Family: I just had a hardrive crash but was just able to install Linux. Can that OS be used for BIAB?

I think NO

According to PG Music: Windows or Mac are the O/S environments supported.

I hope you had a backup of your data files at least.

I recommend using something like Acronis True Image to make a backup of your hard drive. You can save that backup image to an external USB drive and if your hard drive crashes, you can boot from a special boot CD or USB stick to restore your system to a new hard drive. I believe Easus makes a similar product (free even).

I know it doesn't help you now, but it's a good insurance policy for the future. Once you have a replacement disk, you can be back up and running in an hour or two with your system in the same state as when you made the system image.

I generally backup my data weekly (I have a batch file I use to do so) or more frequently and take a system image monthly. I keep the two most recent images (in case there is a problem with one of them) and this has saved me a few times and has made it extremely easy to upgrade to larger hard drives as well.

That being said, you might be able to get BIAB to run under WINE (Pipeline is probably your best resource for that), or if you have a Windows license and disk, you can create a Virtual Machine using Oracle VirtualBox; however, if you have a Windows license and disk, why not just install that on the machine?

Thanks John! Lots of good input for this project. No, I didn't lose any BIAB files. Everything was backed up, thankfully! But the image thing sounds good. I'm going to look into that. I was copying the BIAB hardrive to an older hardrive, but it said it would take 10 1/2 hours, so I haven't done that yet.

Blessings to you, JZ

Yep, copying a lot of data (especially if it's coming from or to a USB) can take a long time. I usually just set it to go overnight and then go to bed.

"I usually just set it to go overnight and then go to bed."
Yes, that's what I do.

With BB Linux, unless you are a Linux user and want to mess around, you would be better installing Windows.
If you lost your OS with the crash, you might have a COA sticker on the PC with a serial number, so if you get the right Windows install DVD you can re-install.
You can also buy Windows OS's on eBay cheap.

OK, Pipeline. It will be good to get back to BIAB again!

John is giving very good advice here.

I use Acronis and back up data daily. I also use Microsoft's Sync Toy. It makes a copy on an external, removable drive that are 100% uncompressed, identical, and usable.

At least once a week I do a full backup/image, more often if I'm doing a lot of work, and definitely before I install any new software (a disk image has saved my butt more than once).

I also make, on a different removable drive, a disk image once a month, and I save the last 9 months on that disk (that's all that fits). If I get a crash, virus, ransomware, or whatever, I can restore my computer to how it was months ago, and with sync toy as a partner, my recent data files are still up to date.

There are only two kinds of computer users, those who have had a hard disk crash, and those who haven't had a hard disk crash yet.

It's cheap insurance, it doesn't take much time, and when it saves you, it's priceless.

Example:

I installed a trial version (LE) of a major music app once. The computer locked up during the install. Ctrl+Alt+Del didn't work so I forced a shutdown. It automatically resumed the install on boot up and locked up again. I tried rebooting in the safe mode with the same results. A locked up computer with no access to either my data files or even Windows.

So I put in the rescue disk, and re-installed the disk image I made right before I tried the LE software, and I was back in business, exactly as the computer was a couple of hours ago. Then I threw the CD with the LE version of the software away.

Running a computer without backing up is living dangerously.

Insights and incites by Notes

Thanks, Norton! I sure appreciate that. Like I said, I use the BIAB Audiophie hardrive so I just plugged it into my laptop and I was "up-and-running". I'm sure glad for that hardrive!! JZ