Windows 7: Need to make backup

So I just got my new SSD installed with Windows 7 Pro x64. I now want to make an image of the disk and save as an iso on my external hard drive. When I start it up, it attemps to load and I get this "No DEFAULT or UI configuration directive found!" \n "boot: "
I can boot this disc on my laptop and I can boot an Ubuntu 10.04 live disc no problems. Anyone seen this?

Muffiin

Working with the Windows Backup & Restore as well as Acronis the system images created by both are not in ISO form. That's not how the backup feature works with either.

With Acronis however you can mount the disk image created as a second C drive listed in Computer or any explorer window and even opt to add more files to it. That allows incremental backup for individual items rather then replacing one image with a newer one.

Your description however seems to point to a drive detection problem as if the boot sector or necessary system files were missing from the drive following the first install. Generally any full system images even for smaller drives are spread over multiple dvds not compressed small enough for just one live disk.

Ubuntu on the other hand starts as a live version of that distro being much smaller in size to start with. The only portable method found for any version of Windows was during the beta to RC time frame for use of the Portable Virtual Box to see 7 on a usb flash drive. How To Install Windows 7 On USB Flash Drive

Note that allows for a temp install seeing the flash drive made bootable. Ubuntu x86 on the other hand only takes upto about 2 1/3gb of space when custom installed directly onto a flash drive making that the better option for portable there. For you the best first idea would be trying the startup repair tool when booting from the 7 dvd or may require an upgrade to repair or simply second clean install if the first was bad from the start.

Win 7 Backup & Restore creates a VHD file.
Win 7 Backup & Restore does not create a .ISO file.

Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

I guess I should have put what I was using in there. I am trying to use Clonezilla, not Windows Backup and Restore. I don't want to have 4 discs laying around, thats why I didn't use Win Backup and Restore. I should have been more specific.

I'll take a look at Acronis when I get backin a few days, if no one knows about my problem.

Thanks!

Edit: I can boot into Windows, I cannot boot into the Clonezilla disc

Huh? Have a look at the attached image of how a system image looks in the WindowsImageBackup folder. A vhd is something totally different there. The download and installer for the XP Mode will set up that VHD. Otherwise for manually creating a new one you would look at a guide for that. Virtual Hard Disk - Create and Attach VHD

Now Acronis True Image and likely other imaging softwares will be about to mount thier own form of image where it can look as if you have two C drives with a slight color change however when seen in an explorer window to tell them apart. That allows you to edit an image for incrementally adding more or even removing something.

So, Clonezilla? Know what my problem may be? Windows boots fine, Ubuntu boots fine. I dont know why Clonezilla won't, it is a Linux distro after all.

It depends on what you are using for a main boot loader. If you are using EasyBCD for adding into the 7 loader you will need to add a new entry in to see NeoGrub pointed at the root for that one.

You are nearly looking in the correct place. Let's see if I've got a snapshot showing you where, although Brink' tutorial Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup
also points out the location.

You can also simply search for VHD files.

??? One VHD file? When you look at the screen you posted there you will note that the sub folder contains numerous files not one vhd file by itself. That's only a portion of the entire image. When looking at the image below note that two VHD files with the same name are seen not one for the images of the host drive here. That's a good one!

Essentially a full system image starts off with a new folder(WindowsImageBackup) and then moves ooto one main sub folder(user account named) wth a few more sub folders under that seeing one dated or "time stamped" where the recovery option will then use the time stamp to indicate which is the recommend image.

Sometimes restoring an image can also see boot problems as well as any you happen to be running into with the main installation when going to restore them. For seeing the second drive's image of the Vista install restored it blue screens in a quick flash and ends up in a full restart.

I'll have to unplug the host drive to perform a repair or try again to see the second restoration goes 100%. But that also indicates problems can appear in images at times where alternate backup methods should accompany them.

Please read Shawn's excellent tutorial.
Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup