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Norton Ghost 2003
Reviewed by
Ken Feinstein
on 09/24/2002
Norton Ghost 2003

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  • Reviewed by:
    Ken Feinstein
  • Reviewed on: 09/24/2002
  • Updated on: 11/12/2009
Over the years, Norton Ghost has maintained a well-deserved reputation as a powerful and reliable disk-imaging application. The latest version, Ghost 2003 ($69.95, $49.95 for upgrade), maintains that tradition, adding an improved interface and more storage options. Unfortunately, Ghost still clings to its DOS-based roots, even in an all-Windows world. With competitors such as PowerQuest Drive Image 2002 and Acronis True Image offering much better Windows integration, Ghost 2003 is a dinosaur. Until Ghost can run completely in Windows, go elsewhere.Over the years, Norton Ghost has maintained a well-deserved reputation as a powerful and reliable disk-imaging application. The latest version, Ghost 2003 ($69.95, $49.95 for upgrade), maintains that tradition, adding an improved interface and more storage options. Unfortunately, Ghost still clings to its DOS-based roots, even in an all-Windows world. With competitors such as PowerQuest Drive Image 2002 and Acronis True Image offering much better Windows integration, Ghost 2003 is a dinosaur. Until Ghost can run completely in Windows, go elsewhere.

Installation
Norton Ghost installs painlessly, thanks to its familiar Windows interface with wizards that guide you through the process of creating and restoring a disk image. This front-end shell is deceptive, though: the Windows interface acts only as an intermediary between the user and the DOS application that does all the work. Unlike Drive Image and True Image, almost all of Ghost's functions require it to reboot into DOS--the command-line operating system that preceded Windows--which may take time, depending on which Windows OS you're running.

Features
Thankfully, Ghost 2003 has kept pace with the competition in other arenas. This version can copy an exact image of a hard disk or a partition onto an internal hard disk, a network drive, an external USB 1.1/2.0 drive, or a FireWire drive. It also supports removable media, such as recordable CD and DVD drives, and can clone a hard drive onto another system via a network, USB, or parallel connection. Plus, the Ghost Explorer utility, which looks like Windows Explorer, lets you view the contents of an image--both the folders and the files contained within--and extract a single folder or file. The only key feature that's missing is the ability to conveniently schedule backups for a specific time, something that Drive Image 2002 makes easy.

Performance
Unfortunately, Ghost's practice of shutting down to DOS while performing basic tasks has several downsides (in XP, Ghost uses its own version of DOS). Namely, it makes your PC unavailable for any other tasks. And in order to run in DOS, Ghost creates a virtual partition on your hard drive. Acronis True Image, on the other hand, switches to DOS only to restore a system disk; it performs all other functions within Windows itself. Drive Image 2002 needs to run in DOS to back up or restore a system disk, but it can image other disks within Windows, as well. If you're looking for a product that will back up and restore key files while you're doing other things, avoid Ghost. Continue reading

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Norton Ghost 2003

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