Windows 7: System Image to USB Flash Drive

Hey folks,

I need to clear something up, I need to create a system Image of my C drive.

I m I right in thinking Windows Backup wont allow me to save that image onto a USB Flash drive?

What if I use something like paragon, does that allow the actual image to be put into a flash drive? I know they allow "bootable usb" but I guess that s the same as what the Windows 7 DVD/USB tool does right..i.e but the actual windows to boot into and then use an image in the HDD to restore?.

Thanks for the help, truth be told its the first time I m really dealing with a comp without a darm optical drive (and boy I miss that drive!!!!...ok ok I m a bit behind with the time!!)

According to Microsoft, if you're using Windows Backup to back up your files, you can have a system image created each time your files are backed up. The files can be saved on a USB flash drive, CDs, DVDs, or a hard drive. The system image must be saved on a hard drive.

Back up your programs, system settings, and files

This Microsoft article also says you can't save a system image on a flash drive:

Where should I save my backup?

As far as other imaging software like Paragon, Macrium, EaseUS Todo, etc you might have to try each one to see if it would work. I couldn't find anything definitive.

Yep, you can save the image to a flash drive but you will need a large capacity pendrive large enough to accomodate the compressed image.

But why would you like to do it when you can easily save a number of such backups to an USB external drive?

( Just for the heck of it I imaged my 38GB system partition running the WinPE Macrium Reflect Recovery module from my multi-boot pendrive and saved it to a 32GB pendrive. With maximum compression employed the image was 22GB)

Personal View:
Most flash drives I've come across have quite slow write times. Also, I'm not so sure about their long term reliability in retaining data if you want the image archived.

I'd stick with an external HDD, even a little one and keep more than one image.

Thanks for taking the time responding guys. I just wanted to find out as I dont have access to a fresh external, the ones I have are FAT32 and have some stuff on them...so if I was to convert it would have taken a bit of time. Putting it in a USB seemed the easier option at the time..

Thanks again