Windows 7 backup?

K

kf9vh

New member
I see a lot of people recommending something different than window backup. I am new to this but I have used windows 7 back up on a desk top and laptop without a hitch. I have not tried to restore anything but the backup seemed to work fine.

So what is the problem? Do I really need to get a third party software for this task?

Thanks
 

My Computer

OS
windows 7
No, you shouldn't need third party software. With XP, maybe, but not with 7. The Windows 7 backup tool has suited my needs (despite being slow) and does what it says on the tin, backs up and restores in a failsafe way :p
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP Pavilion p6565uk
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II X6 1035T @2.6GHz (hexacore) (=15.6GHz)
Motherboard
FOXCONN (2AA9)
Memory
6GB DDR3-1333 (running at 1066)
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA/MSI GeForce GTX 770 (2GB)
Sound Card
Realtek HD Audio (with 5.1 surround sound always on)
Monitor(s) Displays
HP 2311x (secondary-workspace), Sharp LL-T1620-H (primary)
Screen Resolution
1924x1080
Hard Drives
480GB Crucial M500 SSD
1TB internal WD Caviar Black
3TB Seagate Barracude 7200rpm (for media storage)
4TB Seagate Desktop drive (mirrored backup)
2TB Apple AirPort Time Capsule
1TB Seagate FreeAgent Desk
500GB Seagate External Desktop Drive
PSU
XCase Dolphin, 700W
Case
Stock HP one that came with it, mid-size ATX
Cooling
Stock fans, they're fairly quiet.
Keyboard
Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 2000+ HP Media Centre Remote
Mouse
Microsoft Wireless Mouse 2000
Internet Speed
20 Mbps down, 50 Mbps up
Antivirus
MSE
Browser
Chrome Beta
Other Info
Also:
- 13" Apple MacBook Air, 2013, i7 @ 1.7GHz, 8GB DDR3, 256GB SSD
- HP Deskjet 3050A
- Two HP ZV5000 laptops (the better of the two recently broke)
- A Compaq Evo D310 (has 2GB RAM and a 2.53GHz P4 but is curiously extremely slow)
- A desk fan - this weather is warm ;)
- A fair few retro consoles
- Too many cables behind the desk, probably a fire hazard.
I wouldn't give it or any imaging application a vote of confidence until I had actually done a restore. If you do that and it works, then you apparently understand it well enough to use it, at least on your current configuration.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
Since Win 7 came out I've only used its Backup and Restore tool. I have several system images to Bluray and backup weekly to an external drive. I've only restored once (when I restored to a new drive) with it and it went without hitch. When I installed the SSD I went with a clean install.

As for speed, when I've bothered to watch it the weekly backups take less than 10 minutes (about 8-9) so I don't have much complaint about speed.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Wordsworth 5000
OS
Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
CPU
Core i7 6700K Skylake 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Asus Z170 Pro
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 32GB 3000MHz
Graphics Card(s)
Asus Radeon RX480 Strix 8GB
Sound Card
Asus Xonar DSX
Monitor(s) Displays
HP 2709m
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Intel 600p M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD 512GB; Intel 335 SSD 240GB ;Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
PSU
Thermaltake Toughpower Grand Platinum 850W
Case
Lian Li PC-B70
Cooling
CPU-Noctua NH D15, GPU-Stock, Case-Noctua 2x140, 2x120
Keyboard
Microsoft Natural Ergo 4000
Mouse
Microsoft Wireless Optical 1000
Internet Speed
Cable
Other Info
HP bd 340,
HP bd 240,
Klipsch Promedia 5.1 THX
You can check to see that the image can be attached and mounted with Disk management. But, restoring a full system image is the acid test.

I have used windows imaging extensively and restored many times without problem. The fact is that windows imaging has presented problems for some people (/system configurations).

I recommend keeping some additional images using a second imaging program. I use Macrium Reflect in addition to the Windows inbuilt.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Own build
OS
Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1
CPU
Intel i7 2600k
Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe
Memory
G.Skill Ripjaws (DDR3-1600) 2x4GB
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GeForce GTS 450; Intel HD Graphics 3000(GT2+)
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell Ultrasharp IPS panel U2311H, Samsung SyncMaster P2350
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 850 Pro SSD 256GB, Samsung SSD 840 120GB, Seagates 1TB Barracuda ST31000528AS x2
PSU
Seasonic M12II 520W
Case
Lian Li Lancool PC-K60
Cooling
Case: 1x120mm, 3x140mm CPU: Hyper 212+
Keyboard
Logitech MK520 (wireless)
Mouse
Logitech MK520
Internet Speed
6-7 Mbps
Antivirus
Norton Security Premium, Malwarebytes on 2 (MSE on 3rd PC)
Browser
FireFox
Other Info
Audio: Logitech Z523 2.1
I have used windows 7 backup for quite some time. I created a system image about every other day. It's simple and doesn't take a lot of time. I have used the restore several times and it works as it should with no problems. The image is exactly as it was directly before the image was made.
 

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP Pavilion g7-1260us Notebook
OS
Desk Top with Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit and Lap Top with Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit
Memory
8Gig
Screen Resolution
1600x900
Maybe I'm paranoid, but it's with good reason. I don't rely on any one imaging program, I use at least 2 that I feel confident in. and backup both internally and to an external HD.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
    ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900X
    Motherboard
    Asus X570 Crosshair Viii Hero
    Memory
    32GB G Skill DDR4-3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 3080 FTW 3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    On Board/Sennheiser PC37X Headset
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3 X Asus 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2 X 1 TB NVME drives
    PSU
    EVGA 850
    Case
    Phanteks Eclipse P400A
    Cooling
    EVGA 280 AIO
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510s/ Logitech G13
    Mouse
    Logitech G502
    Internet Speed
    24/1
    Antivirus
    ESET/MBAM Pro/SAS Pro
    Browser
    Chrome/ Firefox/ Edge
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model Number
    Dell 16 Plus
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    CPU
    Intel Ultra 9 288V
    Memory
    32 GB LPDDR5X 8533
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" Mini-LED HDR600 Touch 90 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    2560X1600
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME
essenbe said:
Maybe I'm paranoid, but it's with good reason. I don't rely on any one imaging program, I use at least 2 that I feel confident in. and backup both internally and to an external HD.
Click to expand...
There's nothing wrong with that. It's not being paranoid, it's being careful.
 

My Computer

Computer type
Laptop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
HP Pavilion g7-1260us Notebook
OS
Desk Top with Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit and Lap Top with Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit
Memory
8Gig
Screen Resolution
1600x900
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