MiniTool Drive Copy

A disk drive can get damaged due to various reasons, including repeated read / write processes. Although there are options to attempt and retrieve lost data from damaged drives, you can't fully rely on it and risk permanent data loss. In this case it's better to stay on the safe side, with application like MiniTool Drive Copy letting you create a backup of entire drives and partitions.

Support for various file systems

Running the application brings up a compact, yet intuitive interface that poses no accommodation problems whatsoever. What's more, the overall process takes you through a series of steps equipped with helpful descriptions and info so you don't get stuck along the way.
Depending on your intentions or needs, note that the application can process FAT, VFAT and NTFS file systems, regardless of the disk type so it's usable on various configurations. Moreover, implemented options let you either transfer entire disks or just partitions.

Analyze thorough drive details

A neat advantage is that Flash drives are also supported and automatically identified. However, you need to run the application after you plug the drive in, because there's no manual or automatic refresh system once you're halfway configuring settings.
A list of all detected storage devices is displayed along with thorough info regarding type, capacity and space distribution. Setting up parameters is easy enough, but there's no options to select custom files or directories, with the process targeting entire volumes.

Transfer entire disks or partitions

Once you're happy with target and destination selection, you only need to wait until the process is finished, and it can take some time, depending on the amount of data and total size of the disk. All runs smooth and there's even helpful info on how to make a drive bootable in case you're creating a backup of a partition where your operating system is stored.
Take caution and deploy data only on an empty space or you risk losing it. However, the application prompts you before triggering the actual process, also alerting you that the destination is to be formatted. Unfortunately, there's no implemented utility to select the new file system or to simply format or create new partitions on a disk.

To sum it up

On an ending note, MiniTool Drive Copy is a practical utility overall which can come in handy if you want to create a safe backup of entire disks or partitions. The wizard-driven interface is sure to get you out of sticky situations, while support for various file systems makes it suitable for different scenarios. Although it can be a lengthy process, you might want to give this small utility a try.