[prunejuice]

So, right now I have a mini version of PCLinux installed on a 2GB flash drive. It's all good, configured to my liking, and my computer can boot to it.

What I'd like to do is move this installation off the USB drive so I can try some other installs,
namely the Freevo LiveCD and Fluxbuntu 7.10.
My Acronis Recovery Disk isn't picking the USB drive up in it's list of available drives for backup.

Is there a way I can backup the entire installation off the drive, and then put it back and have it bootable when I want?

[RobLinux]

Just boot the Live CDs off CD-ROM, and try it, it'll work without "installing" anything. Or install VirtualBox for OS experiments.

Then you can create an area on disk, to backup your 2GB flash driver, but frankly if you're going to be doing Linux, then don't be so cheap, if you can't dump Windows yet just buy a 2nd hard disk so you can run a full system, with full access to your hardware. Your time must be worth something...

[prunejuice]

I haven't run a Microsoft OS since 2004.

I just want my fully configured small sized distro installs backed up as I need them.

Originally Posted by RobLinux

Your time must be worth something...

Yes. I don't want to have to install updates, browser add-ons etc everytime I switch between
geexbox/Slack/Flux/whatever...

[saikee]

Haven't done it with USB flash drive but I would be very surprised if this doesn't work.

You need the target USB flash drive exactly the same size ( with exactly the same number of sectors) or just larger.

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Alternatively you can just duplicate the directories to another flash drive and restore the boot loader. Copying commands for the files do not touch the boot loader hence the need to restore the boot loader which resides in the boot sector. Methods of doing it are available at the last link of my signature. PCLinuxOS uses Grub so it should be Task B4 or B5.

[RobLinux]

Originally Posted by prunejuice

Yes. I don't want to have to install updates, browser add-ons etc everytime I switch between
geexbox/Slack/Flux/whatever...

I don't understand the problem. Why can't you access the flash drive after you boot from hard-disk and just copy the device, or rsync all the files therein onto your Linux hard disk? As saikee suggests.

Restoring a backed up copy, is very similar to installation. Or you can re-apply changes made, after following an install procedure.

Perhaps the real issue is relying on Acronis software?

[prunejuice]

Originally Posted by saikee

Alternatively you can just duplicate the directories to another flash drive and restore the boot loader.

That's so simple, it just might work! I should have thought about it earlier.

Thanks, saikee.