R-Drive Image 2.0

R-Drive Image creates disk-image files for backup or duplication purposes. A disk-image file contains an exact, byte-by-byte copy of a hard drive, partition, or logical disk and can be created with various compression levels on the fly without stopping Windows OS. These files then can be stored in a variety of places, including removable media. R-Drive Image is capable of restoring those images on the original disks, on any other partition, or even on a hard drive's free space. The program creates a special bootable diskette for restoring a system partition.

To restore only certain files from a disk image, you can connect the image as a virtual disk and copy those files directly from the disk image using Windows Explorer or any other file utility. Version 2.0 adds USB 2.0 support in the pseudo-graphic mode. You can now restart to the pseudo-graphic mode directly from Windows to restore data to the system and other locked partitions. The 15-day trial version allows you to verify all R-Drive Image capabilities except creation and restoration of a disk image when R-Drive Image is launched from a bootable floppy disk created by the trial version

This utility makes an exact copy of your disk to restore your system in case it crashes or you need to transfer it to another hard drive. R-Drive Image represents the latest generation of software that allows complete system backup without the need to stop or restart Windows. You also can run it from rescue diskettes as a standalone utility to restore the system disk. The program performed well in our testing (although not very quickly). The only problem is that you don't see how much time is left. You can compress and password-protect disk images, as well as split them to store on CD or DVD. If you only need to restore a few files, the full program purportedly lets you mount the image as a virtual drive for viewing and copying files. The wizard interface makes the program clear even to beginners, which makes R-Drive Image suitable for home use.