Norton Ghost alternatives listed below make sure that you never end up losing all your data, even if your system decides to crash. It is basically a cloning software that can be used for creating exact copies of all the digital content on the system. You can even generate backup files of the OS and completely stop worrying about losing your stuff. The program in question can take incremental backups and lets you copy data to hard drives and flash storage devices or burn CDs and DVDs with these folders.
So if you have been looking for applications that can carry out these functions efficiently, you have stumbled at the right place. All of the substitutes here can pull off these tasks with ease. Let’s jump right in and find out all the special characteristics of software that have made it to the list, shall we?
1 – Clonezilla:
An open-source disk imaging and cloning program, Clonezilla has managed to make its mark in the software realm with its advanced capabilities of system deployments, taking backups and recovering data. Its live edition is suitable for those of you who need to safeguard data from a single computer, while users who wish to clone data from a network of systems can opt for the Server Edition.
Clonezilla lets you customize most aspects pertaining to imaging and cloning and even allows you to restore one image to several drives. It has acquired the GPL license and can be downloaded for free through the official website.
2 – DriveImage XML:
Another one of the programs like Norton Ghost is DriveImage XML that permits you to create backup files of logical drives and partitions in the form of image files. Once you have created these images, you can easily browse through all of them and even extract content as and when you wish. And if you happen to lose the data or need to transfer it to other drives, you can restore these images and there is no limitation to the type or the number of drives you can save it on.
What’s worth a mention is the fact that that you can schedule backups and the software will do the needful without your intervention at the pre-decided time. Additionally, the images you create are stored as XML files and can be processed with third-party tools as well. This application works on systems running Windows XP, 2003, Vista, 7 and 8.
3 – Acronis True Image:
Acronis True Image is safe, reliable and easy, according to its developers and after looking at its several features we are convinced that it is a multitasking program. Naturally, the software is capable of creating image files of all the digital data saved on your system and it even makes sure that you do not end up losing your settings, operating system or your carefully-plucked applications.
It has an optional cloud storage service too and you can synchronize all your devices to access files from anywhere with a little help from dedicated Acronis applications. And if that’s not enough, you can schedule backups and even choose to go for incremental ones so your entire system doesn’t get scanned time and again.
4 – Carbon Copy Cloner:
The next spot on our roster of software similar to Norton Ghost has been assigned to Carbon Copy Cloner which is specially designed for Mac OS X based computers. It comes in extremely handy at desperate times when your system acts too pricey and you may end up losing data because you did not take proper backup. With this application, you can create backup folders of your media files as well as the operating system.
And obviously, you can then restore them to your new hard drive as and when you want as everything is saved on a bootable volume. Once you have backed up your entire computer, all the subsequent operations will concentrate on saving new data and content that has been changed, thus saving up on time. And a simple and intuitive interface only adds to its advantages.
5 – XXClone:
Yet another device cloning application that deserves a mention on this roster featuring programs like Norton Ghost is XXClone, which helps you copy your Windows system disk on another one. And of course, along with your digital data and media files, it takes into account system files, configurations and applications you have installed on your PC.
The program carries out periodic system backups on regular intervals according to your preferences and transforms the target destination into a self-bootable disk so you can easily restore the content without following a tedious procedure. And no, you won’t have to stop working on the computer when XXClone is operating because it runs in the background.
6 – Drive Snapshot:
Drive Snapshot is a software for the Windows operating system that creates image files of all your content including applications, system data, and registry. It boasts of an easy user interface and its snapshot technology ensures backing up consistent data.
The application runs in the background and the virtual drive it creates can be used, compared or restored according to your convenience. The developers say that it can work with all Windows file systems and RAID methods.
Conclusion:
Also, you can check out Partition Magic and other drive management software. We must say, all of these Norton Ghost alternatives seem promising substitutes for the application. If they have managed to convince you about their abilities to clone data, you should try them out to see if they can live up to the expectations or not. And we would definitely like to hear from you regarding your experiences with these options. So do get back to us with your opinions.