used ext3 as the formatting option (the default was ext4).  Another installation, on a PC with slimmer resources, went to ext4, and it seems to run OK.  I'd say try it, and if it "breaks", just try a different installation.

This is what I ended up doing to get through the full partition process:

• 50 GB - Set partition 1, at the beginning, using ( / ) to set the root, for the OS installation.
• 175 GB - Set partition 2, at the beginning, using ( /home ) for the Data section.
• 25 GB - Created a Swap ( ) partition.

I have no idea at this time if this is correct, or best, but I know it is good for a 1st try.

Here are a few links that helped me make a few decisions:

• Choosing the "Mount Point"
• Not for Mint (different screen-shots), but Mint is a version of Ubuntu, so it was close enough.  This helped me decide what Mount Point to use for which partition ( / or /home in this case).
• How to Install "Mint" with Manual Partitioning
• More info than the above, and helped me decide that 30+ GB (30,000+ MB) was adequate for the OS install.
• Linux File Systems: Ext2 vs Ext3 vs Ext4
• Good overall explanation at "The Geek Stuff".

Some other links of interest:

• How to Install Linux Mint
• From WikiHow... even includes ISO burning instructions

After the installation was done, an icon in the (equivalent) Task Bar prompted me to install a large number of updates, which took some time, but went OK.  Some updates failed, but what did finish went well, and after a boot, all was well (the PC ran OK).

:-)