Windows 7: Hard disk required for Windows system image, though it shouldn't be

Hello everybody.
I have 3 HDD, 500GB that I use for storing files, downloads and games - all the stuff I don't need much. Other is 1TB that holds 2 disks, 100GB system disk and remaining space for programs, music, documents - important stuff. And the third is 1TB and I want it to be used as a backup HDD. So what I want is to have a complete backup of system disk and important stuff and ignore the 500GB HDD. I set the backup to be performed everyday at 4 am since I don't turn off my PC. Recently I noticed that system image started to require that 500GB disk. I was wondering why? All it has is a folder with one game that I didn't even install - just copied, and a Downloads folder. I installed Dues Ex 3 on this disk but removed since. Can I somehow manually find the reson for this disk to be necessary for system image and eliminate it?



So what I need is to always have a most recent backup of one 1TB HDD on another 1TB HDD. And it would be nice to have a system saved as well so if my HDD crashes I won't have to reinstall everything. If this is too much to ask from Windows 7 I guess I'll just have the files backed up, without the system.

Hello Pokrishka, and welcome to Seven Forums.

On the 1TB HDD that you want to use to save system images to, did you do any of the following:

• Move the page file to it, or set to have a page file on
• Move any user folders to it
• The HDD or a partition on the 1TB HDD is listed with "system" in Disk Management

Hello Brink. That 500GB disk that I don't want to include in the backup indeed is listed as "System" in Disk Manager. I don't know how that happened, I installed Windows just a week ago, all my HDDs were formatted at that time. All I had done with that disk is install and removed Deus Ex, created "Downloads" folder and copied 2 folders with data from a USB drive. I've added "Downloads" to favorites though, will that count as a user folder?

Could you post a screenshot of Disk Management showing the full layout of your drives?

If those folders are the ones from within the C:\Users\(user-name) folder, and you moved them to the 500GB drive, then yes and that's why it would be considered a system drive afterwards. See the link below for what I mean by moved.

User Folders - Change Default Location

No, the Downloads folder in User folders is different. I created a Downloads folder myself and added it to favorites. Here's the screenshot:


Disk 0 is for the backup, Disk 1 is the one I want to be backed up, Disk 2 is the one that is not supposed to be necessary for the system image.

It shows your E: drive as Active. Right click on your C: drive and click on Mark partition as active. You may need to do a startup repair afterwards if it will no longer boot into Windows 7.

If for some reason E: is still listed at "System" and required to be included in the system image, then temporarily copy the contents of E: to your Backup (B: ) drive, format E:, then copy the contents back to E: .