[aux]

Is there any software that can be used to backup the system partition to image and then restoring from that image (something like Ghost for dos/windows)?

I found SuperDuper and it seems that it can clone a drive or volume to another. However I would like to create weekly backups of my system partition and keep at least several of them and not only the last. It looks like with SuperDuper I will have to create a partition on the backup drive for each exact copy. Thus the question, is there any software that can create these backups as image files? If so, how do I restore from these images?

[baw]

Disk Utility can create images of drives.

[aux]

Originally Posted by baw

Disk Utility can create images of drives.

I tried to use Disk Utility to create an image of my system partition to external firewire drive and it was giving me errors (don't remember what the error was and don't have my Mac here to try again). Using SuperDuper I was able to do that.

So far this is what I can do: install SuperDuper on working OS X installation on the main (built-in) hard disk. Then partition the external hard disk into 2 partitions. Use the first one to create exact bootable copy of the main disk system partition. Each subsequent week, create an image of the main disk system partition and store it on the second partition of the external hard disk (this will not erase the previous images). If the installation on the main disk fails for some reason, I can boot using the bootable installation on the external disk, then start SuperDuper from there and use the latest image from the external disk to restore to the main (built-in) disk.

The SuperDuper manual says that the images are compatible with Apple's restore system, so is it possible to avoid creating the bootable copy on the first partition? Something like boot from the OS X installation DVD, then restore from an image stored on an external firewire disk?