With O&O DiskImage, you'll be able to create reliable images of entire systems, individual drives, and files or folders while you're working on your computer. The Snapshot function with integrated buffer memory ensures that the imaged data is remains exactly as it was when the image started to be created: changes to the data caused by usage or the user do not affect the image while it's being created. This ensures consistent images of systems without any interruptions.
Once you have an image,you can use it to quickly restore the data and installed programs from desktops and servers whenever trouble strikes- thanks to the O&O DiskImage bootable medium (BareMetal Technology) and without any previous installation.
* Imaging and restoring server systems is only possible with the O&O DiskImage Server Edition.
One-click imaging
The one-click imaging is the fastest and easiest way to create a complete image of your computer including all data and settings. One-click imaging is especially useful if you are using O&O DiskImage for the first time, or have not yet created an image of your computer.
Imaging complete disks
You can create an image of one or more disks, e.g. hard disks. When this happens, all drives found on these disks will be automatically imaged.The following disk types are supported by O&O DiskImage:
- Imaging MBR disks
- Imaging GPT disks
- Imaging dynamical disks
Imaging single drives
You are not only able to image entire hard disks, but also individual drives. This incorporates the hard disk layout. You can create images of the following drive types using O&O DiskImage:
- Imaging individual partitions and volumes.
- Imaging primary, extended and logical partitions.
- Imaging simple, spanned, mirrored volumes.
- Imaging the system areas
- Imaging the Master boot records (MBR)
- Imaging the system partitions (e.g. Microsoft reserved partition)
- Imaging of encrypted partitions, volumes or hard disks (e.g. SafeGuard easy of Ultimaco, TrueCrypt or Mircrosoft Bitlocker)
- Storing of a combination from the above mentioned objects (various hard disks, partitions, volumes or similar in an image)
Different imaging methods
Different imaging methods allow the image to be adjusted for different purposes. You get a space saving image if you select the setting "Only used sectors". If you want to rescue data from a damaged hard disk, we recommend a forensic image - all sectors are imaged exactly according to their structure. This enables a later data rescue using special software such as O&O DiskRecovery without affecting the original disk.
- Image the used sectors of drives (partitions/volumes) - unencrypted data is included in the image.
- Complete image of all sectors of the object to be imaged (forensic image)
- Direct forensic image - encrypted data is also included in the image.
After a base imaging, you can create subsequent images as incremental or differential for storing only the changes:
- Incremental image - saves changes between previous images and the current disk.
- Differential image - saves changes between the very first image and the current status of the disk.
Save image
After creating the image, you can save it on all Windows recognized disks. You only need to enter the network path before starting the imaging process. The following destinations can be used to store the images:
- Local drives
- External USB or firewire hard disks
- Drive/Folder in the network
- Storing images as ISO files to burn them later
Integrated burn function
Besides the burn function, O&O DiskImage supports CD/DVDs, Blue-Ray Disks and HD/DVDs. You also create ISO files from your images.
Note: Before being able to burn an image (*.omg) onto an optical disk, you'll need to buffer it. It is not possible to burn a drive while an image of it is being created.
Edit image file
The following editing options are available:
- Combine complete images of different disks onto one image file
- Combine incremental/differential images
- Manual and automatic splitting of images
- Extract objects from images
- Change the encryption and/or compression method of an image
- Change the size of the image by splitting or combining individual images
Compress image
You can compress an image to save even more disk space. Besides LZNT1- you can also compress an image in BZIP2.
Encryption
You can encrypt the image using the AES algorithm (128, 192, 256 Bit)so that only those authorized may access it.
Exclude files
If you want to exclude certain files from the imaging process, you can specify O&O DiskImage, to exclude them during the imaging process (Wildcards not possible for the exclusion).
Process virtual hard disks (VHD)
To simplify working with Microsoft Virtual PCs (VPC), you can now convert images into virtual drives (VHD). The converted image can be included as a virtual drive in the VPC, without having to install O&O DiskImage there. Images (OMG) can also be created or restored directly from virtual drives (VHD) of VPCs.
Mount image as virtual drive
- Mount image as virtual drive/hard disk.
- Unmount virtual drive/hard disk
Check image
To make sure that you image was created correctly or can be restored without errors, you can validate your image file. You can also check the disk to be image before the process is run with the Check disk function.
Email notification on the progress of the activity
The notification feature is an option that will keep you informed about the status of a task such as the running of a job. You'll also be notified immediately about errors so that you can identify and resolve them faster.
File backup
O&O DiskImage makes it possible to backup and restore single files and folders. O&O DiskImage creates an image file (*.obk) of the selected folders and files during a file backup. If you need the files and folders from the image, you can use or unpack the image file with the help of O&O DiskImage or a decompression program, such as WinZip. You don't necessarily need O&O DiskImage to unpack the OBK file.
Compared to a drive image, the file backup does not store the drive information. The advantage of a regular "Backup " of your files is that the backup takes up much less time. In addition, you can create a job to schedule regular backups. Regular backups ensure that your file backups are constantly updated and thus secure.