Originally Posted by
chgoeditor
Responding to your PS first: DriveImageXML, which I use, does allow you to selective restore files.
My order of priority:
1. Reinstall Windows
2. Reinstall programs such as Carbonite, PogoPlug Backup and DriveImage XML. (Again, I don't use DriveImageXML to create a disk image, so I need DriveImageXML to reinstall these files.)
3. Start the process of restoring files using Carbonite (slow) while also begin to transfer documents, pictures, music and videos onto the computer from another external HD or NAS (probably using a backup other than DriveImageXML, which can be slow).
4. Reinstall other programs.
5. Use DriveImageXML to recover files that weren't backed up using Carbonite, etc.
My HP system started as Vista (with an "emergency" recovery partition D: of C
, I upgraded (to "inplace") W7 and then to ("inplace") W8.
W8 was a
one time download from my Universities Mall.
Had I not made an emergency boot DVD and thumb drive, I would not be able to do: 1. Re-install Windows.
["inplace", each of these operating systems was installed on top of the previous one.]
PS: Except for current files, my C: drive essentially has only programs--my data "stuff" is on external HDs.