this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2024
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Would this work or would I have problems:

Using dd command to backup an entire SSD containing dual boot Windows/Ubuntu partitions into an .iso file, with the intent to then dd that iso back onto the same size SSD in the case of a drive failure?

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[–] wagesj45@kbin.run 17 points 5 months ago (9 children)

Would this work

Yes.

or would I have problems

Also yes.

I used to do this backing up my "servers". By that I mean some Raspberry Pis and random old PCs running Debian. I even did so successfully when needing to restore the images. But it was fragile and also failed at times, sometimes to great inconvenience when it was a machine serving something important.

I've since moved to a different backup strategy for servers, but if I were to do this with a bare-metal machine I want to preserve, I'd use something like Clonezilla. The maintainers of that project know a whole heck of a lot more than I do of the ins and outs of disk management, backup, and restoration than I do with my simple dd commands. If it is something you're just wanting to do for fun and experience, dd can work. If you're concerned with the security of your data/image, I'd use Clonezilla.

[–] Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (7 children)

As you seem to know a lot about Clonezilla, I’m allowing myself to ask you something.

Would Clonezilla work for doing a backup and reinstalling it on a completely different device?

I’ve already used it to backup and restore on the same device. I also tried to install my Surface Go device backup on an old Acer Computer but it failed to boot afterwards. I’m not sure if it’s because of the surface specific kernel or because it doesn’t work from one computer to another.

Would you know that?

[–] wagesj45@kbin.run 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I don't know off the top of my head. I think that Clonezilla can modify images in such a way as they can be booted on a different type of device. My knowledge of the black magic of boot sectors and partition stuff is lacking. Also, you'd have to make sure the motherboard/BIOS is properly configured for reading the device in the same way that the original device was read. UEFI/BIOS stuff can be a pain in the ass to get right.

So my short answer is probably, but I wouldn't be able to walk you through something like that. Wish I could be more helpful.

[–] Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 months ago

Okay thanks for the answer 🙏

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