Windows 7 - System image burn to external drive or burn to cds? Question in messag

I have 120 gb external drive. I don't mind using the external drive to burn the system image on as i barely ever use it and yes it still works. However, I worry about system image being re written by virus should i ever get a virus, spyware, malware, ect. on my external drive and then the viruses re enters my system everytime i use the system image. The whole point of even me using the system image would be in the event i get a virus and i just can't rid of it or I just really wanna be sure its gone. So i use the system image to delete everything and restore only what was on the system image. So my question is do you think if be the safer bet to just store the system image on none-rewritable cds? Perhaps this is not very convenient as i would need more than probably 3 cds, but would it be safer and would it let me install it on more than 1 cd? I think the system image is about 80 gbs. So i may need up to 9 cds to store 10 gbs each going from part 1 to part 11. Is it going to let me do that? Oh and i just might make a back up on my external drive as just as emergency back up in the given case one or all my cds don't fully work or should one out of 11 ever fail.

Hello Trent,

It would be best to create the system image on a HDD instead. A CD/DVD is less reliable to restore from, and more expensive for how many you would need.

You can do what's in the NOTE box at the top of the tutorial below to keep multiple copies of system images on the same HDD. This way you can create a system image backup that you know is clean, rename the backup folder to keep it so new system images will not replace it. Just repeat this every so often to have a updated system image that you know is clean.

Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Buy another Internal Hard Drive (HDD). Unplug your power cord, hold the power button in for 1 minute to discharge any remaining electricity. Be sure you are grounded (wrap a wire around your wrist and attach the other end to something metal other than the computer). Reach inside and carefully move the wires a little to see what type of connection you have to your main hard drive (sata = one thin wire) (ata = a ribbon type cable). If you find you have SATA, follow that wire to the motherboard to see if there are 3 or 4 more SATA connectors. If so, any new SATA hard drive such as Western Digital, Hatachi, Maxtor etc. will cost you about 80 to 100 dollars for a 500 to 1000 GB hard drive (1000 GB = 1 Terabyte). Look for a bay above or below your main hard drive to make certain you have room for another Internal Hard Drive. If not, then go with a good External Hard Drive (same mfg/s plus others). Your transfer rate for backups and system images is much faster with two Internal HDD's. Here you can see what mine look like in Windows 7 32 Bit (Windows 7 classic mode).

Choose Windows Backup Utility (if you have it) or download any number of hard drive backup software programs. A very popular free one is at Cnet.com called Macrium Reflect. I happen to use a hard drive manager program that allows me to do many things with my hard drives. Most users never need a sophisticated program. Try Macrium, I think you'll be happy with that one. I'm sure others will suggest a couple other freebies as well.