How Data Is Stored

Data is stored on a hard drive as a series of 1s and zeros. This is called binary or machine language. Every program, file, picture is stored this way.

What Is an Image?

While the technology behind imaging is fairly complex, an image, at its most basic, is a "picture" of the 1s and zeros on the hard drive. This "picture" can be used to recreate the data. Since it is just a "picture" of those 1s and zeros, the image takes up significantly smaller space than the actual data. Note that the image is not an actual picture, but a mathematical representation of the data.

Imaging Software

The most popular imaging software for years has been Symantec's Ghost. There are a number of other imaging software titles available, including Acronis True Image and Paragon Drive Backup.

When to Make an Image

Once the imaging software is installed, an image is ready to be taken. Images are usually created for two reasons. The first is initial setup of a large number of identical computers. In this case, one computer is set up exactly as wanted, and then the image is put on the other computers. The second reason to image is as a backup. Most imaging software allows you to set up a backup schedule to automate the process

How to Reimage a Drive

An image can be stored on CDs or a hard drive. If the image is stored on CDs, the imaging software will make the first CD bootable. Insert the disk in the CD drive and follow the commands to reimage the drive. If the image is stored on a hard drive, the imaging software will allow you to create a boot floppy disk or USB drive to copy the image over.

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Imaging Software Reviews