New Install, want to create image

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I'm looking to learn how to create an image of a windows 7 64b system. I'm just about through my normal customizations that I like to the OS. I am using Windows 7 64 Professional. I have a secondary SSD installed on the rig for backup files etc. It has about 92GB free. I was thinking; Could the image be put there? Or how do I even make one? Does windows have support for making a disc image? I have a USB portable DVD player/burner.

Thanks for the help


EDIT: Oh, I want to be able to do a reinstall with this image to exactly how it was copied

 

[TuSpockShakur]

Windows Backup and Restore is built right in and will do this for you. It is in the control panel. Just choose to create a system image and include the system and OS partitions. It works, but I choose to use Acronis True Image as I do weekly incremental backups.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What I'm saying is when I'm done with all my customizations to the OS I want to make an image of it incase I have to reformat the drive for a new install. Windows will create an image I can just take from my backup SSD and throw it on the main SSD?

 

[MustISO]

Yes, Windows can create a recovery image just like Acronis and using the recovery CD that you create you can restore that image to any drive.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/4241/how-to-create-a-system-image-in-windows-7/?PageSpeed=noscript

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Yes, Windows can create a recovery image just like Acronis and using the recovery CD that you create you can restore that image to any drive.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/4241/how-to-create-a-system-image-in-windows-7/?PageSpeed=noscript

Do I have to use a CD or can I just use the backup SSD for everything?

 

[Binky]

To restore, you'd need to boot from the restoration DVD/USB. For windows, that's generally the Windows installation disc, where there is an option to restore from image. For acronis, you boot from the acronis DVD and restore the image stored on SSD #2 to SSD #1.

For both, you tell it where the image is, and where you want it restored.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Windows Backup and Restore "works", but it's cryptic and not easily understood. It's not as flexible as competing applications. Fussy and doesn't give you a lot of control in some areas.

It has its own ideas of what will necessarily be backed up. Your images might be much larger than anticipated.

You can get in a jam if you move the created image file to another storage location. Windows expects to find it in a particular spot, which may not be where you want to keep it.

Stuff like that. It's OK if you want to take the time and trouble to figure it out and are prepared for hand-wringing when it doesn't work as you thought it would. You have to be willing to accept its peculiarities.

Best alternatives probably Macrium Reflect Free and Aomei Backupper, but always have a plan B as imaging is not extremely reliable.

 

[XavierMace]

Best alternatives probably Macrium Reflect Free and Aomei Backupper, but always have a plan B as imaging is not extremely reliable.

If your image isn't reliable you or your application is doing something wrong. IT people image systems by the hundreds.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If your image isn't reliable you or your application is doing something wrong. IT people image systems by the hundreds.

I'd agree with that.

IT people and non-IT people image systems by the hundreds and thousands.

But you don't have to look far to find instances where an image won't restore, sometimes for unknown reasons--even though the image file has been verified to match the source.

I've had them fail to restore on my own PC--in my case because of some unexplained nonsense with Acronis. It decided it didn't want to acknowledge my image file--wouldn't even open it. Maybe it was corrupted---I have no idea.

So I gave up on Acronis and went to Macrium and have personally had no issues, but have seen numerous instances of failure to restore on backup-related forums--for whatever reason. Sometimes because "my recovery disk won't boot my system", which is often a driver issue.

So I never completely rely on them. I hope they work. They usually do (98%?) and are very useful in those cases. Maybe we differ on what "extremely reliable" means. Maybe we don't differ at all.

If there is some corporate app that is extremely reliable by my standards, I'd hope it eventually shows up on the consumer market.

 

[Ketchup]

Another vote for Windows Backup and Restore. I have it make backups of selected files every week. Haven't needed it yet, but I tested it a few weeks ago and everything is there and findable.

 

[XavierMace]

I'd agree with that.

IT people and non-IT people image systems by the hundreds and thousands.

But you don't have to look far to find instances where an image won't restore, sometimes for unknown reasons--even though the image file has been verified to match the source.

You stated imaging is "not extremely reliable". My point was I disagree with that statement. Is it flawless? No. No system is. But if I make 10,000 images and have 1 that doesn't work, I would still call that reliable. I work in managed IT for banks. We have regulatory requirements to verify backups. For most of our clients, critical systems have image level backups not just file level backups. Bad but completed backups are extremely rare.

But the risk of invalid backups are why companies (well some companies) test their backups. But without knowing WHY the restore failed, you can't blame the method of backup. If the backup was saved to bad media, that's not the imaging software's fault, that's the operators fault for using bad media.

 

[WilliamM2]

Windows Backup and Restore "works", but it's cryptic and not easily understood. It's not as flexible as competing applications. Fussy and doesn't give you a lot of control in some areas.

It has its own ideas of what will necessarily be backed up. Your images might be much larger than anticipated.

You can get in a jam if you move the created image file to another storage location. Windows expects to find it in a particular spot, which may not be where you want to keep it.

Stuff like that. It's OK if you want to take the time and trouble to figure it out and are prepared for hand-wringing when it doesn't work as you thought it would. You have to be willing to accept its peculiarities.

Best alternatives probably Macrium Reflect Free and Aomei Backupper, but always have a plan B as imaging is not extremely reliable.

I've never had a single one of those issues with Win 7's built in image creator. And I've used it on at least 100 computers. I always copy the image to a second backup drive, and when restoring, I can use either. Windows does not care where it is other than the root of the drive it's on, and what it is named.