Best Windows 7 and Windows 10 backup methods?

[Eug]

What's the best way to clone my Windows 7 installs (desktop and laptop) for backup, before I move to Windows 10?

And once I'm on Windows 10, what's the best way to back that up?

For Windows 7 I've had my hidden OS restore directory, and restore DVDs, as well as Acronis backups.

 

[MustISO]

I used Acronis and the built in Windows image backup. For Windows 10, no idea. Hopefully they've got a better backup system that's a combination of Win7 and File History.

 

[MontyAC]

You can use Macrium Reflect version 6 to clone/image your drive. It does Hidden partitions, recovery partition and any other partition on your drive. You can set it up to dual boot so you don't need to create a recovery boot disk.

 

[Ketchup]

The Backup tool in Windows can also do an image of your drive.

 

[John Connor]

I have used and still use the free AOMEI Backupper. I also use it to clone my Netbook with USB drives. One with the PE version of AOEMI and the other USB stick as the destination. Have to use USB for a Netbook since there is no CD drive.

 

[Eug]

For Windows Backup, don't you need other software to do a restore? Or a Windows install disc?

I have used and still use the free AOMEI Backupper. I also use it to clone my Netbook with USB drives. One with the PE version of AOEMI and the other USB stick as the destination. Have to use USB for a Netbook since there is no CD drive.

Hmmm... Interesting. I've never heard of that before.

 

[Ketchup]

Windows backup can make the disk for you if you need it for a full restore.

 

[John Connor]

For Windows Backup, don't you need other software to do a restore? Or a Windows install disc?



Hmmm... Interesting. I've never heard of that before.

What AOMEI has is a PE install with the software to USB stick. You boot that USB stick that runs the backuper and I cloned to another 16GB USB stick. Trick is you have to boot the AOEMI USB stick first then insert the USB stick you want to clone to. I do that right away.

If SHTF with my netbook and I buy a new flash drive I can boot the USB AOMEI stick and chose the USB stick with the clone and clone to the internal flash drive.

Make sense?

 

[tidy]

.

 

[John Connor]

What's the difference between an image and a clone? Basically, I image/clone to a USB stick...

 

[tidy]

.

 

[mikeymikec]

The Backup tool in Windows can also do an image of your drive.

I tried to use a Win7 system image to replace the boot disk with a larger one, but (I think) because Win7's backup system expects to see a disk ID that it put there when it partitioned the disk, it told me to shove off.

I used Norton Ghost in the end, which I think I received free with a disk (HDD/SDD, can't remember) I bought some time ago.

 

[Ketchup]

I tried to use a Win7 system image to replace the boot disk with a larger one, but (I think) because Win7's backup system expects to see a disk ID that it put there when it partitioned the disk, it told me to shove off.

I used Norton Ghost in the end, which I think I received free with a disk (HDD/SDD, can't remember) I bought some time ago.

Good to know. Indicates that there are limitations. I use Windows Backup only to send selected data to another computer on the network. My theory is, if something catastrophic does happen, re-installing the OS would be the least of my worries.

 

[bigi]

I always boot off cd/usb stick and launch imaging software w/out the OS.

It allows me to use acronis/ghost from 10 years ago with 100% success and work very quickly.

It's worked with Win 2000 to Win 10. All of them. Just tried NT at work and all went fine.

 

[tidy]

.

 

[spat55]

I am asking the same question because I want to do a clean install of Windows 10 on release and would like to carry over all my data that I have now, well my personal stuff like Music/Movies/Pictures/Games.

 

[Eug]

Are all Windows 7 System Repair Discs the same? Can I create a Win 7 System Repair Disc on my laptop and use it for Windows 7 desktop as well? (I have two Win 7 desktops and one Win 7 laptop, and I'm hoping I don't have to create 3 system repair discs.)

 

[Ketchup]

Yes, with one caveat:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...air-disk/d1053841-42d4-486b-b365-ffbd4bc9e16c

 

[Eug]

Excellent thanks. All three computers are Win 7 Home 64-bit so that should be fine.

 

[Auric]

Until you need to do a UEFI system.

If capable of GPT but not under UEFI, then wouldn't systems with CSM still work if temporarily switched to that mode for offline imaging? Somewhat like BIOS systems with both IDE and AHCI modes where switching to former is necessary to preclude speed reduction.

 

[corkyg]

I have Win 7 and 8.1. I have duplicate drives for each, and can easily switch. I do it weekly. That way, all drives are up to date every Monday. When 10 is installed, I will use the same system. It will replace the 8.1 on 3 cloned drives. Switching drives in a mobile rack is way6 faster than imaging and/or backup restore. BTW - I never clone from within the OS - always a separate boot drive that has a Linux based interface. No conflicts that way.

 

[Eug]

For Windows Backup's restore function, is the drive alignment always taken care of properly? The reason I ask I've been swapping drives and want to know if I backup a platter drive and restore to an SSD, the SSD will be aligned properly.

I am thinking it will be properly aligned, since Win 7 and up are supposed to automatically do this when the Windows installer formats the drive, and I would imagine the restore I does the same thing because it needs to format the drive too.

 

[Eug]

Some notes:

There is a new 64-bit Windows 10 System Repair Disc. I don't know if it's the same or if it's different internally, but the boot screens and what not are updated to reflect Windows 10.

Also, I forgot that you cannot restore to a smaller hard drive. I ran into that gotcha trying to restore my Win 10 install to an SSD. I tried reducing the drive partition size, and Windows 10 worked fine, but when I tried to restore that to the new drive, the restore failed. Mind you, I used Partition Wizard which hasn't been officially updated for Win 10 yet, so I don't know if that was an issue.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If capable of GPT but not under UEFI, then wouldn't systems with CSM still work if temporarily switched to that mode for offline imaging? Somewhat like BIOS systems with both IDE and AHCI modes where switching to former is necessary to preclude speed reduction.

No. In order to properly clone/image a UEFI install, upon restoration, the GPT partition containing the OS bootloader files has to be "registered" with the UEFI of the machine it is being restored to. Not just present on-disk and read upon boot like CSM boot does.

 

[Eug]

I reformatted and redid a clean install to Windows 7. Unfortunately, Windows' only System Image function refuses to function on that install, because it complains there is not enough storage space. It seem the System Reserve partition that Windows created during the install process is the problem. It is 500 MB, but with 325 MB used. Apparently that means there is not enough space on the partition to create a compressed directory in preparation for the imaging process. How stupid is that?

Of course Acronis works fine, and BTW, the new interface for True Image 2015 is very slick and easy to use. Way, way better than the last one I tried, which was 2011 and apparently it's better than anything before 2015. Furthermore, the later 2015 versions are fully compatible with Windows 10.

However, I note that Macrium is free for basic usage, and the latest version is also fully compatible with Windows 10, so maybe I'll try that.